Days before the ship was scheduled to be sunk, the derelict barquentine Regina Maris was rescued by the town of Glen Cove, N.Y., for use as a waterfront attraction. The 144-foot, three-masted ship, built by J. Ring Anderson in Denmark in 1908, has been rotting in its berth in Greenport, Long Island, for several years and was slated to be scuttled last summer (see Chartroom Chatter, Issue No. 92, September/October 1998).
Glen Cove, home of the Nassau County Holocaust Museum, desired to have Regina Maris because of the purported role that the vessel played during World War II transporting Jewish refugees fleeing from Denmark. The city, located on Long Island Sound, is also in the process of rehabilitating its waterfront, and it is hoped that Regina Maris will bring positive attention to this endeavor.
Regina Maris had been berthed in Greenport since 1991 when the Save the Regina Maris Foundation had it towed to the village. The goal was to restore the ship, but the necessary financing was never forthcoming, and a recent survey by Giffy Full indicated that the deteriorating condition of the ship proved restoration unfeasible.
The 80-mile tow to Glen Cove was uneventful except for the fact that upon entering the harbor, Regina Maris, drawing almost 11 feet, ran aground and was partially sunk. This is nothing new for the ship, since she sank more than once while at Greenport. Her new stewards had her floating again by the time of the next tide. For now, Regina Maris remains afloat awaiting restoration.
