Boy Scouts to auction 101-yr old tall ship
NEWPORT BEACH, California (Reuters) – The Boy Scouts of America are auctioning off a 101-year-old wooden tall ship, once used to teach sailing techniques and maritime history, because it needs costly repairs.
For the past 35 years, the Boy Scouts have used the Danish-built Argus as a floating classroom. In February, it was found to have dry rot and the estimated $1.5 million needed for repairs made the vessel too costly to keep, Boy Scouts spokeswoman Lara Fisher said Tuesday.
The ship will be listed on www.ebay.com this week with a starting bid of $75,000, unless a benefactor appears before then.
“It is heartbreaking to us,” Fisher said.
The ship operated without an engine around the Baltic until 1917, hauling lumber and cement. It ferried grain to Greenland and fish to Spain and was featured in the 1966 movie “Hawaii” starring Julie Andrews, according to a Web site about previous owner R. Tucker Thompson.
The Boy Scouts bought the ship from Thompson in the 1970s.
This is sorta sad. The fact a piece of history like that is having to be sold so cheap. Plus the Boy Scouts are going to be losing a valuable learning tool.
Tags: Interesting, News, Weird
