Tall Ship Providence will visit Newport during First Voyage since restoration

The newly-restored tall ship Providence will visit Newport from May 31^st through June 2nd as it makes its First Voyage to its new home port in Alexandria, Virginia. Providence will visit Plymouth, Newport, New London, Greenport, Norfolk, Hampton, and Annapolis on its way down the East Coast.

The original Providence was the first ship authorized to serve in the Continental Navy, the first American command of John Paul Jones, the ship used in the first amphibious landing of the Continental Marines, the first ship to break the British blockade of Newport, and the ship whose crew left an American flag flying over foreign territory for the first time. It was renowned as a fast and lucky ship in the American Revolution and took more that 40 other ships as prizes during its four years of service.

This Providence is a reproduction built to participate in the American Bicentennial celebrations of 1976. Over the years, it appeared in many tall ship celebrations, served as the official tall ship of Rhode Island, was used for tall ship training and charter cruises, appeared in several movies, including the second and third installments of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and was nearly destroyed when it toppled over in Newport Shipyard during a storm in January 2015.

The Tall Ship Providence was sold to the Tall Ship Providence Foundation following that accident, which is estimated to have cost more than a half-million dollars in damage.

After two years of intensive renovation, Providence has been restored to look as the original ship did during the American Revolution. Visitors will learn about the world of the Continental Navy as they tour the ship, visit the captain’s cabin, and hear what life was like for the crew aboard.

Providence will stop at Fort Adams on the evening of the 31^st to take part in a reception with Oliver Hazard Perry, which will be celebrating its reopening to the public. Following the reception, Providence will motor to Bowen’s Wharf, where it will be located for the rest of the weekend at Bowen’s Wharf Marina.

Providence will be open for tours on the 1^st and 2^nd. Tickets will cost $12 for adults and $6 for children. Tickets will be available for purchase at www.tallshipprovidence.org  before the ship arrives. A limited number of tickets will also be available for walk-ups.