The Next Museum Ship: Naval News

[@scale_model_apprentice]

I'd love to see a Ticonderoga Class cruiser preserved. We need more cruiser museums.

[@SRR-5657]

Big agree, they're really cool ships

[@red2001ss]

Came here to say this. Alternatively a newer Carrier, but that will never happen since both Kitty Hawk and JFK are sold to be scrapped. And the Nukes are already a no because of what they are.

[@SRR-5657]

@@red2001ss It would be cool to get one of the LHA/D carriers, there's nothing like them preserved, with the huge well decks and all, I think that would be awesome.

[@scale_model_apprentice]

@@red2001ss I don't see how. Nautilus was a nuke boat.

[@GingerMan69420]

@@scale_model_apprentice The Navy has stated that they have to dismantle too much of the interior of the carriers to remove the reactor systems.

[@stealth9639]

It's hard, these ships are just so expensive. I grew up lucky to be next to the Drum and Alabama, took them for granted. Thought it was sad Clamagore couldn't be preserved, but it was just a sub I thought. Now that I have been watching this channel for a few years, and reading great books like Thunder Below and Sea of Thunder, it's such a privilege to have this history preserved. Just no way to keep them all running without the budget though.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

Clamagore was mostly Patriot Points fault. I understand that sometimes museums just can’t keep preserving things, but I haven’t seen anything to suggest that Patriots Point even *tried*. They did try to scrap Laffey though, and they only repaired her after the state paid for it.

[@geneard639]

I remember when the USS Drum came to the Causeway. I was lucky my Grandfather who served on the same class of sub in WWII led us thru and showed us where he was a cook and where he berthed. Dude wasn't even a Submariner! In the Navy he was a Hull Tech and Diver! But in WWI he was a cook in the trenches....so, yeah. He had just finished opening up the side of a beached sunk hulk when he got tapped on the shoulder to get his seabag.... they took him for a sub going out on radio picket duty near Tokyo. I only got to hang out with two of my Great Uncles, them two and three of their brothers manned a dual 40mm Bofors on a cruiser similar to those on the Alabama. After the Sullivan's went down the five brothers were broken up to 3 ships. Only brother to get injured in WWII was the one who joined the Army. He got blown up at the Battle of the Bulge... lost limbs and bits, left for dead, still lived to 89 just to piss off Hitler.

[@AT-xr8qh]

I don’t think I’ll get over what they did in patriots point. There had to be some way to save her. Look at the drum for example

[@sirboomsalot4902]

@ I agree. You’ve got places like the Buffalo Naval Park, which while they’ve made some mistakes sure they’ve been fighting tooth and nail to save their ships and so far haven’t lost any. Then you have cases like Battleship Cove, which while yes scrapped the Hindensee, it’s more understandable in the sense that she’s a Soviet built ship that we don’t have the parts to properly maintain, and the work they’ve recently done on Massachusetts, Kennedy, and Lionfish make up for that loss. Meanwhile with Patriots Point; they’ve lost all but two of the ships they’ve had, of which only two of those found new homes (Savannah and Ingham, and the former isn’t technically in her forever home yet). As far as I know Laffey is the only one they’ve successfully drydocked, and that’s after they tried to scrap her and basically got the drydocking paid for. And that revealed some of the other stupid stuff they’ve done like *cut Laffey’s props in half for clearance instead of removing them like normal people.* Now, there may be more good going on behind the scenes, but we wouldn’t know because they have almost no meaningful social media presence!

[@rustysquid]

I think this might be a sentiment shared by all sailors towards the ship they served on but I contributed and hoped that my ship would have been preserved. USS Sphinx, ARL-24. The Dunkirk Maritime Museum attempted to relocate the Sphinx to their berthing in Dunkirk, NY. Not enough funds were raised and therefore my former ship was scrapped in 2007. I contributed what I could but alas it was not enough. Decades later, I took my daughter on the tour of the LST-325 in Evansville, IN. I happened to notice a sign on the well deck that indicated that parts from MY ship had been salvaged prior to scrapping to keep 325 alive and steaming. My heart was torn and I sobbed so loudly that my daughter and the tour guide thought that I was in medical distress. I calmed down, pointed at the sign and told them I was so happy that my former ship was keeping LST-325 in working condition. The funny after story is that the tour guide asked my daughter if she wanted a picture with her grandfather. "NO!, this is my DAD she shouted." The tour guide laughed and said, "So much for a tip!" We all laughed and I left a significant donation as my employment was as a tour guide. To this day my daughter and I talk about this moment and laugh. Cheers!

[@kymas23]

I always thought that the USS Enterprise from WWII was the best choice for preservation. It’s much too late now

[@Doctors_TARDIS]

Enterprise and Franklin deserved to be saved. Enterprise because of her history, and Franklin because after the war, she was kept brand new and pristine in her WWII configuration. None of the Essex carriers we have today are even REMOTELY close to a WWII ship

[@doodledangernoodle2517]

@@Doctors_TARDISagreed, all that really shows they’re originally WW2 ships is their 5 inch guns

[@xz569]

They did try, but the navy wanted 2 mil or so for her, back in 45 or something for selling her, was multiple people trying to save her, but in the end, it was a money problem. But her spirit will still sail, as the portholes on the new carrier class, currently beeing built and will be named Enterprise, will carry actual innventory from CV06 in her. Just as she will carry from CV65. Her spirit will not go silently into the night! Cut from wiki, Enterprise will also incorporate four portholes taken from CV-6, her World War II predecessor

[@geographyRyan]

EVERYONE, LISTEN. THERE IS HOPE. Not only is Halyburton herself not off donation hold (yet), but there are other options than her! Foreign navies still operate OHPs. Those being: Bahrain (1 ship), Chile (2 ships), Egypt (4 ships), Pakistan (1 ship), Poland (2 ships), Taiwan (10 ships), and Turkey (8 ships). With the case of destroyer escort Slater and destroyer Orleck, they could be purchased from those navies upon retirement and brought to the US, or in the case of destroyer Velos (formerly USS Charette), preserved in their current country. THERE IS HOPE FOR A MUSEUM PERRY!

[@madmh6421]

In my travels, I have visited a few museum sites. Patriots Point being one of my favorite stops, and have been there several times. My most favorite stops was the USS Drum. These stops were before the magnificent volunteers worked there magic Some how I felt more at home there. Keep up the good work, and Thank-You all!.

[@dutchman7216]

I would like to see a Spruance class destroyer turned into a museum.

[@red2001ss]

@@dutchman7216 The only one left is the Paul F Foster DD-964, currently serving as the Self Defense Test Ship.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

@@red2001ss And iirc the navy has confirmed that she won’t be put on donation hold because the testing ruins her historic value or something

[@red2001ss]

@@sirboomsalot4902 Which i guess is unfortunate. But regardless, its still the last Spruance Class in existence. The rest have been scrapped or sunk. I work for the gov outfit that operates it, just I'm on the east coast and not Port Hueneme.

[@dutchman7216]

@red2001ss Sounds like a good reason to save it.

[@NASWOG]

Look, the San Jacinto is going to become a museum ship in a few years. Dont worry

[@kennethhummel4409]

A group of friends of mine had gone through phase 1. He tentatively had the backing of Paul Allen but Allen up and died so we lost our backing and had to withdraw from saving the USS Independence as a museum ship here in puget sound.

[@peterdavid5034]

You would've needed unlimited access to Paul Allen's bank account to maintain a supercarrier as a museum ship for anything longer than 5 minutes. 😒

[@stratagama]

I remember reading 20 million tons under the Sea by admiral Daniel v gallery and about how the u-505 ended up as a museum ship in Chicago. I remember that it was basically from the Navy's perspective you give us the cash value of the scrap metal and you figure out how to get it to Chicago on your own and the boat is yours. I remember Daniel gallery tried to convince the Navy to tow it at least partway into the Great lakes if not all the way to Chicago as part of some kind of training mission possibly relating to salvage but for some reason the other admirals in the Navy saw straight through that

[@sailorsteve56a]

Hope they do turn her into a museum ship. Would love to go see her. I served on two Perry Class Frigates, the Vandergrift and the McInerney.

[@geographyRyan]

Hopefully. She isn't off donation hold, so if someone manages to get to her quickly..... she might just be saved.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

I’ve been pretty upset about this, as a Pennsylvanian and a fan of the OHPs I was really hoping for them. But the reasons for it are understandable. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if organizations stop trying to bother with the navy and instead work on getting American ships from foreign navies when they are retired. Like with Slater and Orleck. There’s a few Perry’s still in service with other navies, and you also have the Kidd-class in Taiwan which I would love to see saved.

[@bbake659]

Of mild interest is the story of the USS Oregon (BB-3) She was a veteran of the Spanish American war and was eventually loaned out as a museum to the State of Oregon. During WW2 the state returned it to the navy for war service and the navy first decided to scrap it then changed their mind and converted it to a hulk and used it in Guam. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Oregon_(BB-3)

[@Droopybear]

Too bad they're all decommissioned and headed to the scrap yards. Recommendations: amphibious ships of the Gator Navy and Vietnam era brown water boats and ships. Thanks for your hard work!!

[@thekidfromcleveland3944]

Port Clinton some guy has a brown water craft he takes to the marina every now and again

[@knottyash9908]

I was stationed in mayport fl 2000 to 2006 when this ship was in active duty. Got to go aboard her and the Sammy b many times. These frigates have a reputation for taking a hell of a beating and staying afloat.

[@sailorsteve56a]

Was stationed there from 2001 to 2006! The McInerney then Sima/SRMC Repair Div.

[@chrisb9960]

I’m only aware of this ship being involved in Libyan Civil War launching strikes against regime troops, and was involved in counter-piracy operations. What beating were these ships subjected to so I can understand what you are referring to?

[@knottyash9908]

Look up the uss stark. She took 2 Exocet anti ship missiles with 37 men killed. Samual b Robert hit a mine that broke her keel and destroyed her main engine room. Also look up the Perry class frigates that were subjected to sink exercises. Even without a crew to fight damage they took a lot of heavy ordnance hits including mk 48 tornadoes designed to break a ship in half before they sank.

[@knottyash9908]

@@sailorsteve56aI was on the moosbrugger and then the Vicksburg. I got thrown out of the hurricane bar more than once . If you know you know.

[@richdurbin6146]

Underwood 93-96. We did ops with Haylyburton and other ships mentioned here. Sadly all the classes of my day are almost gone.

[@jdcochran1984]

Fever dreaming here... If money wasn't a factor I'd like to see either USS Hornet and/or USS Yorktown raised and preserved. They're still in excellent shape and would atone for scrapping the USS Enterprise.

[@jliller]

Lighthouses, which are expensive to maintain though not as much as a warship, have undergone a similar tightening of restrictions for transfer. Discontinued lighthouses were given away or sold somewhat willy-nilly in the late 20th century. Then an act of Congress in 2000 established a formal process for giving away lighthouses and auctioning them off if no qualifying government entity or nonprofit waned them. After some of those lighthouses were later given back or fell into further disrepair rather than being restored, the review process for free transfer of ownership have gotten stricter. The feds clearly want to see not simply an established nonprofit, but one that has a history of successful fundraising.

[@baronpen]

I don't have a preference for a specific type of ship, but I definitely think it's vital that at least one modern ship be preserved. The modern ships are different enough from the older ships that it will become more difficult to connect the older ones with what the current Navy is doing.

[@redenginner]

I wish we had preserved Long Beach. She straddled eras as one of the last ww2 style cruiser hulls but was equipped with the technological forerunner of the modern Aegis combat system along with being nuclear powered.

[@yankee1219]

I'd love to see a Los Angeles class attack submarine preserved as a museum ship.

[@BrockRuby]

Very, very nice presentation on this subject!!! Keep it up buddy!! I'll keep watching!!

[@TX-biker]

This is an excellent example of … 👍🏽what it takes to CREATE a museum ship 👍🏽 why it cost money to VISIT a museum ship 👍🏽 the struggles involved with KEEPING a museum ship. (USSTexas is struggling with finding her new home currently)

[@adamdavis7663]

Since the Ticonderoga's are being retired. Id love to see one of those preserved. And i know the Tarawa wad expended in a Sinkex recently. But id love to see a amphibious assault ship preserved as well.

[@KevinT3141]

Per Wikipedia, "The Oliver Hazard Perry class is a class of guided-missile frigates named after U.S. Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a commander noted for his role in the Battle of Lake Erie." A shame they couldn't get a Perry in Erie PA, that's the perfect place to have one.

[@999wilf999]

America, do not end up like the UK, where all we have left of the Royal Navy's battleships is Warspite's nameplate in some pub somewhere, preserve these ships while you can!

[@tsufordman]

Time for a new ship donation process. 1) preservation group raises $10,000,000 2) preservation group hires Nick Cage to steal the desired ship 3) we see how badly the navy wants it back...

[@blue387]

I wish Samuel B. Roberts was saved as a museum ship myself, or at least have a new destroyer named for the Roberts

[@Jasons.electric1.0]

Ryan i was reall wanting a tour of that ship behind you

[@politicsuncensored5617]

I remember growing up in NC in the 50s & 60s when they asked at school for donations to bring the battleship USS North Carolina to Wilmington NC~! I think every family/child donated their lunch money to make that happen.

[@spyczech]

Cool but also sad like kids lunch money is our effective government coffers. Thanks though I went there all the time as a kid

[@spyczech]

Cool but sad the government needs kids to go hungry to have stuff like museum ships

[@kwaktak]

I’d love to see a Spruance or Tico preserved for a museum. As a former Forrestal sailor I am resigned to there never being a supercarrier museum. The closest is the Midway.

[@peterdavid5034]

A supercarrier museum would be bankrupt almost immediately.

[@lewisgeyer1440]

Such a thorough explanation, thank you.

[@1TitanicFan1]

I always thought Samuel B Roberts or Cole would be the next museums due to their significance. But Robert's just went to the scrappers and Cole is a good decade from decommissioning.

[@jetdriver]

Looking at the fleet right now the true best shot is a Ticonderoga class cruiser. The Perry’s have been in mothballs for so long and stripped for parts for so long that it would be a huge lift to get one back in decent shape. But if the Navy mothballs one of the recently retired Tico’s and doesn’t allow her to be stripped but rather properly preserved her then the lift is a lot smaller. And some of the ships being retired have just gone through major maintenance and overhaul and thus are not worn out but rather is excellent material condition. But honestly I think it’s a pipe dream.

[@johnsimms6778]

I remember donating pennies to save the Alabama.

[@billping2633]

Thank you

[@phillipbouchard4197]

I had the good fortune to observe Halyburton come in to the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts while visiting the Destroyer Cassin Young some time in the 1990's. I have photos of FFG 40 as she moored to a dock at the Yard. I assume she was making a Port Call, as I do not think she was there for repair or upkeep. So sad to see her at the end of her career.

[@johnmcclish2735]

I imagine one of the Ticonderoga's will be saved as a Cold War / Gulf War / Post Cold War ship. I hate to be negative but with the WW2 generation almost gone and the never-ending march of time more current museum ships will go to the scrapyard or a SINKEX. The issues up in Buffalo, Charleston and Boston show some ships are in serious trouble. Poor Texas cannot find a home! It's going to take a solid marketing campaign to save them and probably Government support (and the states are in debt!) A rationalization of what ships are truly historic worthy and supportable however is most realistic and a culling of the weak would make the surviving museum ships economically stronger.

[@MisterLongShot_Official]

Very sad to hear about Haliburton. I had intended to volunteer for that ship since I only live about an hour away. Lots of missed opportunities for museum ships through the years. USS Long Beach (CGN), USS Enterprise (CVN), USS Ticonderoga (CG) , USS John F. Kennedy and so on.

[@RayBoebel]

I believe FFG-42 is still there...that was my home from 1989-92

[@billping2633]

Thank you for your service.

[@akdonlh9924]

Why is it I always have to say FIRE on the intro

[@kevinpresley3136]

I'd like to see a Ticonderoga and a Arleigh Burke saved as museum ships.Maybe a LHA as well.Is there any amphibious ships outside of a LST a museum ship?

[@cruisinguy6024]

Unfortunately none of those exist with the same historical / battle significance as the WW2 ships. As I've said before until we get another major war involving naval warfare I don't think we will see any new museum ships. It would be great to have an amphib converted to museum duty but, again, none of them tick that "historical significance" box necessary to attract sufficient visitors and an LHA/D is not cheap to operate. Decades down the road I could see maybe the USS New York LPD-21 saved by NYC as she contains steel from the World Trade Center and helps tell that story but this is decades down the road.

[@zombiesaysno]

I would love to see an OHP as a museum ship.

[@shinjiikari1021]

Why! Why couldn't warspite be preserved back then? 😭

[@legohistorysam]

Why not USS Samuel B Roberts that would be an awesome museum ship to have preserved for future generations and telling stories of the first and the second Samuel B Roberts

[@KanJonathan]

She was sadly scrapped in 2022. As did my second choice USS Stark (FFG-31, 2006), third choice USS Reuben James (FFG-57, as a homage to Tom Clancy) was sunk as target in 2016.

[@cruisinguy6024]

@@KanJonathanif any of the OHPs should be saved I think it was the Reuben James for her participation in pulling off the intelligence coup of the century. Shame the was relegated to a sinkex although I suppose that's better than being turned into razor blades.

[@MichaelFischer-pf7ft]

Has the bureaucratic side of the Navy set the bar so high that nobody can pass their test and get a ship for preservation?

[@Jaysqualityparts]

Such a bullshit act seeing as we bought those ships and should be given to tax payers.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

Yes.

[@garywayne6083]

Pretty much yes. It was said here a while ago that any new ones are unlikely to happen.

[@cruisinguy6024]

@@Jaysqualitypartswhose going to pay to set it up and operate as a museum ship? We're talking millions of dollars and THOUSANDS of volunteer hours. That's gotta come from somewhere

[@joedowe9412]

I precom FFG 19 and FFG 43, they were good ships for what they were used for.

[@chriskincade88]

My father served on the Nicholas, would love to see her again

[@klsc8510]

I think the next museum ship in the US will not be a warship, it will be the M/V Aurthur M. Anderson due to her proximity to the M/V Edmund Fitzgerald on the night of November 10, 1975. The last radio calls from the Fitzgerald to the Anderson that day and night. The Anderson was built in 1952. She is still steam turbine powered. It is unknown how much longer the Anderson will be kept in service on the Great Lakes. Sorry Ryan, you can't add her to your museum. She won't fit through the Weland Canal.

[@billping2633]

Chicago's Navy Pier needs a ship. I think the USS Klakring (FFG-42) would be a great addition.

[@LeoA2600]

Not a shock. It's been standard 21st century USN operating practice to turn down even viable preservation proposals. Wisconsin and Iowa were lucky this century. Too prestigious and historic to get away with disposing of them without a lot of outcry, although one can't help but wonder just how close one or both of them may have came to seeing this fate. USS Halyburton has no such background and thus it was easy to see that this was an automatic non-starter that was guaranteed to be turned down, despite the "donation hold" and "process" that the navy has setup to allegedly make these assets available for preservation if the right home stands up with a viable proposal and finances. This group would be better off not wasting their time and funding with the navy and instead turning towards one of the foreign navies operating a retired Perry class frigate and develop a relationship now while the hull is still operating, with an eye towards bringing it home after her sailing days are finished.

[@StarGazer568]

I served aboard the USS SPRUANCE (DD-963) as a commissioning plankowner and hoped to get it preserved as a museum ship. Unfortunately, I was a day late and it didn't matter how many dollars short I was. She was going to be sunk. I think the USS PAUL F. FOSTER (DD-964) is the last ship still afloat. It would be great if that ship could be preserved. All others of the SPRUANCE class have been sunk, or scrapped. Some of the KIDD class DDGs have been sold to TAIWAN. I don't know if any are still in the US inventory.

[@nicholasmarshall9128]

I highly doubt it, but I could see USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) be eligible to become a museum since it's the first new build cruiser to have VLS cells integrated into the design. Only problem is the West Coast doesn't have many viable places to put a ship. Unless it goes to Alaska or joins another museum on the west coast like Turner Joy, I don't think it will be saved. No way USS Arleigh Burke is going to be saved, they are still making them. Sad, but unfortunately reality. At least the Iowas and Midway have a lot of technology similar to the Perry's, so not all of that story with the perry's are lost. Would NJ be open to dedicating an exhibit to the Perry frigates (especially Sammy B)?

[@mikeweller9933]

12:48 to tell us that the beancounters are the only ones who count(pun intentional). Sad state of affairs.

[@lightningwingdragon973]

Save USS Canon! She's all alone there at the Philly navy yard. She's such a tiny ship, surely someone can take her?!

[@sirboomsalot4902]

She was on donation hold, but she’s a similar story to the others.

[@alexmoskowitz811]

Carnegie science center just got a massive donation….wonder if they could take it, they already do well with uss requin

[@kwaktak]

Really? I’d love Pittsburgh to have a surface ship museum. I’m guessing it would be an OHP to come all the way up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

[@roberthilton5328]

At 2:38 you state that USS Texas was the first permanently operating museum ship. The USS Oregon BB-3 was a museum ship after being demilitarized by the Washington Naval Treaty in the 1920 and was moored in Portland, Oregon until WWII. I don't think USS Oregon was privately run like USS Texas and modern museum ships, so there is that difference.

[@GingerMan69420]

If you keep listening, he states that Texas was the first operated by a non profit.

[@roberthilton5328]

@@GingerMan69420 Thanks for pointing that out.

[@tonymanero5544]

It’s about money, and whether public or private money can be raised, and then if the ship can be situated to be a visitor attraction to sustain operating costs and maintenance. Last year, USS New Jersey received about $22 million from the State of NJ to so hull maintenance that must be done every 15-20 years. Texas had to give about $70 million for USS Texas as it would literally capsize in its water mooring. A state as wealthy as Texas didn’t want to spend that money, but it had to, not only as the State namesake, but the ship is the ONLY super dreadnought in the world, with no older dreadnought like the HMS Dreadnought itself, remaining. USS Texas, along with USS Olympia, is arguably the most historic ship left.

[@Farlomous]

need to bring it here to Oklahoma and put it in Lake Texoma. that way we can train her gun out towards texas as a warning. seriously tho, they would be great to keep around for training purposes say at a ship yard. new welders could be trained on them before being thrown on a project for a brand new carrier. same with the electrical system etc. who knows maybe the new admin will put some money in them to reactivate them to bolster the fleet

[@randyogburn2498]

What would be exceptionally cool would be a new museum warship that could still get underway on it's own.

[@lunarweasel]

My Uncle was sad to see the Charles F Adams fall through. He served on her in the early 1970's.

[@mynameismud08]

The next museum ship should be one of the nuclear aircraft carriers that will be decommissioned within the next decades. I cannot think of anything more historically significant than one of the first nuclear-powered carriers! Obviously, there are huge challenges with this, not just finding a parking space but also dealing with radiation. But from a technical standpoint, those are all problems that are not impossible to overcome.

[@Big_Loo]

I'm really surprised that Stark or Samuel B Roberts aren't museums, and Cole would be a good Burke to museumify

[@jamesgarman4788]

It would have been nice to see Kitty Hawk preserved. I served on her from 2000-2002.

[@jliller]

Video topic idea: compare how the four Iowa class battleships are interpreted differently by their respective nonprofits.

[@cruisinguy6024]

I'm pretty sure he's covered this in a number of videos

[@jliller]

@@cruisinguy6024 If so I've missed it.

[@1teamski]

The last real lost opportunity was the USS John Rodgers, the world's most original Fletcher. What a heartbreaker that it wasn't saved............

[@richardfulton9398]

Other than a couple of LSTs I don't know of any Gators of any era saved

[@jimmccormick6091]

Many years ago, I visited the Olympia in Philadelphia. She was a MESS. She was, at that time, in VERY bad shape. There were many areas off limits, there were many areas "under work". A year or two ago, USS The Sullivans sank at the pier. Ryan keeps saying it, and it seems that nobody hears it, these ships cost MONEY, and they REQUIRE upkeep. Not "promises" of money and upkeep". Neil Young wasn't kidding, Rust never sleeps!

[@darrengladstone3159]

Booming Beaver museum ship all the way. You can only sell 1 ticket at a time and the tour is short.

[@Robert-kb8rl]

Proceedings has informed Dr. John Cordle and me that they will be publishing the article we wrote together arguing the need for a modern (initially commissioned in the last 50 years) Navy museum ship.

[@RandallBriggs-s2k]

Could we go back in time and revisit the decision to scrap USS Enterprise (CV-6)?

[@Fallschirmfuchs]

I'd love to see USS Arleigh Burke for sure, but another Arleigh Burke I'd love to see dodge the torch is USS Micheal Murphy. I'd also love to see USS Jack H Lucas end up back in my home city of Tampa after being comissioned here.

[@ThemightyEnterprise]

I don’t know why, but if the Kidd was saved by some miracle, it would be nice to have the Burke and Fletcher as a museum next to each other

[@geneard639]

I gave ALL of my pennies for the USS Alabama!

[@Jon_Flys_RC]

The fact that Samuel B Robert’s isn’t set aside for donation is incredibly short sighted.

[@Dana-fy8bg]

Wonder what the condition of FFG- 56 USS Simpson is. She does have an interesting historical story. Other than USF Constitution, she was the most recent ship to have sunk another ship as part of Operation Praying Mantis. However I also do have this fear that one of the LCS ships might become a museum ship before an Arleigh Burke.

[@WarpedHorizon]

Make the USS Independence (LCS-2) into a museum ship so us taxpayers can get something for our money

[@roaklin]

How would a task force made from the musuem fleet compare to a modern task force be a neat video

[@fishingthelist4017]

Unfortunately, the ship I wanted to see preserved was used as a target in 2016, and it was a Perry class frigate.

[@eherrmann01]

An Arleigh Burke would be my first choice also.

[@yeeters2347]

Man, if there was any Hazard Perry that should’ve been save it should have been Samuel B Roberts

[@FrostyThundertrod]

Maybe the freedom and independence since there small and a good lesson on what not to do.

[@dougermouse]

They tried to get CVA 61 Ranger into the Portland area and it fell through as well. Seems like making a bond that covers the disposal costs part of the process would make it go a lot faster, and a lot more fairly. Some of these ships are wanting to be turned into museums by the men and women who served on them. But as they age out, there is no next generation to pick up the torch. But once it's a museum that's much easier to rally a community to keep it going. I was ready to volunteer and help, docent or swab the deck or whatever, but the Navy was all No. It just makes no sense to communities for like USS Ranger to be sold for a penny to scrap, then it was towed from Bremerton to Texas the long way, when it could have just come down to Portland. It just seems capricious and arbitrary especially when the result is just the destruction of the ship.

[@johnanon6938]

Pennies went further back in the day, even by mid-1970's a penny still got a #2 candy bag filled with penny candies. Sure in 1940s a penny candy bag was 1 lbs for 1 penny and the #2 candy bag was about 1/12th that. But look at today there's no way your getting that much candy for $1 now lol.

[@michaeleasterwood6558]

The USS Halyburton(FFG-40) was named in honor of PhMC2 William D.Halyburton for his actions on Okinawa May 10,1945

[@swathdiver489]

When new, they could be fought with just seven men, they were greatly automated.

[@georgeburns7251]

I think all the cities that want a museum ship have them.

[@mikemissel7785]

Where is the Lewis B Puller at? That FFG should saved because being name after Chesty and I worked on her in the Long Beach Navy Yard.

[@seantu1496]

In service with Egypt as the ENS Toushka.

[@DavidJones-me7yr]

I have always hope that the state of Wisconsin would bring battleship Wisconsin into Lake Michigan? I don't know if there was ever a push for it, I can't think of any ship that they were trying to bring here as the museum ship? Ship building in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin has been here since the two and three masted schooners. I don't know what we made for World War II but I know in the 80s we were making what they called high seas rescue ships, mine sweepers and some others. In Marinette Menomonie that's Wisconsin and Michigan they're also large shipyards and I believe still in Manitowoc Wisconsin where they actually made submarines for World War II. You would think there would be more interest in it? And I wonder whether an Iowa class Battleship could come down to St Lawrence Seaway? I know they make up to 1,000 Footers in freighters, I know tankers come in at times, grain haulers, ect. An Iowa's not a thousand footer but could she be too wide?😢

[@dmoncall6648]

The "1,000 footer" lake boats are limited to Lake Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie. Both the Welland Canal (which connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario) and St Lawrence seaway only support a maximum ship length of 740 ft. and maximum beam of 78 ft. So an Iowa class battleship at 887 ft. length and 108 ft. beam wouldn't fit unless the canals are enlarged at some point in the future.

[@timpetta2974]

How about a replica of the O’Bannon?

[@dantc2403]

Maybe we should ask the Navy for an LCS 😅

[@robertpapalia]

It didn't work out for Enterprise

[@geneard639]

No love for the 'Red Headed Step Child' of the fleet. Always demanded to do the undoable, with little to nothing to do it with, still got the job done.

[@elijahwerner6130]

I wonder how many successful museum ships would have passed the current assessment?

[@milohoffman274]

They should all be sold at public auction and if someone wants to buy once and open a museum they should be able to do so.

[@cruisinguy6024]

Yeahhhh but 1) we don't want our military equipment going to the bad guys or arming drug cartels and 2) the reoccurring theme is simply that none of these groups can gather sufficient resources to convert a ship into a museum. An auction format where now they have to PAY instead of getting it for FREE damn sure isn't going to help their financial situation. So, what do you hope to accomplish with an auction format when the Navy donates these ships for free currently?

[@spyczech]

Public auction is just scrapping with extra steps since it incentives you buy it for Return and museum ships are cool but not a cash cow return like a scrapping can be

[@kmoecub]

It's a damned shame that the Navy refused to let her become a museum Ship. Especially because of who she was named after.

[@rvsteve583]

this would be fantastic as some have been sinkx, or sold.................

[@rickheckbert2423]

It's a shame a modern carrier hasn't been able to be saved. Unfortunately, with all carriers since Nimitz, CVN-68 (and Enterprise, CVN-65) being nuclear I'm afraid the window to save a modern carrier as a museum ship has closed. With 8 conventionally powered carriers having been built you would think one of them could have been saved.

[@bobsled3000]

It's a shame we didn't save the Kitty hawk the only super carrier that could ever have become a museum ship. None of the nuclear ships will ever be museums in my opinion

[@davidplowman6149]

Unfortunately, I doubt many ships will be preserved in the coming decades. Battleships were and are preserved because they are giants from another era. Carriers are just cool and played a pivotal role in winning WWII. Smaller ships and more modern ships just don’t have the same draw. If we look to foreign countries I’d give the Normandy to France for preservation and the Churchill to England.

[@chichan8424]

With the way naval shipbuilding is going, the US Navy may have to reactivate these frigates in the event of war....

[@sd01]

That's a shame, I was hoping that effort would be successful. So many of the cold war era ships have been retired and scrapped without much of a thought of preserving them or the history they represent.

[@leftyo9589]

they definately need to save an adams class ddg, if there is any left.

[@Allthough]

Sadly, the last one (the Adams herself) was recently sent to the scrappers. A group in Florida spent years trying to get approval to turn her into a museum, but they never managed to get there. I was on the Sellers. I would have loved to visit Adams. But, alas, it is not to be.

[@charlesmaurer6214]

One change needed is the Navy needs to leave them operational less weapons. An annual sailing and kitchens would greatly add to fund raising side. Also make reactivation easier if needed. Also the reserve fleet could have more serving as training ships or passed to the coast guard both to help preserve more and cut national cost. Those Perry classes could do the standard jobs of a coast guard frigate, saving construction for specialist ships like ice breakers and updated PT style boats for channel patrols. Also coastal states could build a naval reserve like the Air and Army National Guards that could supplement Naval duties while fleets a deployed. I see about a quarter could have a second life for a decade or two in such roles. Those with extra historical value should be picked first for the training role to avoid the damage sitting idol and use the trainee force to help keep them up. Lastly the Navy needs to build new yards under Navy control again able to handle the needs of the current fleet and build some new. I would start with 3 new yards with one on each coast and the gulf. The first big drydock builds should be an updated Iowa sized hybrid, aft modeled on a scaled down landing assault carrier for special ops and forward a scaled up missile cruiser plus energy and rail gun mounts as the main guns powered by a nuclear drive system. Order 3 plus 3 more second run on the new Battleship. Along side 3 Ford style Carriers and 3 Landing assault style carriers. This would add 12 primary capital ships that as the carriers complete make one drydock available per yard for merchant marine builds/service or to service museum ships. A second dock would shift to service navy ships per yard. Leaving one per yard building replacements, one to service, one to lease out work to help offset cost and rebuild the merchant fleet that is needed for supply in war but is civilian paid. Some upgrades in the new drydocks can be underwater lights, view ports and cameras to aid placement and inspections. Imagine an extra yard period inspection that need not even fully drain if things go well or to fix things early if found. Also I think an upgraded block base can be built that includes a jacking feature of a few inches to permit moving for repairs like NJ had with the doubler plate without mulching the tops. Also could be done safer with just a couple at a time, could even improve the paint jobs with less bumping and reintroduction of water. Last I would use a clean water line for reflooding said docks to help keep it clean and reduce silting. The Navy is having shortages in construction and cost overruns with overuse of contractors. Plus too much influx of foreign hardware in all the military. I'm not saying to end the contractor side but the navy needs to be able to do it all itself if needed. One yard in VA building every carrier is very dangerous, for anything critical there must be two sites if not three. The yards also serve to train engineering crews so that half that launches with a ship should be drawn from the people who built her. Grads from the academy and basic start in the yards or go there for their second/third tour.

[@jeffreymcurtis]

I am wondering if the Intrepid could have been replaced by the JFK?

[@garywayne6083]

It would have cost many tens of millions to refurbish and convert the JFK into a viable museum - and few who visit it would notice or care about the difference between the two

[@jeffreymcurtis]

@@garywayne6083 But there would be way more space for exhibits & space to walk around.

[@ThemightyEnterprise]

@@jeffreymcurtiseven so, it would just be better to have a separate organization obtain her

[@eddy29103]

We need to keep the USS Nimitz, the aliens need to know where to find us…. Can’t cut up that ship.. they might get lost looking for us if we do that