Photo: Carl Stevens/WBZ RadioNews
SALEM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Following repairs that were made at a Gloucester shipyard, the tall ship replica of a 1797 Salem-built vessel was towed back to its home port of Salem.
The 171-foot 'Friendship of Salem' arrived safe and sound at Derby Wharf on Tuesday.
With a cover on for protection, the ship is undergoing final touches before its rigging will be installed.
Visitors to Salem were excited to know that Friendship was home. "It's not just in some museum somewhere else completely out of context," one visitor said. "It's very beautiful, and I love that it's called Friendship."
While in Gloucester, the ship received extensive repairs, including to its bow.
The final stage of repairs is expected to take about one year, but visitors will start being allowed on board for tours beginning Wednesday, July 30.
Friendship has been docked in Salem since 1998.
The original Friendship was a three-masted East Indiaman built in 1797 in Salem, while the replica serves as an exhibit and training ship.
In fact, Friendship is a fully functioning United States Coast Guard-certified vessel capable of passenger and crew voyages that it makes several times a year.
Another visitor said Friendship is such a big part of Salem's maritime history. "I think it's just representative of the city itself," she said. "It brings it all together, the history, the marine life, the witch trials. It feels like a full-circle moment."
WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports.