A replica of an 18th century ship, a movie star and a training vessel for young seafarers — the HMS Surprise has lived many lives.
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Now, the ship may be sailing into retirement as the Maritime Museum of San Diego plans to permanently close the Surprise to visitors Aug. 1, 2027.
The decision was made after an assessment by a certified marine surveyor, leading the museum’s board of directors and leadership team to conclude that retaining the ship in its fleet is no longer financially viable, according to a museum spokesperson Theresa Smullen.
Built in 1970 and originally named HMS Rose, the HMS Surprise is a replica of the original Rose, an 18th century, 24-gun British frigate used to police smuggling in Newport, Rhode Island. The decision to close the Surprise to visitors is final and the museum leadership has decided not pursue a fundraising campaign to reverse it, according to Smullen.
The museum aims to instead prioritize fundraising for maintenance on its more active tall ships. The Maritime Museum is planning a major expansion with its upcoming Gateway Project, which seeks to create an onshore building along the Embarcadero to house its educational programs. The project could cost up to $60 million.
In preparation for the project, the museum had assessments performed on all its major vessels to determine how much they would cost to maintain.
“This was a moment to take a look at all of our collections and make some assessments around which ones make sense for our mission moving forward and which ones might not,” said Christina Connett Brophy, president and CEO of the Maritime Museum.
For decades, the replica ship served as a dockside attraction and a training vessel on the East Coast. In 2001, it was sold to 20th Century Fox and underwent modifications for the film “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” starring Russell Crowe. In the film, the tall ship portrayed the original HMS Surprise,a Royal Navy ship from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
When the shipjoined the Maritime Museum’s fleet it was re-registered as HMS Surprise in honor of the film. It later featured in the 2011 film “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”
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The museum began restoring the ship to sailing condition in 2007. The Surprise sailed in the San Diego Bay many times, most recently with the Star of India in 2011, and also went underway for a film project in 2013.
Despite the museum’s restoration efforts, the modifications to the HMS Surprise for the film led to lingering structural issues, Brophy said, adding that it requires too much upkeep to maintain proper sailing condition. The museum said it currently invests over a couple hundred thousand dollars annually to maintain HMS Surprise as a static ship.
The ship has been open to visitors as a historic exhibit at the Maritime Museum for more than two decades. Visitors can tour the ship’s interior, exploring its decks and immersive below-deck displays, or admire the ship from the Embarcadero waterfront.
The staff of the museum is currently exploring options for the ship’s future, including opportunities with the entertainment industry.
“She obviously has a long history as a movie star, and we would love to continue that heritage if possible,” Brophy said, adding with a laugh that she hopes Crowe will be interested. “We definitely are prioritizing finding her a great home, because she deserves that.”
The Maritime Museum is planning programming music, lectures and performances to celebrate HMS Surprise before it closes to visitors next August. A wedding on the ship is already booked for next spring.
“We’ll miss her,” Brophy said. “She’s a beautiful boat and has a great history. We’re rather obsessed with boats around here — everybody has their favorites, and they all kind of become part of your family, so it’s hard to see one of them go.”
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