A Historic Tall Ship Is Coming To Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA—As Alexandria awaits the restoration of its historic 18th century ship, Old Town waterfront visitors will have something else to get excited about. The Alexandria-based Tall Ship Providence Foundation has purchased a replica of America's first warship in the Continental Navy from Rhode Island, according to the Providence Journal.

The Providence is based on the 1768 ship used in 60 battles under the command of Capt. John Paul Jones. The crew burned it in 1779 to avoid it getting into British hands.

A descendent of the original ship built the replica in 1976 for America's Bicentennial. It is currently the official tall ship of Rhode Island.

The Alexandria foundation bought the ship for $175,000, but with repairs the price tag could be about $600,000 to $800,000. The Providence is undergoing renovations to make it more true to an 18th century warship. The restoration could be complete by the end of 2018, and Alexandrians could expect to see it travel to the city spring or summer 2019. It could be open to the public as soon as 2019 for sailing programs and tours with historical reenactors.

Meanwhile Alexandria's 18th century ship discovered in 2015 is undergoing a conservation process at Texas A&M University's Conservation Research Laboratory. Recently it had been named one of Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts. Conservation will take a few years before the ship returns to Alexandria for an exhibit. You can track the ship's progress here.

See a preview of the Providence in action below.

Editor's note: Article updated to clarify the Tall Ship Providence Foundation, not the Alexandria Seaport Foundation, purchased the ship.

Image via Youtube screenshot