Bring Home The USS Adams To Downtown Jacksonville

[Kerry]

No size ship will work if the location doesn't allow for the "navy" of volunteers to perform the upkeep. The Midway Museum in San Diego is successful because the Active Duty force supports the project with a tremendous amount of man hours.  When I was active duty (17 years in San Diego) my pre-retirement command adopted the division spaces to rehab and repaint that equated with our ratings. The Midway as an Aircraft Carrier was capable of hosting retirements, change of commands, CPO Pride Day, and I even attended a dual military spouse wedding. The location of the pier the Midway was berthed in was across the street from Navy Region Southwest HQ, and an easy drive from both North Island and NBSD. I often hopped on the trolley from NBSD when I was on the USS Tarawa to attend and event at the Midway then walked over to PETCO park to catch a Padres game. I maybe mistaken but none of these events are capable to be held on an old destroyer, and the location would make it prohibitive for the Navy community to adopt the ship and provide the volunteer hours necessary to make it cost effective.

I'm not sure I agree with this assessment.  There is no navy base even close to Mobile and they host the USS Alabama - quite impressively I might add.  The USS Batfish is in Muskogee, OK and they are 450 miles from the nearest open water.  My money is on the Navy finding that the City lacks the ability to maintain it - which is a darn good assumption on the Navy's part.

[driddle61]

Kerry  u r such a prick u whine about everything on every post get a life dude

[Keith-N-Jax]

Kerry  u r such a prick u whine about everything on every post get a life dude

Don't blame him, it's the Khan and the Jaguars fault.

[Kerry]

Kerry  u r such a prick u whine about everything on every post get a life dude

Maybe the City should trying fixing things.

[Adam White]

Kerry  u r such a prick u whine about everything on every post get a life dude

Don't blame him, it's the Khan and the Jaguars fault.

I doubt he blames Khan and the Jaguars so much as thinks the city has its priorities out of order.

[thelakelander]

https://residentnews.net/2019/02/01/navy-changes-course-on-plan-for-uss-adams-in-jacksonville/

This might not be over.  It looks like they are trying to bring someone else's headache here 

Certainly looks that way. I wonder if the vessel being considered now has a relationship to Jax or if it just happens to be a random rust bucket that another city is just trying to get rid of?

[Kerry]

Kerry  u r such a prick u whine about everything on every post get a life dude

Don't blame him, it's the Khan and the Jaguars fault.

I doubt he blames Khan and the Jaguars so much as thinks the city has its priorities out of order.

Well, now that you mention it, we have this...

Sounds like the city was noncommital on the space as well, according to the T-U.

The main factors any group seeking a museum ship has to consider are having money to maintain the vessel and a stable, secure place where it can be moored.

The Adams was intended to be moved to an area along the Shipyards on the Northbank and was shown in conceptual plans for the area's redevelopment that Jaguars owner Shad Khan presented to city officials in March.

But an unsigned development agreement between the city and the ship society that was circulated to City Council members in June said the ship could be required to move "without cause" — for any reason — on seven months' notice from the city.

...so maybe Khan's plans did make the Navy concerned that the ship might be returned to them, which the Navy cited in one of the posted articles was a common problem.

I don't read the Times-Union, but do they even cover stuff like this short of just reprinting press releases?

[Captain Zissou]

Kerry  u r such a prick u whine about everything on every post get a life dude

Hell of a first post.

[Rynjny]

Kerry  u r such a prick u whine about everything on every post get a life dude

Hell of a first post.

He's not wrong tho..

[Tacachale]

Please no personal attacks on fellow forum members. Thanks.

[Kerry]

Please no personal attacks on fellow forum members. Thanks.

While not good form, my skin is a lot thicker than that and I get it that some people get defensive about the city they call home being criticized.  It is actually a good sign, but the anger is just misdirected.  Don't get mad a me for pointing out mediocrity and substandard performance, get mad at the people delivering mediocrity and substandard performance.

I would have loved for the Adams to be docked downtown.  I think it would have been a great addition to the City, but the incompetence, or worse yet - indifference, at City Hall strikes again.  In the same Times-Union article posted previously a representative from Bay City, MI was quoted in the story.  At the same time Jax was trying to get the Adams they were trying to get the USS Edson (Adams sister ship).  Some how the small city of Bay City pulled it off because it is docked there today as part of their Naval Museum.  Jax has the 3rd largest naval population in the US.

[Snufflee]

I can't see where Jacksonville has the third largest US Navy population in the US.

It is certainly smaller than Hampton Roads, San Diego, and Honolulu, i would imagine based on command distribution it is smaller than Pensacola too. If I were to add in the Sea Bees Ventura California with Point Mugu and the Sea Bee base in Port Hueneme probably exceeds Jacksonville.

The truth is unlike San Diego and Norfolk, Jacksonville doesn't offer the ability to homestead. No Carrier, no Air Wing, no command support for Amphibious Ready Groups are in Jacksonville, outside the P-3/P-8 community Jacksonville offers no career ladder for today's sailor.

[Tacachale]

I can't see where Jacksonville has the third largest US Navy population in the US.

It is certainly smaller than Hampton Roads, San Diego, and Honolulu, i would imagine based on command distribution it is smaller than Pensacola too. If I were to add in the Sea Bees Ventura California with Point Mugu and the Sea Bee base in Port Hueneme probably exceeds Jacksonville.

The truth is unlike San Diego and Norfolk, Jacksonville doesn't offer the ability to homestead. No Carrier, no Air Wing, no command support for Amphibious Ready Groups are in Jacksonville, outside the P-3/P-8 community Jacksonville offers no career ladder for today's sailor.

The greater Jax area has the third largest military presence after Hampton Roads, VA and San Diego when including Mayport as well as NAS Jax and Kings Bay. However, the naval presence has little to do with whether a ship is displayed here, or should be.

[Kerry]

I can't see where Jacksonville has the third largest US Navy population in the US.

It is certainly smaller than Hampton Roads, San Diego, and Honolulu, i would imagine based on command distribution it is smaller than Pensacola too. If I were to add in the Sea Bees Ventura California with Point Mugu and the Sea Bee base in Port Hueneme probably exceeds Jacksonville.

The truth is unlike San Diego and Norfolk, Jacksonville doesn't offer the ability to homestead. No Carrier, no Air Wing, no command support for Amphibious Ready Groups are in Jacksonville, outside the P-3/P-8 community Jacksonville offers no career ladder for today's sailor.

My mistake - I read it wrong.  It said Florida is the 3rd largest Navy state - whatever that means.  Good point about Jax not being a true home for Navy personnel.  While looking for a house over the last few months I was surprised how many practically brand new homes were for sale by Navy personnel.  I can only assume they stay for a few years and then are gone.

https://residentnews.net/2019/02/01/navy-changes-course-on-plan-for-uss-adams-in-jacksonville/

"Jacksonville is a Navy town, and Florida is the third largest Navy state in the country," Bean said. "We have worked with developers of the Shipyards, they are excited about it – we are all excited about it.

[downtownbrown]

To Kerry's point, and to Dan Bean's credit, this was always a grass roots only initiative.  The city never stepped in, kept changing the rules, and bogged down the process with bureaucracy.  Also, local industry, and the local good old boy power structure never got behind it.  The cost would have been a rounding error for CSX, Fidelity National, EverBank, and all the rest.  Not to mention Khan.  What Dan did should be applauded.  And the city should be embarrassed.