Restored historic ship returning to once-devastated seaport

the last large sailing ships made of wrought-iron and the largest still afloat, was scheduled to be moved Saturday to a South Street Seaport Museum berth at the southern tip of Manhattan.

Its return marks a major step in the recovery of the museum, a 49-year-old institution that interprets New York City’s maritime history through exhibitions and a fleet of historic ships. The museum is set in an 11-block historic district of former mercantile buildings.

The museum was already on shaky financial ground when tourism in the seaport was hit by three consecutive blows: the 9/11 attacks, the 2008 Recession and major flooding when Sandy hit in 2012.

“Sandy was just a devastating body blow just as we were already beginning to recover from the other two. So that we’re even alive is really miraculous,” said the museum’s executive director, Jonathan Boulware, a lifelong sailor and historic ship expert.

The museum’s struggles parallel the seaport district’s attempts to revive itself after the hurricane. While its brick and cobblestone bones survived the flooding, the district largely became a floodedout shell. A shopping mall that drew tourist traffic, situated on a pier below the Brooklyn Bridge, was demolished.

Now the area, too, back on track.

A new 300,000-squarefoot retail center is under construction to replace the torn-down mall on Pier 17. A multiplex theater is set to open. Other projects include conversion of the historic Tin Building into a fish hall. Outdoor cafes have opened and a pair of acclaimed chefs, JeanGeorges Vongerichten and David Chang, have plans to open restaurants.

The Wavertree’s return comes just weeks after the is getting other flagship in the Seaport Museum’s fleet, a huge 1911 four-mast sailing ship called the Peking, departed Manhattan for good. The

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MARK LENNIHAN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In this photo, the Wavertree is under restoration at Caddell Dry Dock and Repair Co. in the Staten Island borough of New York. One of the last large sailing ships made of wrought-iron, and the largest still afloat, will again grace a berth of the South...

MARK LENNIHAN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In this photo, a shiny bronze railing is part of the restoration of the Wavertree in the Staten Island borough of New York. The historic three-mast sailing ship is returning to New York City’s seaport district as the centerpiece of a museum that is...

MARK LENNIHAN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In this photo, Vidal Lopez coils rope on the deck of the Wavertree in the Staten Island borough of New York. The historic three-mast sailing ship is returning to New York City’s seaport district as the centerpiece of a museum that is making a comeback.

MARK LENNIHAN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Steve Kalil, center, president of Caddell Dry Dock, oversees the renovation of the sailing ship Wavertree, Thursday in the Staten Island borough of New York.