Jacksonville Naval Museum Plans

[thelakelander]

A look at plans to bring the USS Orleck (DD 886) to the shipyards to serve as the center piece of the proposed Jacksonville Naval Museum.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/jacksonville-naval-museum-plans/

[Charles Hunter]

I'm guessing all the "museum" would be aboard the ship.
How available are those metered spaces along Marsh Street?  On Street View, nearly all those spaces are taken. The aerial of Marsh Street shows only a few of the spaces used - but appears to have been taken on the weekend, as there are hardly any cars parked downtown. I hope they can provide an improved parking lot on-site, which could also serve the 'extended' Riverwalk.

On a lighter note, in the pictures of the area, there appears to be some sort of orange structure just west of the Main Street Bridge.  Anyone have any idea what that is?

[Lostwave]

Its our Downtown Doughnut shop.

[marcuscnelson]

On a lighter note, in the pictures of the area, there appears to be some sort of orange structure just west of the Main Street Bridge.  Anyone have any idea what that is?

Hi, calling from the Mayor's office. That's our Riverfront Plaza, you see! There's no structure there, just beautiful green grass for people to take their dogs and stand alone in and do doughnuts in.

Jokes aside, this seems fine. Looks like a pretty grounded concept that can be easily moved if necessary, which is good. Obviously the hard part should be actually getting the ship there. I wouldn't be surprised if they just use the grass for parking at the start, and do other site work later. Assuming they can legally do that.

[Bativac]

Cool idea!

Wait... they don't actually own the ship yet, right? Looks like "acquire ship" is part of their plans.

........Cool idea either way I guess.

[heights unknown]

Having served my Navy and my country for 20 years in the USN, THIS is awesome!

[BridgeTroll]

I want to know why two other cities in Texas and Louisiana had the ship as a museum and have moved on from it... If it was/is such a good draw why is it available now?

20 year Navy vet here but I do not want a rusty relic no one has heard of... I have deep reservations...

[thelakelander]

^It became a money pit.

[Charles Hunter]

^It became a money pit.

I guess the saying about personal boats applies to museum boats - "A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money."

[jaxlongtimer]

My hat is off to the group behind a Navy ship museum.  They have been at this for quite some time and you can tell from their presentation they are putting their heart and souls into this. 

While I wish them the very best of success (they certainly deserve it!), I share others' concerns that more ships have probably been sunk by money woes than all the other reasons one can imagine (war, storms, collisions, etc.).  I couldn't discern any financial info from the article and find that missing element notable.  It needs to be clear that the taxpayers don't get hung with any financial troubles they may encounter.

Cruise lines are sending a good share of ships to the scrap yard vs. keeping them in service or selling them to others that might do the same.  Even the long standing and famous Queen Mary in Long Beach is struggling to "stay afloat" financially, fighting a losing battle over never ending and very expensive maintenance needs:

From Wikipedia (emphasis added):

In 2017 a report on the ship's condition was issued. The report noted that not only the hull but also the supports for a raised exhibition area within the ship were corroding, and that the ship's deteriorating condition left areas such as the engine room vulnerable to flooding. Repairs were estimated at close to $300 million. In November 2016 the City of Long Beach had put $23 million toward addressing the Queen Mary's most vital repairs. John Keisler, economic and property development director for Long Beach, said, "We have a timeline in which the engineers believe they can complete those immediate projects. These are major challenges we can only address over time; it can't all be done at once." Political leaders in Scotland, birthplace of the Queen Mary, called for the then UK Prime Minister Theresa May to pressure the American government to fund a full repair of the liner in 2017.[58]

In August 2019, Edward Pribonic, the engineer responsible for inspecting the Queen Mary on behalf of the City of Long Beach, issued a report stating that the ship was in the worst condition he had seen in his 25 years on the job.[59] Pribonic stated that the neglect of the Queen Mary had grown worse under the management of Urban Commons, and concluded that "without an immediate and very significant infusion of manpower and money, the condition of the ship will likely soon be unsalvageable." Incidents of recent neglect include the flooding of the Grand Ballroom with sewage after a pipe which was flimsily patched with duct tape burst, significant amounts of standing water in the ship's bilge, and recently applied paint on the ship's funnels already peeling because of the poor way in which it was applied. The pessimistic conclusion of Pribonic was disputed by city officials, who called the warnings "hyperbolic" and pointed to the "significant" work that has already been undertaken towards repairing the Queen Mary.[59]

The $23 million apportioned for repairs ran out in 2018, with 19 out of the 27 urgent projects identified by a 2015 marine survey completed as of September 2019. There were significant cost overruns overall, with the cost of fire safety repairs skyrocketing from the original estimate of $200,000, to $5.29 million.[60] Two of the remaining eight issues identified in 2015 are considered "critical" - this includes the removal of the ship's lifeboats, which have rotted and are in danger of collapsing.[60]

In October 2019, the City of Long Beach warned Urban Commons that the company was failing to uphold its commitment to maintain and repair the Queen Mary and that it was accordingly in danger of defaulting on its 66-year lease agreement.[61] Urban Commons responded with an updated plan for repairs, including the removal of the lifeboats at a cost of between $5 and $7 million, and new paint work.[62] In December it was announced that the City was reviewing the finances of Urban Commons to determine whether the City of Long Beach had "received all revenues owed."[61]

[BridgeTroll]

^It became a money pit.

While I believe this... I couldn't find any articles or facts showing this...

[thelakelander]

Here's one:

The 71-year-old ship needs support now – both financially and with volunteers. As of now, there are only three weeks for the members of the museum board to make a decision on the two options they have at their disposal – try to amass enough capital to keep the ship afloat or sell it to a salvage yard. The fate of the USS Orleck, at this time, is unknown.

It has been noted by the President of the USS Orleck Naval Museum Board, Mark Boudreaux that a lot of people are no longer interested in going to museums, even less so to museum ships. It's sad that there isn't more interest. I'm not sure, but I think it's just a sign of the times; a sign of today's culture.

In the five years since arriving at Lake Charles, the ship has hosted about 100,000 visitors. But that alone is not enough income to keep up repairs and insurance.

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/uss-orleck-naval-museum-board-time-running-salvage-yard-ships-future.html

[BridgeTroll]

Thanks Ennis... this reinforces my reluctance to endorse bringing the ship here...