'Welcome home!' Mayflower II triumphantly sails into Plymouth, after undergoing a three-year $11.2million restoration

Thousands of cheering people lined the shores as Mayflower II cruised back into her homeport following an extensive multi-million dollar renovation.

 Amid honking horns and screaming sires the much loved vessel, a replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to New England 400 years ago tied up at Pilgrim Memorial State Pier on the Plymouth Waterfront. 

'She's home! We've been waiting a long time,' Plymouth resident Karen Gilligan told NBC Boston.  

Commenting on the ship's new appearance, Gilligan said: 'We couldn't believe the colors. It was awesome, just beautiful. 

'Before it was all dull.' 

 Paying tribute to the historic moment, the Plymouth Police Department wrote on Twitter: 'On her way home! #MayflowerII #Mayflower400.'

The triumphant return of the 106ft Mayflower followed a three-year, multimillion rehabilitation project at the shipyards of Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. 

The vessel, which first sailed to Plymouth in 1957, needed extensive reconstruction after near-constant exposure to the elements tied up at State Pier. 

+17

0: The replica ship Mayflower II under sail on its way back to Plymouth Harbor after being rehabbed in Connecticut for the past three years on August 10

+17

A crowd watches as the Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower ship that brought the Pilgrims to America 400 year ago, sails into Plymouth

+17

The newly renovated Mayflower II, a replica of the original ship that sailed from England in 1620, sails back to its berth in Plymouth

+17

A crowd waves flags of the United States and the United Kingdom while watching the Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower ship that brought the Pilgrims to America 400 year ago, sail into Plymouth

 Stabilization efforts began in 2014, with the ship spending part of the year in Mystic. Continuous restoration work began at the seaport museum in 2016, with shipwrights from the seaport museum and artisans from Plimoth Plantation engaged in the work.

The ship’s keel was saved, but nearly 75% of the vessel is new, Sheehan said.

“The hull planking was completely replaced with 20,000 board feet of Danish white oak that is absolutely some of the most beautiful wood that I have ever seen and the shipwrights have ever seen,” she said.

Since being rechristened in 2019, craftsmen have been doing painting, rigging, finishing work and installing new features such as a state-of-the-art fire suppression system on board.

Plimoth Plantation, the 17th-century museum of the early English colony and Wampanoag homesite, underwent a significant capital campaign to pay for the repairs of its major waterfront attraction.

From Wednesday, visitors will be able to see Mayflower II when the museum begins public tours. 

+17

The Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower ship that brought the Pilgrims to America 400 year ago, docks into Plymouth on Monday 

+17

A gift from England in 1957, the popular tourist attraction spent three years and 11.2 million dollars (9.49 million euros) of restoration work at the Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut

+17

The newly renovated Mayflower II, a replica of the original ship that sailed from England in 1620, is preceded by a fire boat as it returns to its berth in Plymouth, Massachusetts

On its way back to Pilmouth it  stopped in New London, Connecticut, but had to scrub a planned visit to Newport, Rhode Island this week because of new travel restrictions required of people who visit the state.

The ship also made an unscheduled stop at New Bedford's State Pier to shelter during Tropical Storm Isaias. 

Plans for the Mayflower II to take part in tall ship celebrations and other sails — including a 400th anniversary commemoration in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in September — have been put on hold.

For at least the remainder of this year, the ship will be docked at Pilgrim Memorial State Park, Kate Sheehan spokeswoman for Pilmouth Plantation.

“To the extent that it’s possible to mark her arrival with any sort of event, then we will do so,” she said.

“Even under the most mundane of circumstances, Mayflower tends to attract a crowd, so even if a crowd gathers organically, we’ll communicate that they need to follow the state’s safety guidelines regarding physical distancing and mask wearing.” 

+17

A crowd watches as the Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower ship that brought the Pilgrims to America 400 year ago, sails into Plymouth on Monday 

+17

The newly renovated Mayflower II, a replica of the original ship that sailed from England in 1620, passes Bug Light on the way back to its berth

+17

The Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower ship that brought the Pilgrims to America 400 year ago, docks into Plymouth