MYSTIC, Conn (AP) – The restoration process for the Mayflower II is going according to schedule.
The Day reports that the director of maritime preservation and operations at Plimoth Plantation, Whit Perry, says he expects the replica of the ship that carried the Pilgrims to the New World in 1620 to be in the water by September.
The ship is in the process of getting a $7.5 million makeover in time for the 2020 festivities marking the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim landing.
It has been in dry dock at Mystic Seaport Museum’s preservation shipyard since 2016. The replica dates to the mid-1950s.
Remaining work includes planking the upper sections of the hull, ballasting the hull and installing the masts.
Senior shipwright Walter Ansel says the restoration is expected to last 60 years.