Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that the state is giving $50,000 to help promote a colonial-era ship that will permanently be docked at Alexandria’s waterfront this summer.
The ship, slated to arrive by July, is a replica of the “Providence,” a warship that was used in the Continental Navy starting in the 1770s. The boat will be docked near the end of King Street in Old Town, and will be used for tours, educational programs and daily cruises, said Diana West, director of programs and communications at the Tall Ship Providence Foundation.
“Alexandria, of course, has a very long and rich maritime history, and so it seemed to be a really good fit,” she said.
The state’s matching grant funds will be awarded to Visit Alexandria, an organization that promotes tourism for the city.
The full-sized replica of the ship was built in 1975 for America’s Bicentennial ceremony, and was owned by the Providence, Rhode Island, according to the Providence Foundation. It’s also been used in movies, including the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but was damaged in a 2015 storm in Rhode Island.
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The ship is currently being restored in Maine, and West said that process should be completed by April 30.
Afterwards, the ship will embark on a “First Voyage,” where it’ll stop at four or five ports as the ship makes its way down to the East Coast. The Tall Ship Providence Foundation plans to hold a welcoming ceremony for the ship around the Fourth of July.
The shipwright has also tweaked the boat’s mast, so it can pass under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge when it sails down the Potomac, West said.