USS Edson, One of Few Ships Named for a Marine, Closer to Bay City Move

Ship Backers Meet with County Officials, Wait State Waterways Commission OK

May 25, 2005
By: Dave Rogers

The Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum is getting closer to bringing the destroyer USS Edson DD946 to Bay City.

Such a naval exhibit is expected to attract 100,000 or more visitors each year, according to museum planners.

Dick Janke, treasurer of the group, met with Bay County officials recently and had telephone discussions with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Environmental Quality and the Dow Chemical Co., all of which must give approvals for docking the ship at the Independence Park Boat Launch.

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The State Waterways Commission is scheduledto consider a transfer of property at the Independence Park Boat Launch from Bay County to Bangor Township at its June 10 meeting. The transfer is part of the plan for docking the ship here.

The project is important to preserve and memorializethe destroyer navy of the 1950's, 60's, 70's, and 80's, to present the State of Michigan a viable Naval Historical Museum, and to provide a memorial to all who served in the U.S. Navy, said Mr. Janke.

The Bay City museum also will especially memorialize the contribution of the Defoe Shipbuilding Co. to the naval effort in World Wars I and II, he said.

Mr. Janke gave some background on the ship, now in the Philadelphia Naval Yard. The Edson formerly was an exhibit at the Air-Sea-Space Museum in New York City and is considered museum-ready, he said.

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-MI, has arranged for a reservation of the ship by the Navy for the Bay City project. The reservation is part of the federal budget, according to officials in the senator's Washington office.

The keel for the Forrest Sherman Class Destroyer, USS Edson DD-946 was laid at Bath Iron Works in Bath, ME on December 3, 1956.

The Edson is one of the few ships of the U.S. Navy named for a United States Marine, in this case Major General Merritt Austin Edson who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism defending the U.S. Airfield on Guadalcanal.

The Edson, 418 ft. long, was one of 18 Forest Sherman Class destroyers built after WW-II and the last one to be retired. It had three fully automatic five inch guns, a top speed of 36 knots, and a cruising speed of 18-20 knots.

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On November 7, 1957, USS Edson was officially placed in commission under the command of Commander Thomas J. Moriarty, USN. For the next two decades, Edson served as a valuable member of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, earning areputation as a Top Gun ship and the nickname, "The Destroyer."

Educational programs and curricula have been developed by Saginaw Valley State University and the Bay City School system and will provide year round educational classes, maritime exhibits and experiences aboard the ship. Exhibits and displays as well as ship tours and overnight stays will allow visitors to see and experience our rich U.S. Naval history.

The ship will be open year round to accommodate visitors. The committee is waiting approval of a docking site east of the Independence Bridge on the North (west) side of the Saginaw River.

The committee is a 501(c )(3) organization, membership is available for $15, Donations are tax deductible. There are a large number of "naming" opportunities ranging from $500 (spotlight), $10,000 (guns), to the Bridge ($75,000). For further information please contact: Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum, 3372 E. Woodland Drive, Bay City, MI 48706-1670, phone (888) 820-SHIP, e-mail: kegley@chartermi.net. The website www.ussedson.org also gives a power point slide show on the project.###