Say goodbye to a South Street Seaport staple: After docking downtown for more than 40 years, the old sailing ship Peking will return to its home in Germany.
The cash-strapped Seaport Museum negotiated a $30 million deal with the German government to return the Peking to Europe, where she will be restored and given a new home at the Stiftung Hamburg Maritim (Maritime Museum of Hamburg), reports the New York Post.
In its place, New York City will get a different historic ship: Wavertree, which will receive a $13 million city-funded restoration before being returned to South Street Seaport, where it has ties dating back to around 1966.
The Peking was built in 1911 and served as a merchant ship between South America and Europe. It was used as a training ship during World War I and was briefly renamed the Arethusa.
The Peking escaped a permanent trip to the scrapyard when a well-to-do navy lieutenant acquired her and brought the ship to the Seaport, where it’s resided ever since.
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Source: Curbed NY
