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England wants the Wavertree back
I thought this was so curious I had to mention: somehow I stumbled across a petition to bring the Wavertree, the historic steel-hulled ship parked at Pier 17 and part of the South Street Seaport Museum, back to Southampton in England by 2025.
“An important part of Britain’s maritime history, she must be returned to her home port from the United States,” the petition reads. “This would require compensating the current Seaport Museum landlords…then towing her hull to Southampton, but there is precedent: in 2004 the German Government purchased the Peking from the Museum and returned her to the Port of Hamburg.”
They have 16 signatures so far of a goal of 25. And I would think they are dreaming.
Photo courtesy of the South Street Seaport Museum
The Seaport Museum saved the ship from her role as a floating warehouse in Chile and a sand barge in South America in 1968. And the city granted the museum a $13 million grant to restore it in 2015, so safe to say she is not going anywhere.
The history, according to the museum, goes like this: Wavertree was built at Southampton, England, in 1885 and originally named Southgate. Two years after her launch she changed ownership to R. W. Leyland & Company of Liverpool and was renamed Wavertree. She was first employed to carry jute between eastern India and Scotland and soon after entered the “tramp trade,” taking cargoes around the world.
In 1910, after a 24-year sailing career, she was caught in a Cape Horn storm that tore down her masts and ended her career as a cargo ship. Rather than re-rigging her, her owners sold her for use as a floating warehouse in Punta Areas, Chile, and then a sand barge in South America, where waterfront workers referred to her as “the great sailing ship” because even without her masts she made an impression.
In 1968, the Seaport Museum made her sea-worthy and towed her to New York where she arrived to great fanfare — a parade of fireboats, tugs, and ferries, with helicopters overhead, on August 11, 1970.
Back in 2018 I made my daughter go to a museum with me every week for a few months of the school year — I called it The Weekly M — and though she probably hated it, I ended up with these great shots of the ship, including some from the hold, where at the time we were allowed to wander. Totally worth a visit if you have never been. See the schedule here.
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ROFL. A repatriation request from England is just so… rich.
British Museum which is full of historical pieces stolen from other countries should take note. This is how it feels!
There is no evidence to suggest the British Museum has any artifacts that are stolen. All were purchased legally at the standards which were typical at the time.
The USA, France and other Countries around the World also have collections of items which don’t specifically come from the same country as the museum.
The Roman Colosseum was paid for by Italian theft from Jerusalem. Venice is founded on theft from Istanbul. Paris museums are full of goods from around the World.
Why single out Britain? Sadly, some Americans still look to abuse British people, while supporting Irish/French etc.
Why would a repatriation request from England be so rich?
1) Other Countries often make such requests, without anything like the justification. So why such negative towards Britain?
2) The story references compensation being paid, which countries never do to Britain. Greece is not offering any compensation for marbles which were legitimately legally sold and they now want.
3) To any extent, purchases are not made by Governments, even less England as it does not have a Government at all.
4) The request is not serious. After all Britain has some of the most important ships in the World. Visit Portsmouth and you can walk on 1860 HMS Warrier the first iron hull warship in the World, the Worlds oldest navel vessel in commission the 1759 HMS Victory, see the 1511 English Tudor Mary Rose. Or go to Bristol to see the SS Great Britain the largest passenger ship in the World from 1806 to 1859, the first iron ship to steam across the Atlantic Ocean.
Most people like me are proud that New York have such a fantastic example of British Navel Architecture on display. It does not need to go anywhere.