Olympic Dreams for a Dutch Ark

If Johan Huibers has his way, that is exactly what will happen. He has written authorities in London for permission to dock his full-size, 3,000-ton (3048 m. ton), 410-foot (125 m) version of Noah’s Ark during the 2012 Olympic Games.1

Mr. Huibers first gained international attention four years ago after completing his first “miniature” Ark (measuring 230 feet [70 m] long).2 This time he built an even bigger Ark, with an even bigger vision for challenging skeptical Europeans by showing the reasonableness of the Bible’s account about the Flood and Noah.

The 60-year-old builder from the Netherlands has dreamed of this day for nearly two decades. The new ship, docked near Rotterdam, took three years to complete.

Unlike Noah’s Ark, however, it was built on a steel frame.

© Michel de Groot