SHIP AHOY! Contract Reportedly Let for Towing of USS Edson Here from Philly
Destroyer to Enter River in Spring, 1st Since Defoe Vessel Left in Mid-60s
February 21, 2010
By: Dave Rogers
The USS Edson at the dock in Philadelphia from which it will be towed to Bay City this spring.
A U.S. Navy destroyer reportedly will soon be on display along the Saginaw River for the first time in more than 45 years.
Todd Shorkey of boatnerd.com issues this bulletin: "According to Freighter Frank's Great Lakes Marine Review, the USS Edson has been given approval by the U.S. Navy to start the spring tow to her new home along the banks of the Saginaw River in Bay City Michigan.
"Moran Towing has the contract to tow her to Quebec and G-Tugs will pick her up from there and deliver her to Bay City. The departure date will be given in the spring."
This information is in advance of any news release by the local Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum, which has been anticipated for weeks and is expected soon.
After about 15 years of excruciatingly agonizing work, including fundraising and dealing with the U.S. Navy and fighting off competition from rivals in Wisconsin, negotiating with officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and federal officials in Washington, the project is apparently coming to fruition.
The success of the project is due to the unceasing work of a committee led by Mike Kegley, a former Navy chief petty officer, and Richard J. Janke, retired industrial firm owner, who also served as a Naval Reservist and whose brother, John Janke, was killed in combat on a ship early in World War II.
USS Edson (DD-946) was a Forrest Sherman-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Major General Merritt "Red Mike" Edson USMC (1897-1955), who was awarded the Medal of Honor while serving as Commanding Officer of the First Marine Raider Battalion on Guadalcanal, and the Navy Cross and Silver Star for other actions in World War II.
Keel of the Edson was laid down on 3 December 1956 by Bath Iron Works Corporation, Bath, Maine; the ship was launched on 4 January 1958, sponsored by Mrs. M. A. Edson, widow of General Edson; and commissioned on 7 November 1958, with Commander Thomas J. Moriarty in command.
It has been about 45 years since the last destroyer left the Defoe Shipbuilding Company on the river in Bay City. The Defoe property is now part of OmniSource metal recycling company at the foot of Washington Avenue.
In the 1960s, Defoe built three Perth class destroyers, modified Charles F. Adams class guided missile destroyers for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Ordered from Defoe Shipbuilding Company during 1962 and 1963, HMA Ships Perth, Hobart, and Brisbane were the first guided missile-armed warships, and the first naval ships of United States design, to enter service with the RAN. The Brisbane departed in 1966.
All three ships operated in gunfire support and aircraft carrier escort roles during the Vietnam War, while Brisbane also participated in the Gulf War. All were sunk as dive wrecks in recent years in the Indian Ocean off Australia.
It has been a long process for a local group of naval enthusiasts to obtain the Edson. About $1 million has been raised and much of the money is in pledges promised when the ship arrives.
Some of the donations are tied to naming rights for various parts of the ship, which for more than a decade was on display in New York City.
Property on the west bank of the Saginaw River has been obtained near the Independence Park boat launch. Plans are for a parking lot and visitor center, and perhaps a separate museum, on the site.