FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM Ship Repairs

NPS/Tanya Banks-Christensen

In October, 2022 a contract was awarded for repair work on the Friendship of Salem. This site will features updates on the project's progress. Please check back for the most up-to-date information.

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[October 25] Salem Maritime National Historic Site announces that a contract has been awarded for approximately $1.3 million to repair Friendship of Salem. The work will be performed at the ship's home berth on Derby Wharf in Salem, Massachusetts and was funded through the National Park Service’s Recreation Fee Program.

This contract includes replacing the deck and significant portions of the transom, bulwarks and associated framing. While initially planned for 2020, delays in contracting occurred due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, the project is anticipated to begin this fall, with work to be completed in the winter of 2023.

Captain Tanya Banks-Christensen, who was recently hired as ship supervisor and captain, said, "We're very excited to get started on this long-awaited and much needed repair project, the first and most integral step to getting Friendship of Salem rigged, sailing and serving the public to the vessel's utmost capacity." Friendship of Salem will continue to be open for limited visitation through October. Any additional open hours will be determined at a later date and announced on the park website and social media.

The replica tall ship Friendship of Salem was designed with the appearance of an original 1797 Salem-built vessel. The keel was laid in Scarano Shipyard in Albany, New York in 1996 and uses modern technology and materials to meet today’s safety and accessibility requirements. Friendship of Salem represents New England’s influential role in the development of global and domestic maritime trade and in the economic and political development of the United States.

In 2021, 181 thousand park visitors spent an estimated $11.8 million in local gateway regions while visiting Salem Maritime National Historic Site. These expenditures supported a total of 147 jobs, $7.2 million in labor income, $11.2 million in value added, and $18.0 million in economic output in local gateway economies surrounding Salem Maritime National Historic Site.