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The Tall Ship Providence at its new home on the Old Town Alexandria waterfront.
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Tall Ship Providence Foundation Executive Director Clair Sassin speaks Tuesday morning near the ship.
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From left: Tall Ship Providence Foundation Director Clair Sassin, City of Alexandria Council Member Moahmed E. "Mo" Seifeldein, Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Council Member Amy B. Jackson, Scott Shaw, Mayor Justin Wilson and (reenactor) Capt. John Paul Jones Tuesday morning at a press conference near the ship.
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Scott Shaw, Chairman of the Board of the Tall Ship Providence Foundation. He was instrumental in bringing the ship to Alexandria.
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Mayor Justin Wilson, speaking to a crowd Tuesday morning that included Capt. John Paul Jones.
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From left: Scott Shaw, Mayor Justin Wilson, Council Member Amy B. Jackson, Council Member Moahmed E. "Mo" Seifeldein, Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Tall Ship Providence Foundation Director Clair Sassin and (reenactor) Capt. John Paul Jones.
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Capt. John Paul Jones, portrayed by a reenactor for the Tall Ship Providence.
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Scott Shaw, Mayor Justin Wilson and Capt. John Paul Jones.
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Late Monday night, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge opened to let the Tall Ship Providence pass through on the way to its new home at the Old Town Alexandria waterfront.
Hundreds of residents cheered from the shoreline between the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and the "GH" dock near Founder's Park. The Alexandria Fire Department provided a water arch salute. '
Though the waterfront has changed substantially since the late 1700s, "the lynchpin of our economy has not changed" and the waterfront continues to be a huge influence on Alexandria, said Mayor Justin Wilson Tuesday morning near the ship.
Tall Ship Providence Foundation
The ship is a replica of the ship commissioned into the Continental Navy in December 1775. It has undergone an extensive restoration process at shipyards in New England, and will have more work done before tours and charter trips start in the coming weeks.
A graduate apprentice and a current apprentice from the Alexandria Seaport Foundation had the opportunity to take part in that restoration process and help bring the ship to Alexandria.
The sloop Providence was originally named Katy and was part of a fleet of ships owned by John Brown. The ship was based in Rhode Island at the time and when it became part of the Continental Navy, it was renamed the Providence in honor of its original city and the Providence-based delegates to the Continental Congress.
After dozens of successful military engagements, sadly the ship burned in 1779 after conceding defeat in the Penobsoct Expedition in what is now Maine.
The replica ship will provide educational opportunities for students in local schools, local residents (both children and adults) and tourists. In addition, it will boost the local economy. As Alexandria is known as the Port City, having a tall ship is fitting, said Clair Sassin, Executive Director of the Tall Ship Providence Foundation.
Scott Shaw, who is now chair of the board of the foundation and played a huge role in bringing the ship to Alexandria, called the ship a gift to the city from the residents and businesses in Alexandria who supported it.
Tours and Charters Start Later This Summer
"Our goal is to transport visitors back in time," Sassin said Tuesday morning.
"When you board Providence, you will step back into the 1770s. Captain John Paul Jones will greet you in the captain’s cabin where he will share an exciting story from his time on Providence. Visitors will also go below decks where they will hear what daily life was like for the men and boys who served during the Revolutionary War," according to the Tall Ship Providence website.
In addition to tours, the ship will go out on a variety of specialty cruises and it will be available for private charters.
A Tall Ship Providence store will open later this month at 1 Cameron St., just a few hundred yards south of the ship's dock. An interim visitor center will open later this summer at the same location. The visitor center will provide a dynamic and interactive experience for visitors to learn about the birth of what became the U.S. Navy.
For information about the Tall Ship Providence Foundation, including additional history on Providence, the restoration process, and visitor information, visit TallShipProvidence.org.
