Historic schooners sunk in Gowanus likely to be scrapped amid costly rescue dilemma

Two historic wooden vessels that sank in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal this July are expected to be demolished rather than salvaged, as owners deem the expense prohibitive.

The PILOT, a 1924 vessel that once served Jacques Cousteau and later operated as a floating oyster bar, and the Victory Chimes, a 1900 Chesapeake Ram schooner whose image appeared on Maine’s 2003 state quarter, both sank in Red Hook’s Henry Street Basin during the July 4 weekend. Their owners, brothers Alex and Miles Pincus, run Crew, a business that converts boats into trendy floating restaurants, and moved the ships to the Gowanus Canal inlet for repairs months earlier.

With no shore power in the basin, the wooden hulls quickly filled with water, and experts say they now face a near-certain death sentence unless rescued. Refloating each vessel would cost a minimum of $500,000, a figure that dwarfs the $75,900 price paid for the Victory Chimes in 2023, and insurers will not pay without a definitive restoration plan. Marine Diving Service’s Zdenek Ulman outlined three possible outcomes: refloat and repair, refloat and dispose, or dismantle on the seafloor.

The brothers have not committed to any option, but insiders suggest they favor scrapping, even offering the previous owner of Victory Chimes to take it back. The potential loss has sparked outrage among Mainers who feared the schooner would become a bar but preferred preservation over destruction.