Officials in Pennsylvania's capital must decide the fate of a ship once commanded by Benedict Arnold in the Revolutionary War.
Pieces of The Royal Savage, the flagship of Arnold's fleet, have been deteriorating in a Harrisburg warehouse for nearly two decades, PennLive.com reports. City council members are expected to vote Tuesday to give the ship's remains to the Navy for restoration.
"There is no question the Royal Savage is a historically significant wreckage and the remains do have great importance,'' Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse said.
Former mayor Steve Reed purchased the ship and other pieces in 1996 for $42,500, using taxpayer money, Papenfuse said.
The city has held three auctions to sell artifacts purchased by Reed, he said. The former mayor bought thousands of items using tax dollars. He said Reed first used the general fund but later created a special projects fund to buy the artifacts.
Council members at a committee meeting last week seemed eager to send the ship on its way, PennLive.com reported.
City Solicitor Neil Grover told council members of intentions to sell the Royal Savage along with other pieces.
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"I thought it was strange we had a ship in storage,'' he told council members. "But we do.''
Grover said naval officials told him the ship should have been kept in the water and it's unclear if any procedures were taken to preserve the 220-year-old pieces of wood after the city purchased them.
"We don't want to pay rent to store things that have no purpose for the city,'' he said. "This is outside of the city's expertise.''
Naval officials say the remains are federal property and the ship should not have been bought or sold at all.
"This is embarrassing,'' Papenfuse said. "Did the city have any business buying something without any means for preserving it?''
