Background information Bath Bath is an old seafaring town. Its recorded maritime history began only 12 miles down the Kennebec when 400 years ago the first ship built by settlers in the New world was launched. Shipyards once lined the rivers edge and Bath-built vessels sailed the seas of the worldBackground information Bath Bath is an old seafaring town. Its recorded maritime history began only 12 miles down the Kennebec when 400 years ago the first ship built by settlers in the New World was launched. Shipyards once lined the river's edge and Bath-built vessels sailed the seas of the world.