Two commanding historical organizations are uniting with one goal: Restore Mayflower II in time for the 400th anniversary celebration commemorating the Pilgrims’ landing at Plymouth Rock.
In 1957 Mayflower II, an exact replica of the ship that brought the pilgrims to America, was sailed from Brixham, England, across the Atlantic to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where it has lived ever since.
In five years, the ship is slated to be the centerpiece for the quadricentennial celebration of that historic voyage.
The problem is, she’s getting old and needs quite a bit of restoration. But how does a major refit take place on a 236-ton vessel if it needs to be in its home port of Plymouth each summer and the shipwrights doing the work are down the coast a ways?
To solve this dilemma, last fall Plimoth Plantation, the owner of the ship, teamed with Mystic Seaport and came up with a four-phase restoration strategy that is to take place each winter.