Restoration efforts of the Iowa-Class battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) were completed At the beginning of the year, progress is continuing to be made in new York-Class battleship USS Texas (BB-35) – with the former warship back at port in Camden, NJ, while the latter will likely be in its new home at some point Next year. Efforts to preserve these historic warships are seen as good news by naval history fans, and this week came news that two other significant ships that served in World War II are also set to be restored.
These are the USS child (DD-661), the only Fletcher-Class Destroyer in its original World War II configuration and the sister ship of DD-661, the USS The Sullivans (DD-537). Although 175 ships of this class were built between 1942 and 1944, these are two of only four that still exist today – with the USS Cassin Young (DD-793), which is now a museum ship in the Boston Navy Yard, while the former USS Charrette (DD-581) is now maintained as a museum ship Bicycles (D16) in Athens, Greece.
According to Maritime ExecutiveBoth DD-661 and DD-537 are in need of “urgent repairs” as the situation was so dire that there was a fear that both ships might be lost.
Rescue of the USS child
Named after Rear Admiral Issac C. Kidd, who was killed on the bridge of his flagship USS Arizona on December 7, 1941 and was the first US Navy admiral killed in combat. Fletcher-Class was heavily used in World War II. Earn eight Battle Stars and numerous other awards.
USS child was deployed during the Korean War and received four more medals before being decommissioned and assigned to the Reserve Fleet. Since she was never modernized, she is the only warship of her class to remain in her original 1945 configuration. Since 1982, the destroyer has been preserved as a museum ship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. However, because the water level of the Mississippi River changes throughout the year, she spent half the year afloat and the other half in dry dock.
This has resulted in significant damage to her hull, and in 2022 there were concerns that the USS child if ongoing efforts are not made to repair leaks. DD-661 is currently undergoing an 11 million dollar Restoration efforts in Houma, Louisiana.
During the restoration, not only will the hull be repaired, but the crew quarters of the African-American crew members who served aboard the destroyer will also be restored.
Restore USS The Sullivans
Few warships have “The” as part of their name, but DD-537 was named after the five Sullivan brothers who volunteered for service in the U.S. Navy just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and were tragically all killed when their light cruiser USS Juneau (CL-52) was sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942.
USS The Sullivans was the first warship commissioned by the US Navy to more than one personand it was also preserved as a museum ship – together with the World War II cruiser USS Small stone (CL-92) – at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, New York.
Time and the elements were cruel, and by 2022 the damage to the hull was so severe that the ship began to list. This week it was announced that both USS The Sullivans and the Gato-class submarine USS Umbrine (SS-246) will enter dry dock in Lake Erie in September 2025 and return in spring 2026. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has pledged $10 million to maintain the destroyer and submarine. recovery, At the same time, local, state and federal funding will help ensure that the historic warship built in the brothers’ honor will be preserved for future generations.
About the author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a writer from Michigan. He has contributed for more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites with over 3,200 published articles in his twenty-year career as a journalist. He writes regularly about military equipment, weapons history, cybersecurity, politics and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Author for Forbes and Clearance jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciuYou can send an email to the author: (email protected).
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