In a persistent drizzle, the main mast for the sloop Providence was stepped on Friday,  May 17, at the recreational pier in Wiscasset. The huge crane also installed the boom, yardarm and bowsprit.

“Starting to look like a ship now,” said Richard Forrest, who has been the unofficial liaison between the town and the team working on the replica Revolutionary War vessel. Forrest also did some electrical and plumbing work on it.

The sloop has been worked on in Wiscasset since early fall, after a storm severely damaged the ship. Rob Stevens, who has a shipyard in Phippsburg, headed up the effort to repair and restore the vessel. In addition, modern systems, including plumbing and electrical work, had to be updated. The replica ship was built in 1976, as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebration. The original Providence, launched in 1775, was once captained by a young John Paul Jones, and was one of the earliest ships in the Continental Navy. Her crew scuttled the ship to prevent her from falling into enemy hands.

The Providence is expected to sail south to Virginia, with a stop in Providence, Rhode Island, on a journey that will take nearly a month after final repairs are made.