EDSON ARRIVES! 418 Foot Destroyer Nudged Into Tie-Up at Wirt Stone Dock

Museum Ship Provides Element of Pride for Community That Flocks to Welcome

August 7, 2012
By: Dave Rogers

Fifty seven years ago the last of 170 U.S. Navy warships built here left the Defoe Shipbuilding Company bound for the high seas and World War II.

Today, August 7, 2012, a warship returned to the Saginaw River to create a floating tribute to Defoe and the U.S. Navy.

No Defoe warships remain afloat, but organizers found a gem: a museum-ready destroyer built in 1958 at the Bath Iron Works, Maine, that had been on display at the Intrepid Museum in New York City. It was the USS Edson, lying at the retired ship storage facility in Philadelphia.

Raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, the small, dedicated group headed by Mike Kegley and Dick Janke persevered through Navy and EPA red tape and finally secured permission to obtain the ship.

Since no berth could be found in the City of Bay City, the ship was welcomed by Bangor Township at a site near the Independence Park Boat Launch on the west bank of the river near the Independence Bridge.

Tugs were procured and the 2,436 mile tow was arranged. The ship was tracked by dozens of well-wishers as it transited the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lakes Ontario, Erie, St. Clair and Huron. And, finally, the Saginaw River where it arrived at 9 a.m. today after a 20-day voyage.

The community was on high alert for the arrival of the 418-foot long Vietnam era vessel, towed by the Tug Colonel and pushed by the Tug Manitou.

About 100 well-wishers clambered aboard the Princess Wenonah at 7:30 a.m. for a early cruise up the river to greet the Edson.

Officials of the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum who have labored for more than a decade to obtain the ship gathered at the temporary mooring site, sipping coffee and parleying about their increasing responsibilities for maintenance of the ship.

At the Saginaw Bay and Bay City Yacht clubs boating and naval enthusiasts like former state senator Joel Gougeon, former state representative Jeff Mayes, retired National Guard Brigadier General Dick DeMara, and others streamed to the docks to catch an early glimpse of the Edson.

The loudspeaker system at the Consumers Energy Karn-Weadock plant at the mouth of the river played "Anchors Aweigh" in tribute to the Edson as she passed under control of the tugs.

Dick Janke, who initiated the project to bring the ship here, was aboard a private watercraft greeting the ship as it came down the river. Mr. Janke, who served in the Naval Reserve, was inspired to pay tribute to the Navy by the service of his brother, John Janke, who died on a ship early in World War II.

Retired Chief Petty Officer Mike Kegley marshaled a crew of volunteers to secure the ship at the temporary dock even while Causley Marine was at work at the permanent dock at Independence Park in Bangor Township preparing mooring facilities as prescribed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

A flotilla of local vessels, led by a 44-foot U.S. Coast Guard auxiliary vessel shooting a stream of water from its hose like a mini fire boat in a splashy display, accompanied the Edson as it neared Essexville.

From Bay Harbor marina a cannon boomed a friendly salute as the ship and tugs passed by enroute to the tie-up point.

Flags fluttered from every mast and on shore as hundreds of local ship enthusiasists gathered at all the vantage points along the river to welcome the Edson.

It was indeed an historic moment in the history of a river town that has produced 888 ships over 225 years since Louis Trombley built a couple of sloops at the river mouth in 1787 -- about the time the nation was born.

Now the locals have one more ship to brag about -- the museum vessel USS Edson. First to board were Mr. Kegley and Doug Wirt, owner of the dock hosting the vessel temporarily. In a brief ceremony, they raised the American flag on the stern of the ship as a tribute to veterans.

Hundreds of paid visitors began to troop aboard the Edson as a gangway was laid before the morning was out. Reports are some of the visitors came from other states to be on hand for the arrival, including several veterans who had shipped aboard the Edson when it was active.

Tourists were not allowed below decks as the ship lacks power to provide lights. Volunteer Mike Foley is pulling the first watch tonight and will sleep in the windowed wheelhouse.

Museum officials expect to host up to 80,000 persons a year at the Edson, where a visit will cost $10 for adults and $7 for children.

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected aboard this week to test for PCBs before any of the public can be allowed entry. EPA reports, and installation of a gangway, may take 10 days to two weeks, and by that time the permanent mooring may be completed and inspected by the Coast Guard.

Then museum officials hope that a steady stream of visitors to the ship will begin, providing funds for the maintenance and operation of the vessel as a tourist attraction and fulfilling its mission as a tribute to the Navy and a recruiting tool.

For other USS Edson articles see:

More USS Edson Photos -- by Dave Rogers
USS Edson Arrives In Bay City
EDSON ARRIVES! 418 Foot Destroyer Nudged Into Tie-Up at Wirt Stone Dock