The tall ship Providence in Alexandria is suspending its tour and educational programs, starting Friday.
The Tall Ship Providence Foundation, the nonprofit that owns the whaling ship replica, announced the suspension of those operations on Monday.
The cash-strapped foundation might have to shut down permanently and sell the Providence, according to ALXNow.
The nonprofit said it is exploring options, including a merger with the United States Maritime Foundation, which itself announced Monday that it was building a National Maritime Museum in Alexandria.
“We’re looking for a Hail Mary. We need a couple million [dollars] to get our feet on the ground to operate, pay bills, start this merger with the museum, which could be a spectacular project for Old Town,” foundation Executive Director Kathleen Seifert told ALXnow.
The foundation, in operation since 2017, lost more than $683,000 in 2024 and more than $480,000 in 2023. Its debts include $768,000 owed to current and former board members on loans that were used to buy, restore and operate the Providence, according to IRS records cited by the Alexandria Brief.
The original Providence first set sail as the Katy in 1769 as a mercantile, whaling and privateering ship. In 1775, it became the flagship of the Rhode Island Navy before being renamed and made one of the first ships of the Continental Navy by an act of the Continental Congress, according to the Tall Ship Providence Foundation website.
After being sold by its original owners, the replica belonged to the namesake city of Providence, Rhode Island, followed by another foundation that leased it for use in two of Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, according to the Tall Ship Providence Foundation website.
While other operations are suspended, the Tall Ship Providence Foundation’s Pier Bar near the ship will remain open in order to raise “funds to support ship maintenance and other basic operating expenses,” the nonprofit said.
