Naval museum for the Southbank?

[Lunican]

11/05/2007
Naval museum for the Southbank?
by Mike Sharkey

Staff Writer

A development group thinks a Naval museum anchored by the retired USS Charles Adams could serve as the perfect catalyst for increased pedestrian and tourist traffic on the Southbank.

At Thursday’s Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting, Bert Watson, government relations coordinator for the USS Adams, laid out a plan to bring the vessel to Jacksonville and dock it at River City Brewing Company where he and his partners believe the ship will become a destination for both locals and out-of-towners.

“We want visibility without imposing an impact on the Southshore development,” said Watson of the proposed marina the owners of the Aetna Building plan to develop.

Watson told the Commission he wasn’t looking for approval, but was after the Commission’s blessing to continue researching the topic. In order to proceed beyond the conceptualization stage, Watson said he must submit a 750-page application to the Navy before March 30.

Full Article:
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=48761

[thelakelander]

Hopefully, everything works for the best because given out maritime history, we should have had a vessel downtown decades ago. 

Btw, the USS Charles F. Adams has a website and Jax is on the front page: http://www.bozair.com/adamsmen/DDG2.html

On November 1st, the Jacksonville Waterways Commission (which is tied to the City Council) voted to endorse the concept of berthing ADAMS in JAX. Final endorsement from the Commission will depend on the future submission of a detailed Business Plan, and related Financial Plan (upon which work can now begin, given Commission support of the berthing... they understood we couldn't put a plan together without a location defined). The next step will be to go to the JAX City Council and also get their support (about 1/2 of all City Councilmen have already said they support the proposal).

Bert Watson gave a superb presentation (Powerpoint), and then there was an extensive Question & Answer session. There were 2 Commissioners who, during the Q & A discussion, voiced some concerns (parking, impact on nearby boat ramp, lack of a detailed financial plan, etc). One Commissioner expressed concern that there was "no organization behind the effort". Jim Aldrich explained about ACVA, and our concept that once the City says they support the idea, then a local "501c3 Museum group" will be formed. In spite of the concerns from the 2 Commissioners, these 2 Commissioners voted to Endorse anyway. On the other hand, during the Q & A, there were about half a dozen Commissioners who were very vocal in their outright support of the idea. One had recently been to Charleston, and Patriot's Point, and she said, basically, this is a wonderful thing to do, and can be of great benefit to the City ! The failed SARATOGA effort surfaced, but everyone agreed that ADAMS is a much different (smaller, more appropriate to JAX) kind of proposal. Another key point - the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Waterways Commission are both City Councilmen, and both of these men expressed strong support of the idea.

There were no "NO" votes when the Commissioners voted on the Motion to endorse the ADAMS concept. Bert has been told that he will get a "copy" of the Endorsement.

After the presentation, several - commissioners and people from the audience - came up and voiced strong support of the proposal; all offered support, a couple offered guidance and references to other that might help, and one offered to help directly!

That afternoon, the ACVA JAX Team put together the urgent action items that now must get into high gear - additional fund raising, establishment of 501c3 in JAX, and commencement of work on elements of the Application. This is what we have been waiting for. The door has been opened and it up to us to continue opening it so that we can walk through it. This is why the fundraising letters have been sent. We have asked for this opportunity - it is ours for the taking and take it we must. It is a great part of the reason we have banded to gether. Please contribute some funding, some names and contacts of others who can contribute, and please share the inspiration felt by the ACVA Board and the ACVA JAX T team !! We can now control our destiny - it is up to us to kick this can down the road.

We're picking up knots fast !!! We owe Wayne & Bert a big ATTAYBOY for achieving this success !!

Send your donations to the ACVA. Checks should be made out to "The ACVA, Inc." and sent to:

ACVA Executive Secretary
c/o Dave Myerly
5 Bush Road
Denville, New Jersey 07834-2906

[jbm32206]

That would be a great asset and I'd love to see it come to life..

[reednavy]

Let's see, the Navy has been in this city for what, around 100 years, give or take. It makes perfect sense, knowing our marine and Navy history. We could claim it as another mid-rise!

[Jason]

A ship that size makes sence but anything larger wouldn't fit in to well.

[hightowerlover]

Perfect plan perfect location.  Should've been implemented long ago, I think metrojacksonville.com needs to rally around this cause and help bring this one to fruition. Great find guys!

[blizz01]

Does this project still have legs?  Given the turnout over the weekend for the temporary visit of the USS Groves, the USS Adams should really get some additional consideration.  Nearly 3,000 turned out (thus far; I believe it leaves this afternoon), with old & young being turned away as tours had to be obviously chaperoned.  This really needs to happen...... 

[Lunican]

[Jason]

I agree blizz.  Any time a ship is docked downtown, the turnout is good.  The "Tall Ships" are one of my favorites.  My son calls them pirate ships and talks about wanting them to fire their cannons! 

[blizz01]

NEWS UPDATE - SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

JAX VISIT. On August 11, 2008, Captain Dave Tungett, Program Manager for the Navy's Inactive Ships Program met with Bert Watson, Jim Aldrich, and Tom Schodowski in Jacksonville to view the planned site for ex-USS CHARLES F. ADAMS DDG-2 on the St. Johns River. In addition to presentations from the ACVA/JHNSA leadership, Capt. Tungett met with representatives from the Mayor of Jacksonville’s office, local hotels, and Duval County Schools who highlighted the positive benefits of the ship museum to the community in Jacksonville.

PHILLY SHIP VISIT. On August 28th ACVA/JHNSA leaders visited to CHARLES F. ADAMS in Philadelphia to update Donation Application planning ideas before their meeting with NAVSEA PMS 333. Bob Branco, Bert Watson, Jim Aldrich, Pete Mansel, Craig Bernat, and Steve Weber completed another good survey of the Adams and a tour of ex-USS EDSON to develop some new display ideas about about preparing ADAMS as a museum.

NAVSEA MEETING. Our meeting on Friday August 29th with Capt Dave Tungett and Glen Clark lasted over 4 hours and the discussion created a good path for providing answers to the questions on the Donation Application. Later in the meeting we discussed Curatorial Plan questions with the Naval Historical Center Curator, Mark Wertheimer. We also obtained lists of Naval Historical Center artifacts from all of the ships in the DDG-2 class that are available to develop excellent displays to memorialize all 23 ships in the museum. The revised Donation Application is due to NAVSEA at the end of January 2009.

http://www.bozair.com/DDG-2/index.html

[GatorShane]

This is a logical idea amd long overdue. I hope this gets done soon. My one and only complaint is the location. I think a better location would be closer to the sports complex, maybe somewhere in the shipyards project. Just a thought!

[blizz01]

Update from today's Daily Record:

Next step for naval museum on Southbank

Legislation has been drafted that, if enacted, will authorize an agreement between the City and the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association to bring a U.S. Navy warship to the Southbank Riverwalk and use the vessel as a living history museum.
The ordinance, sponsored by Council member Bill Bishop, is scheduled to be introduced at the council’s July 27 meeting.
The ship is the USS Charles F. Adams, a guided missile destroyer that was decommissioned in 1990. It is currently berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia.
The Adams was the first ship in the Navy built and commissioned as a guided missile destroyer. The 437-foot vessel was well-armed with five-inch guns as well as missile and torpedo launchers.
“Pound for pound, it was the most dangerous ship ever built,” said John O’Neil, a retired U.S. Navy captain who is executive director of the JHNSA. He served on the Adams in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War and recalls shooting missiles at enemy fighter planes and pounding shore targets with the ship’s guns.
Eventually, 23 Adams-class destroyers were built and deployed. In addition to being the first of its kind, the Adams is also the last remaining example of the design.
“The Adams class did for surface warfare what the aircraft carrier did for naval aviation,” said O’Neil.
The legislation represents the latest step in the association’s quest to bring the ship to Jacksonville and create a museum to allow people to experience what it was like to serve on the Adams.
Bert Watson, president of the JHNSA, said the total cost to bring the ship to Jacksonville and open it to the public will be about $5 million. Having the City on board will put the association in a position to begin raising money in earnest.
“We’ve been working on getting this legislation for four years,” he said. “The legislation will beget the fundraising.”
Watson said the Navy is prepared to donate the ship for use as a museum. After it is towed to Jacksonville, Watson said it will be dry-docked and the exterior will be made suitable for a long-term exhibit. Volunteer labor will refurbish the interior and create exhibits.
After the Adams is moored on the Southbank near the Acosta Bridge, it will be a living classroom and “the only naval ship museum in Florida or Georgia,” said O’Neil.
Watson said the association chose the location for several reasons. It’s near Friendship Park, Southbank restaurants and the water-taxi dock. There’s also some parking available at the site and by mooring the Adams parallel to the bridge, the museum site doesn’t require much shorefront property.
O’Neil said there has been some criticism of the association’s ability to raise funds to make the museum a reality. He said he’s confident, based on the response from hundreds of Navy veterans all over the world who served on the Adams and the other destroyers in the class.
He also said cutting the ribbon on the museum will be the first step. Keeping it open will be the next step and he’s just as confident about that as he is about raising money.
“We estimate 93,000 visitors the first year, not including school field trips,” said O’Neil.
Watson said the association’s goals go beyond merely raising enough money to bring the plan to fruition.
“To make this project work, we need for the community to participate and embrace the project,” he said.
Toward that end, the association operates the Adams Class Naval Ship Museum at the Landing that includes displays of artifacts salvaged from the Adams and a selection of military souvenirs. It’s staffed by officers and sailors who served on the Adams and other guided missile destroyers of its time who are able to answer questions and provide their own living history.
“The store is doing very well. We have at least 100 visitors on Saturdays,” said JHNSA board member Wayne Misenar, who served for four years aboard the Adams as its electronics materiel officer.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/downtowntoday.php?dt_date=2010-07-16

[jbroadglide]

Shades of the Save Our Sara project..and we know where that went..

[acme54321]

It's a cool idea, but I don't know about the 93,000 a year number.  It takes a whole lotta maintneance to keep something like that afloat also.  Metro park might be a better location for it though.

[copperfiend]

Not sure about Metro Park either.