A project is underway to remove a model of the Queen Mary cruise ship from the South Street Seaport Museum so it can be loaned to the actual ship stationed in Long Beach, California. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report.

 

It looks so much like the real thing, you might want to make your way on board for a voyage. It's a 21-foot-long replica of the Queen Mary at the South Street Seaport Museum. It was built 81 years ago to market the fabled ocean liner to potential passengers.

 

"The Queen Mary's maiden voyage was booked solid in 1930 at the time of the laying of the keel, but the model here was ready around 1934, we believe, and it gives an advance look at what the ship would look like," said Queen Mary historian Commodore Everette Hoard.

 

Beginning in 1936, the ship was the epitome of luxurious travel between England and New York, with an interlude as a troop carrier in World War II. She was retired in 1967 and docked in Long Beach, California, reopening in the early '70s as a hotel and event space.

 

The model is a carbon copy in miniature, from the smokestacks to the lifeboats. Now, the replica will be reunited with the real ship for the first time in more than 20 years, on loan from South Street Seaport Museum, as part of an on-board exhibit.

 

"It's a big move," said Captain Jonathan Boulware, president of South Street Seaport Museum. "Moving a model like this is not a simple process, so we've been working on this for many months, and as you can see, it's quite involved." 

 

Workers spent hours removing the nearly one-ton model from its display case, packing it into a crate and wheeling it out the door. Then, the not-so-miniature model was put into a truck for its cross-country voyage. 

 

"No question that we are sorry to see Queen Mary heading across the continent. She is an important part of the museum," Boulware said. "Again, we're really happy with the loan. It's a great place for her to be seen by more people. Most importantly, though, we had a successful move today." 

 

The Queen Mary replica is first headed for New Jersey, where it will be transferred to another truck and then driven 3,000 miles across the country to the real Queen Mary. It's supposed to arrive on Sunday, and then on Monday, it will be lifted 75 feet up to the ship's promenade deck, where it will be on display starting in early February.