18th Century World Trade Center Boat Sets Sail for Maryland

Archaeologists dismantling the ship exposed its ribs, called planks, earlier this week. All the timbers have been tagged...

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AKRF

By Julie Shapiro

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

LOWER MANHATTAN — The 18th-century boat that has captivated historians and New Yorkers alike since it surfaced at the World Trade Center two weeks ago is gone.

Archaeologists finished disassembling the boat’s wooden beams on Friday and carefully packed the pieces into a steel container, which will travel by truck to the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory.

Once the ship arrives, historians will study the remnants further and conservators will begin the years-long process of stabilizing the crumbling wood. Only after the wood is safely preserved can the boat be reassembled and possibly displayed.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. will decide what eventually happens to the ship.