Both vessels are owned by Crew<\/a>, which has turned numerous historic ships into floating restaurants throughout the city, including the Fireboat in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Grand Banks in Hudson River Park.<\/p>\nThe Pilot sunk overnight Wednesday and the Victory Chimes was discovered on the basin floor Sunday. Courtesy Brad Vogel EditorialUse\t<\/p>\n
The out-of-commission historic ships were being moored in the basin while awaiting restoration, and each of their wooden hulls had been visibly deteriorating, according to Vogel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI all did tie back to what we had been somewhat worried about as we were paddling around in Henry Street Basin over the last three months, which is namely both vessels coming out of the winter just looked really rough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Pictures from May show long scrapes, decaying planks and extensive rusting along their flanks. They also were both surrounded and presumably kept upright by long yellow floats, which still circled the sunken wrecks.<\/p>\n
The Victory Chimes, here in Brooklyn in 2025, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a National Historic Landmark. Wikipedia \/ Godsfriendchuck<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear what issues either of the vessels were suffering or what caused them to sink just days apart.<\/p>\n
The Victory Chimes started its plunge while a squall ripped through the Big Apple Friday, which is when the ships \u201cbegan taking on water and ultimately sank alongside\u00a0Pilot,\u201d the company said in a statement. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a tough few days at Crew,\u201d a spokesperson told The Post. <\/p>\n
The Victory Chimes, here in May, had visible signs of deterioration before it sank. Courtesy Brad Vogel<\/p>\n
\u201cIn response to both incidents, our team called in maritime salvage experts to\u00a0make a plan to safely raise the vessels, determine the cause of the sinking, and assess any damage to the hulls,\u201d the rep said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe remain hopeful they can be salvaged and restored.\u00a0Since Crew was founded in 2014, we have been committed to restoring historic vessels for future generations and sharing the spirit of maritime adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Crew, founded by brothers Alex and Miles Pincus, bought the Victory Chimes for $75,900 at auction in Maine in 2023 \u2014 much to the disappointment of locals who had grown attached to the relic of history.<\/p>\n
The ship was built in 1900 and designed to carry general cargo in the\u00a0Chesapeake Bay before serving decades as a cruise liner in The Pine Tree State and ultimately being declared the \u201cOfficial Windjammer of Maine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pilot, here in May, had visible signs of decay on its hull. Courtesy Brad Vogel<\/p>\n
It was listed on the\u00a0National Register of Historic Places\u00a0in 1996 and was designated a\u00a0National Historic Landmark\u00a0in 1997.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t clear what plans the Pincus brothers had for the ship.<\/p>\n
The Pilot, like many of the Crew\u2019s other vessels, had been transformed into a floating bar and oyster restaurant and spent years at Brooklyn Bridge Park\u2019s Pier 7.<\/p>\n
The Victory Chimes was still afloat when the Pilot sank overnight Wednesday. Brigitte Stelzer for NY Post<\/p>\n
The 102-year-old former racing schooner was replaced by the similarly concepted Fireboat, a retired 1960s FDNY ship, for this season.<\/p>\n
Paddlers like Vogel questioned how two incidents could have occurred in such quick succession, saying \u201cit was clear there was not enough work being done in the months leading up to this set of events.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if there were fluke incidents that led to both sinkings directly, there was a lot of indirect negligence in the lead-up,\u201d he charged, wondering whether Crew\u2019s still-floating fleet of ships were being given proper care.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am really sympathetic to people who are doing anything to try to keep historic vessels afloat, much less historic wooden vessels. It is a lot of work. It is not easy. It\u2019s costly, and there are lots of things that can go wrong,\u201d he admitted. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut when you\u2019re a company that\u2019s promoting itself as doing good work in historic preservation with a growing fleet of vessels, you do have an obligation to live up to the public image that you\u2019re putting out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
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