EBay auction of ‘pirate ship’ turns up dry

When the proverbial gavel came down Friday afternoon, Newport Sea Base’s tall ship, Argus, had gotten nearly 11,000 looks in an eBay auction but no bids.

Sea base officials were asking for starting bids of $75,000 for the 101-year-old topsail ketch, which cost $40,000 to buy in 1970. They opted May 16 to try to sell it after learning in January it would need a $1.5 million overhaul to continue carrying paying passengers.

The 92-foot ship has long been a favorite at the Newport Sea Base, where it has been used to teach thousands of young people how to sail over the last 35 years.

Argus was put up for auction on eBay May 16. The description on the website noted that it sleeps 26 people and appealed to prospective buyers, “Own your own pirate ship.” Although the Argus Web page registered 10,908 visits, no one took the plunge and placed a bid.

It’s unclear what will happen to the ship now. Sea base officials could not be reached for comment Friday. They said last week they are still seeking a ship to use for summer sailing programs, though some programs have already been canceled.

Whatever the ship’s fate, it has a storied past that includes a rescue that may have saved a diver’s life. A group of Boy Scouts was taking Argus to Avalon in 2004 when they spotted a scuba diver who had gotten lost, drifted for four hours in the ocean and was on the verge of hypothermia.

The Argus crew brought the diver aboard and gave him dry clothes before he was taken to shore by the U.S. Coast Guard.dpt.27-argus-CPhotoInfoER1RDDCB20060527imiyycncDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Kim Lusenhop and Knowlton Shore examine Argus before 2005’s Dana Point tall ships fest.