Tall Ship Providence Coming In Summer, Bolstered By Grant

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Tall Ship Providence, famous for appearances in "Pirates of the Caribbean," will arrive in Alexandria this summer, supported by a $50,000 grant announced by the state Thursday.

The grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation Marketing Leverage Program to support tourism marketing for the new tall ship attraction. Tall Ship Providence. Visit Alexandria, the Tall Ship Providence Foundation and the city's Office of Historic Alexandria chipped in $138,700 in matching funds.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Visit Alexandria to tell the Providence story to a national audience and to highlight Alexandria’s rich maritime history in an exciting new way," said Clair Sassin, executive director of the Tall Ship Providence Foundation.

The Providence, a replica of one of the Navy’s first warships, will become an attraction on the Alexandria waterfront. Visitors can get a glimpse into 18th century life on the sea and the history of the original ship, captained by John Paul Jones and built in 1786. The ship will feature re-enactors portraying Jones and others, weekly sails, themed cruises and more.

A descendant of the original ship built the replica in 1976 for America's Bicentennial. The Tall Ship Providence Foundation purchased it from Rhode Island.

According to WAMU, the ship is being restored after being damaged during a storm in 2015. The foundation anticipates the ship will be in Alexandria in July.

Follow the latest updates about the ship at tallshipprovidence.org.

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Image via Tall Ship Providence Foundation