The steamer Nobska is long gone, but now she has been preserved as a sculpture, at once beautiful and functional, to help ferry captains know which way the wind is blowing.

A copper weather vane made in the image of the Nobska sits high atop the new Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority terminal, which had its grand opening this week.

The Nobska ran from 1925 until 1973.

Island metal sculptor Tony Holand, 33, built the 42-inch replica using the traditional copper repoussé technique. He is a Vineyard artist and runs the business Tuck and Holand in Vineyard Haven. The Nobska weather vane weighs about 15 pounds.

Mr. Holand said he was commissioned to do the project back in January. On Monday afternoon, he was finishing up the work in his State Road workshop, putting gold leaf on the cardinal points. He used 23.5-karat gold leaf to cover the steamer’s windows, create a sign above the wheelhouse and mark the stern. The weather vane was installed atop the building later in the afternoon.

“It is nice to be part of a new tradition,” Mr. Holand said. “That should be there for a long time. I love that boat,” he said.

Mr. Holand learned his art from the late Travis Tuck.

He said he was able to get the plans for the Nobska through the Internet on the Web site Nobska.org. He then scaled the drawings down to create the weather vane. “It was fun seeing the design come together,” he said.

Mr. Holand said he is fully aware of the windy conditions often present in that spot. The Nobska weather vane was built to stay put, although he said it will likely be taken down each fall when the terminal closes for the winter.