Bush Named Honorary Chairman of Missouri Memorial Association
The USS Missouri Memorial Association has announced that George Bush, 41st President of the United States and a decorated Navy pilot in World War II, has been named its honorary Chairman of the Board.
Speaking from his home in Houston, President Bush commented, “Pm delighted to be Honorary Chairman of the USS Missouri Memorial Association.
The battleship Missouri, preserved and maintained in Hawaii, will educate millions of visitors about World War II. It is important that future generations visit the Missouri and learn about a war that ripped the world asunder.”
The Missouri (BB-63) served U.S. military forces in three wars and was the site where World War II officially ended on 2 September 1945, signaling the start of a new era of peace and cooperation in the Pacific. During the Persian Gulf War, the battleship backed up the invasion by U.S. ground forces by pounding Iraqi positions with its mighty 16-inch guns and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Missouri will be towed out of Bremerton, Washington, this April and will arrive in Pearl Harbor in May 1998. She will be housed temporarily at Pier F-5 for a maximum of three years before moving to her permanent site at the most seaward end of Battleship Row, berthing at Piers F-2 and F-3. A one-day special opening will mark the 53rd anniversary of the end of World War II in September 1998, and the grand opening of the museum memorial is scheduled for January 1999.
The master plan envisions a memorial museum that actively educates and engages its visitors. They will learn about the history of World War II, the Missouri's role in its conclusion, the importance of Pearl Harbor, and the role and capabilities of the U.S. Navy.
The memorial’s main theme is “A New Era in the Pacific,” and covers the beginning of World War II on 7 December 1941 to the Japanese surrender. The look of the Missouri will be presented in the context of World War II, through historical and educational themes, banners, and other design techniques.
Additional exhibits will be used to present the Missouri’s role and capabilities after World War II, the history of battleships from World War II to the present, the technology of today’s modern U.S. Navy, the strength of its current surface fleet, and the day-to-day life of the Missouri’s Sailors and Marines.
The association soon will launch a nationwide fundraising campaign to develop the battleship’s permanent memorial. It is expected to raise $25 million to complete the full vision of the memorial. The association already has secured bridge financing in the form of a $5.5- million line of credit from a consortium of seven Hawaii banks to prepare the ship and have it towed to Pearl Harbor.
“This has been a remarkable journey to bring this historic battleship to Pearl Harbor, and we could not have come this far without the commitment and support of many leaders in the public and private sectors,” said Carter. “Having the USS Missouri permanently based as a historic memorial and educational attraction at Pearl Harbor will complement and enhance the USS Arizona and
USS Bowfin memorials. It is fitting that the Missouri joins them as a historic reminder of the tragedy, lessons, and courage of the events that plunged America into a world war.”
Project Liberty Ship
The SS John W. Brown will make three Chesapeake Bay cruises this year, on 23 May, 18 July, and 5 September. In addition, she will have a special cruise for the Whitbread race on 3 May.
The John W. Brown came to Baltimore in May 1988 for restoration to become an operational museum and memorial to those who built and sailed in the Liberty Ships. She has made several trips since 1991, and has made port calls as far away as Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Wilmington, North Carolina. Plans are being made for a 7-8 August trip to Solomons, Maryland, a 12-17 August trip to Charleston, South Carolina, and a trip to the Great Lakes in 2000.
For information, contact:
Project Liberty Ship—Box NI
SS John W. Brown
P.O. Box 25846
Highlandtown Station
Baltimore, MD 21224-0846
Museum Presents Plaque at Kings Bay
Commissioned 30 Marchl996, St. Marys Submarine Museum has been open for one and one-half years and has had more than 20,000 visitors. The museum is located in St. Marys, in the southeast corner of Georgia, near interstate-95. The museum contains artifacts that show the history of (U.S. and Confederate) submarines, submarine support commands, and commands that support submarines. Also included are items from foreign submarine navies.
Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base recently dedicated its base pavilion to the Submarine Veterans of World War II. Fifty-two U.S. submarines were lost during World War II, many with all hands. The U.S. submarine force suffered the highest loss rate of all U.S. services during World War II. The base’s annual ceremony remembers all submarine veterans on Eternal Patrol.
On 31 October 1997, the museum presented the USS Sealion (SS-195), Georgia’s Lost Boat memorial plaque to the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base.
During the ceremony at Kings Bay the widow of Sealion (SS-195) crew member Chief Electricians Mate Sterling C. Foster, Mrs. Olivia Vinall, was present to witness this remembrance of her husband who died 10 December 1941 when the Sealion was lost. Following the museum’s presentation, Mrs. Vinall presented the museum with a photo of her husband’s boat, which had been on a wall in her home. The museum, with a replica of the plaque and her husband’s photo of the Sealion, will be incorporated into the museum’s Sealion Memorial.
Delaware’s Tall Ship Is Launched
On 29 September 1997, the Kalmar Nyckel was launched on the Christina River in Wilmington to the cheers of more than 20,000 spectators.
The original Kalmar Nyckel (“Key of the City of Kalmar”—one of the largest ports in Sweden) brought the first settlers to the Wilmington area from Sweden in 1638. They sailed up the “South River” (the Delaware) to a tributary then called the “Minquis Kill.” They purchased land from five Lenape Indian chiefs and established Fort Christina, named after the child queen of Sweden. The authentic replica of the 97-foot pinnace will be rigged with three masts, in addition to a sprint sail mast (on the bowsprit), and a high quarterdeck and transom, typical of the 1600s.
The launching ceremony was preceded by an early-morning worship service at the historic Old Swedes Church in Wilmington, with music provided by the Johan Printz Trumpeters of the Royal Academy of Music of Stockholm. The procession then continued to the Kalmar Nyckel shipyard, where Delaware Governor Thomas R. Carper acted as the master of ceremonies. Ambassador Rolf Ekeus of Sweden, Ambassador Jaakko Laajava of Finland, and Second Secretary of Cultural Affairs from the Royal Netherlands Embassy Marion Der- ckx briefly spoke at the historic event, as well as Counsel Woman from the City of Kalmar Irene Andersson, and James H. Sills, Jr., mayor of Wilmington. The Swedish military was represented by Captain Olle Jonsson, Naval Attache, and Major General Sven-Clef Hokberg. Rear Admiral Edward Barret, Commander Logistics and Maintenance, Atlantic Fleet, represented the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Brass Ensemble of the Delaware Symphony played the national anthems of the United States and guest countries, while their flags were raised on the three masts of the ship. “The Navy Hymn” was then played preceding the reading and prayer for the christening. Martha Carper, first lady of Delaware, christened the ship.
The Kalmar Nyckel will be commissioned on 29 March 1998, marking the 360th anniversary of the original Kalmar Nyckel’s landing in Wilmington. The ship will be the anchor of the developing Christina River waterfront, which will include the Kalmar Nyckel shipyard and a colonial Swedish village, as well as continuing the Challenge School Program—an alternative educational program for at-risk youth. Sail training cruises, visits to ports on the Atlantic coast, and a voyage to Europe are being planned for the future.
—Donald A. Wambold Jr.
Navy to Move Forrestal from Philadelphia
Under pressure from the city, the U.S. Navy has announced its intention to tow three large ships from the closed Philadelphia Naval Shipyard to Rhode Island this spring. The three ships are the Iowa (BB-61), the Saratoga (CV- 60), and the Forrestal (CV-59). This announcement came despite the interest of some groups that want to make the Forrestal a naval museum. Most notable is the USS Forrestal Naval Museum, which incorporated in Pennsylvania last year and is actively engaged in studies for the official request for the ship. The museum plans to move the ship a few miles up the Delaware River to Bensalem, just north of the museum memorial and educational facilities.
Towing the Forrestal to Rhode Island will be an expensive proposition for tax payers, and towing it back will be a great expense to the museum.
—Donald A. Wambold Jr.
Hornet Saved!
Success! Members of the Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation (ACHF) were jubilant after receiving the news that their request to save the historic flattop was approved by Secretary of the Navy John Dalton.
The Hornet (CV-12), a veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and the recovery ship for Apollo 11, was scheduled to be scrapped. But after the Hornet was towed from Bremmerton, Washington, to San Francisco in 1995 for dismantling, Captain James Dodge, commanding officer of Naval Station Alameda spotted the historic ship and received permission to have the Hornet towed across San Francisco Bay to the Naval Air Station for display during VJ-Day 50th anniversary ceremonies.
The foundation was soon formed with hopes of preserving the aging Essex-class carrier. Consisting of mostly Hornet crew members, the group convinced the Navy to postpone the ship’s destruction while it sought the funding needed to preserve the ship. Since 1995, the group has raised more than $2.2 million in private donations.
While final approval from Congress has not materialized, “It’s just a matter of dotting some i’s and crossing some t’s of our application,” according to Bob Rogers, executive vice president of the ACHF. Plans are still under way to open the Hornet to the public in April 1998.
Visitors to the ship, docked at Pier 3 at the former Alameda Naval Air Station, will see static displays of various aircraft that flew from the Hornet and will be able to tour the hangar deck, flight deck, parts of the island superstructure, the chiefs’ quarters, officers’ quarters, and one of the ready rooms.
The ACHF is still actively seeking donations for renovations, enlarging the displays, and operating the ship as a museum. Those interested in donating to the ACHF or becoming a member may write the Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation, P.O. Box 460, Alameda, California 94501 or call (510) 521-8448.
—Rich Pedroncelli
Naval Aviation Museum Foundation Symposium ’98
The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation will hold its annual Symposium 7-8 May 1998 at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida. In addition to other events, two featured seminars will include “The World War II Battle of Midway” and “One Day in a Long War: 10 May 1972—Air War North Vietnam.”
Deputy Director of the National Air and Space Museum Donald Lopez will moderate the Midway panel in a reconstruction of that pivotal engagement. Participants from both sides will make up the panel, including the last surviving member of the Devastator torpedo bomber attack on the Japanese fleet and a Japanese pilot who attacked the USS Yorktown (CV-5).
Astronaut and naval aviator Gene Cernan will revisit one of the most active MiG versus Phantom engagements during the Vietnam War with a panel of naval aviator participants in that day’s combat.
The Symposium is open to the public. There is no admission charge, but those interested should make reservations by calling the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation at 850-453-2389, or toll-free 800-327-5002.
Relocation and Restoration of Famed U-505 Kicked-off
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is undertaking a special mission to restore and save the famous captured World War II German submarine, the U-505, which after more than 40 years as an outdoor exhibit, has suffered severe damage owing to the extremes of mid- western weather.
An $11.45 million campaign was kicked off 30 October 1997 with dinner in the museum’s Rotunda to raise funds to relocate and restore the submarine.
The U-505 will undergo a complete overhaul and be relocated to the park north of the museum’s East Pavilion, where it will be housed in a protective shelter.
“The U-505 is the only foreign vessel boarded and seized by the U.S. Navy since the War of 1812. This was done to capture the German code books on board the vessel,” said Audrey Ann Gallery, cousin of the renowned Admiral Daniel V. Gallery, a Chicagoan and head of Task Force 22.3 that captured the U-505 off the coast of French West Africa on 4 June 1944, two days before D-Day. “It is a national memorial to the 55,000 American sailors who lost their lives in this century’s two world wars.”
The U-505 is a top tourist attraction at the museum and has been visited heavily. As they walk through the narrow quarters of the submarine and surrounding exhibit, visitors experience firsthand the dramatic tale of the boat’s capture; its boarding and rescue from sinking by American sailors; its eventual 3,000-mile journey from “mothballs” in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Chicago in May 1954; to its fantastic welcome by 15,000 Chicagoans on 26 June 1954 as the boat was inched on tracks across Lake Shore Drive to its present location at the museum.