'Unconditional Surrender' sculpture to depart San Diego waterfront

"Unconditional Surrender,” the 25-foot-tall sculpture modeled after the iconic photograph from the end of World War II, is departing its spot on the San Diego waterfront near the carrier museum Midway.

The sculpture, owned by the Santa Monica-based Sculpture Foundation, has been on loan to the Port of San Diego since 2007. It’s been a favorite of tourists taking vacation pictures.

But now the foundation  has a new locale interested.

The sculpture is set to be dismantled by the end of February and shipped off to a park and sculpture garden in New Jersey.

The famous kiss between the sailor and the nurse in New York’s Times Square was spontaneous.

Not so the dismantling of the 6,000-pound sculpture: that will take two days.

Kissing fans should not despair, however.

Another sculpture near the Midway, “Homecoming,” has a kissing couple.

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--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: 2009 photo of "Unconditional Surrender" on San Diego waterfront. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times