A REPLICA of the ship that saved the starving colonialists in Jamestown, Virginia has been rescued itself, thanks to concerned citizens in St. George's.

The replica of the 17th-century ship Deliverance, which was close to being demolished last year due to financial woes, has received the necessary funding to obtain the well-deserved facelift.

Over the past few years, the wooden vessel had fallen into a state of disrepair with rotted planks, structural damage from the elements and a missing mast that was destroyed during Hurricane Fabian in 2003. With demolition on the horizon, the Corporation of St. George's and the St. George's Foundation appealed to the public for financial support.

The support, announced at a press conference on Wednesday, has come by way of the Bank of Bermuda Foundation that has pledged $300,000 in funding to cover the cost of the improvements, which will include an educational exhibit to visually depict the ship's history and voyage from Bermuda to Virginia in 1610.

"We thought it would be an excellent rededication of the icon that connects Bermuda to its 400-year history. We don't have a replica of the Sea Venture (the original ship that was wrecked in Bermuda and essentially founded the town of St. George's) so felt we felt that we couldn't let this vessel fall apart," said Mr. Paul Leseur, a representative from the Bank of Bermuda Foundation.

St. George's Mayor Mariea Caisey was on hand to make the announcement: "I must say that I believe in miracles!

"The last time I stood at this site, it was a truly gloomy occasion ¿ asking the public to come to the aid of the Deliverance financially. Through the perseverance and vigilance of some of the people here today, I am delighted to say that this significant symbol of our history will be restored to her original stature," she said.

The replica, originally built in 1967 by the Junior Service League of Bermuda, has been privately owned since 1995. It was announced on Wednesday that its present owner, Nick Duffy, who currently lives in France, has donated the vessel to the St. George's Foundation.

The restoration, which will begin next week, will be undertaken by Michael Hooper, a resident of St. George's. Improvements include replacing any missing or rotten planks, fortifying the existing masts, building and erecting the missing mizzenmast, replacing the rigging, installing floodlights to illuminate it at night and ensuring the ship is waterproof so that the exhibit equipment will not be damaged.

Paul Shapiro, vice-president and creative director of Brimstone Media Ltd., whose firm won the proposal to design and install the interactive exhibit, explained what future visitors should expect to see.

"It'll be a circular tour of the ship where we will be providing facts about its history on the walls in words but when people get down to the lower decks, there is a lovely area called the 'Tween decks, where we are planning to install a fully-costumed, speaking and moving, animatronic figure, like a robot, that will talk to visitors and tell them the history of the vessel. We have seen (with other exhibits) that children just love it. We'll also have ships sounds that make the experience authentic," he said.

The amazing adventure of the vessel and the story surrounding the castaways that built it, says Mr. Shapiro, is what he hopes to bring alive for the public in the most "dynamic of ways".

"The history of the vessel is a great story. It's a blockbuster type of story ¿ it really is," Mr. Shapiro said.

"Over the years, the story has kind of been brushed over because it has always been told in a dustier fashion so we hope to bring (the story) to life."

According to the St. George's Foundation, the renovations will be completed by next summer, in time to participate in Bermuda's 400th anniversary celebrations and take a leading role in educating children about Bermuda's history.

"This restoration is an excellent opportunity to bring history alive to our students, our residents and our visitors. Persons setting foot upon the restored Deliverance will be able to imagine life aboard it as it travelled to Virginia. We are very pleased to receive the funding from the Bank of Bermuda in order to restore the Deliverance to a renovated and attractive state," said Henry Hayward, chairman of the St. George's Foundation.

While the funding from Bank of Bermuda will cover expenses related to the renovation, Mr. Hayward said the ongoing maintenance, insurance and staffing of the exhibit would continue to be an ongoing financial burden.

He encouraged the public to become "Friends of the Deliverance" and donate through the St. George's Foundation web site, www.stgeorgesfoundation.com or to mail in their contribution so that the Deliverance can remain open to the public.