Rendering of the USS Charles F. Adams Naval Ship Downtown

[edjax]

I wonder why they felt the need to make the hulls ship a graphic of the Jaguars? I have been a strong supporter of this, and believe it will eventually come. However it has taken almost 5 years to secure less than half of the $3M so I'm not sure a target date for mooring in DT next year is really accurate.

With regard to Jaguar graphics.  I am sure it is a hey Jags see what we can do if you donate a cool $1.5 million to our efforts. 

[Dapperdan]

I would assume they would charge visitors to tour the ship and that would fund the upkeep.

[thelakelander]

Fares won't cover the cost of upkeep. You'll need them, donations, lots of special events, grants, etc.

[JayBird]

I understand that there is a long way to go in regard to fundraising.  I would also want to make sure that enough money is raised to maintain the ship and dock in perpetuity.  This sounds like the type of thing where the city gets stuck with the maintenance 15 years down the road.

Something to be concerned about, however their business plan appears to be sound and shows how within 3 years of operation they can be a financially self sufficient operation. Obviously a lot of unforeseen factors could change that. I wonder if this will be the chicken or the egg for the Shipyards.

[JayBird]

I wonder why they felt the need to make the hulls ship a graphic of the Jaguars? I have been a strong supporter of this, and believe it will eventually come. However it has taken almost 5 years to secure less than half of the $3M so I'm not sure a target date for mooring in DT next year is really accurate.

With regard to Jaguar graphics.  I am sure it is a hey Jags see what we can do if you donate a cool $1.5 million to our efforts.

LoL good point!

[fieldafm]

I understand that there is a long way to go in regard to fundraising.  I would also want to make sure that enough money is raised to maintain the ship and dock in perpetuity.  This sounds like the type of thing where the city gets stuck with the maintenance 15 years down the road.

100% agree.

[JayBird]

Not knowing too much about public tourism projects such as this, this is their projected plan. Seem feasible? I think a big benefit is that nothing like this exists in Florida or even the region. Mobile, AL and Charleston, SC are closest. So it could benefit tourism from the entire state as well as Georgia.



The business plan: http://www.adamsclassmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/JHNSA-Business-Financial-Plan-June-2013-Edit-_2_.pdf

The site for the proposed museum: http://www.adamsclassmuseum.org

[fieldafm]

I think a big benefit is that nothing like this exists in Florida or even the region.

Tampa does.

[JayBird]

^ see, learn something new every day. I was basing it on the reports from JNHSA and was not aware of the S.S. American Victory. Thanks.

[thelakelander]

The Yorktown needs roughly $40-$80 million worth of work now. $13 million in USS Laffey restoration work was just completed. The Patriots Point Development Authority is looking at leasing 50 acres for infill development to help keep these floating ship museums afloat in Charleston.

The authority has struggled to fund the enormous costs of maintaining the naval and maritime museum's ships, which sit in water near the base of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. Salt water has been slowly eating away at their steel exteriors for years.

The USS Laffey destroyer recently underwent a $13 million restoration. The aircraft carrier USS Yorktown needs an estimated $40 million to $80 million in repairs.

The Coast Guard cutter Ingham was given to a Key West, Fla., museum in 2009. The USS Clamagore submarine will eventually be sent to the ocean floor off the coast of Florida to be an artificial reef.

Financial issues resulted in a lack of grant support at the federal level a few years back, according to state leaders. The authority is a state agency, but it receives no state funding.

full article: http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/news/49111-development-of-remaining-land-could-buoy-patriots-point-rsquo-s-maintenance-funds

Also, fieldafm is right. The SS American Victory has been in Tampa since 1999.

http://www.americanvictory.org/

It has the benefit of being adjacent to Channelside, the Florida Aquarium and Tampa's cruise ship terminal.  There's also a streetcar line that connects these venues to DT Tampa and Ybor City.  I'm not sure how successful it is because you never hear anything about it.

[tufsu1]

I think a big benefit is that nothing like this exists in Florida or even the region.

Tampa does.

the same claims have been made as to why we need an aquarium here...one guy stood up at the DIA CRA meeting and said he had to drive 6 hours to show his daughter fish....guess he ignored Marineland (owned by the GA Aquarium) or the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, which is only 3 hours away

[thelakelander]

^Or Charleston's aquarium which is 3.5 hours north.

[Wacca Pilatka]

I love aquariums, but my recollection is that a lot of them experience significant financial struggles.

[urban_Savvy]

^ You could even say many are currently under water.

[Wacca Pilatka]

^ You could even say many are currently under water.

I'm not sure I agree.  This is the dawning of the age of aquariums.