| Fifties Frogs Magazine |
Vol 10 |
| Pg 6 | Preserving Our Fleet Historic Naval Ships | |||
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Visitation to historic naval ship museums and memorials has shown significant up surge in recent years. In 1994, some seven million people boarded the vessels. In 1999 the total was over nine million, a nearly 30% increase. In years past, as expected, veterans of those WWII and Korea and their families made up a significant portion of the visiting public to the fleet of warships, most of them veterans of those two conflicts as well. This is no longer the case. Surprisingly, today’s visitors are more likely to be a young couple and their children, and the chances are good that neither parent served in the military. The ships now mount exhibits and hold events to attract the full spectrum of our citizenry. Special efforts are made to cater the younger generation. One no longer needs to have had military experience in order to enjoy and bring away an appreciation for the accomplishments of the people and the ships defending our nation; their exploits are interpreted in such a manner as to appeal to all ages and backgrounds. The annual costs of operating museum ships range from an average of $500,000 for small ships such as destroyers and submarines, to over $2 million for battleships and more than $3 million for aircraft carriers.In nearly all cases, the income from admissions, special events, encampment programs, gift shop sales, and foundations is not sufficient to cover all required maintenance after wages, utilities, and other operating costs are paid. For the dozen ships that get underway for guest cruises there are additional costs associated with meeting requirements for compliance with Safety at Sea Regulations. Interest in establishing more ship museums is at an all-time high. Presuming a goodly portion of the projects are successful, they will [ top ] |
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substantially
increases the size of the historic naval ship fleet Some 30
organizations in the United States are currently endeavoring to acquire
ships. The primary source of museum ships
has been the U.S. Navy, though their ship donation program. In recent
years, however, groups in the U.S. also searched ot former U.S. Navy
ships operated by foreign nations and arranged to have them towed back
to the U.S. when retired by those countries. The destroyer escort USS
Slater in Albany N.Y., the amphibious land ship USS LSM 45 in Omaha ,
Nebraska, and the destroyer USS Orleck, Orange, Texas are three success
stories. The Historic Naval Ships
Association was founded in 1966 by five organizations with historic
naval vessels. Today it promotes the preservation and exhibition in
seven countries. Editor: I had the privilege
of sitting with Capt Zucker at a USS Walter Cobb reunion. He is
Executive Director of the Historic Naval Ships Assn. Sadly, the US Navy has no more APD
vessels. The remaining 9 were sold to Foreign Countries in 1995:
Mexico: USS Barber APD 57, USS Don O. Woods APD 118, USS Readnour APD
102. Taiwan: USS Bless Man APD 48, USS Bull APD 78, USS Donald W. Wold
APD 129, USS Kinser APD 91, USS Kline APD120. USS Truxton APD 98. I tried to interest the UDT/SEAL
Museum officials to see if they could consider trying to rescue one. To
berth along shore below the Museum. Reply: Not interested. It would have
been a nice attraction.
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