Offered for sale by the Maritime Administration, the former gunboat, presidential yacht, and oceanographic vessel was acquired by a commercial concern whose intention was to use the ship as a combination floating hotel-restaurant-museum to be permanently berthed in Pennsville Township on the Salem River, in New Jersey.

The Williamsburg was towed up the Salem River, where she was placed in a berth originally meant to accommodate a dredge at the former Bright's Marina, renamed the Marlboro Marina.
The shallow water depth resulted in the ship being firmly grounded in the mud.
There the yacht remained in the southern end of Pennsville Township, in Salem County, New Jersey, and for several years thereafter as a restaurant before being sold to new owners.

In 1993, the former Williamsburg was transferred to Genoa, Italy, for conversion into a luxury cruise ship.
 These plans were never realized, and the former yacht was faced with imminent scrapping at La Spezia, Italy, but an urgent appeal to the Italian government saved her.
The "USS Williamsburg Preservation Society" was formed with the goal of returning Williamsburg to the United States for restoration and preservation.
Two former White House staffers began a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds to restore the "Williamsburg" and return her to the U.S. Navy for use by future Presidents; however, the campaign failed to raise the goal of $40 million.

Williamsburg was laid up at the Navy wharf in La Spezia, Italy while offered for sale by Camper & Nicholsons International of Monaco.

The ship sank at her moorings, in La Spezia harbor, in 2015.

On 19 January 2016, the Port Authority of La Spezia authorised the operation for the removal of the ship.
Her wreck was scrapped in situ in March.
Offered for sale by the Maritime Administration, the former gunboat, presidential yacht, and oceanographic vessel was acquired by a commercial concern whose intention was to use the ship as a combination floating hotel-restaurant-museum to be permanently berthed in Pennsville Township on the Salem River, in New Jersey.
The Williamsburg was towed up the Salem River, where she was placed in a berth originally meant to accommodate a dredge at the former Bright's Marina, renamed the Marlboro Marina. The shallow water depth resulted in the ship being firmly grounded in the mud. There the yacht remained in the southern end of Pennsville Township, in Salem County, New Jersey, and for several years thereafter as a restaurant before being sold to new owners.
In 1993, the former Williamsburg was transferred to Genoa, Italy, for conversion into a luxury cruise ship.  These plans were never realized, and the former yacht was faced with imminent scrapping at La Spezia, Italy, but an urgent appeal to the Italian government saved her. The "USS Williamsburg Preservation Society" was formed with the goal of returning Williamsburg to the United States for restoration and preservation. Two former White House staffers began a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds to restore the "Williamsburg" and return her to the U.S. Navy for use by future Presidents; however, the campaign failed to raise the goal of $40 million.
Williamsburg was laid up at the Navy wharf in La Spezia, Italy while offered for sale by Camper & Nicholsons International of Monaco.
The ship sank at her moorings, in La Spezia harbor, in 2015.
On 19 January 2016, the Port Authority of La Spezia authorised the operation for the removal of the ship. Her wreck was scrapped in situ in March.
USS Williamsburg