Veterans Day commemoration last Tuesday at the USS Edson drew a large crowd.

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GHOSTS BOOST EDSON: Paranormals Return Nov. 22 Hoping to Be Spooked

Ghostbusters Help Boost Edson Visitor Take to Estimated $125,000 Last Year

November 14, 2014
By: Dave Rogers

After all, she was called "the Grey Ghost of the Vietnamese Coast."

Now the ship is known as "the Grey Ghost of Bay City."

The USS Edson is winning new fame a quarter century after her exemplary naval career ended as a popular site for paranormal investigations.

Although final attendance figures are still being tallied by SVNSM President Mike Kegley and staff, several officials of the Edson group estimated a total of more than 5,000 persons, including dozens of "ghostbusters" visited the ship during the past year.

A group of about 20 ghostbusters promoted by the Metro Paranormal Investigations, Macomb, Michigan, is due to spend the night of Nov. 22 aboard the Edson, reprising a visit of last July by members of the same group.

The Edson is open seven days per week, 364 days per year, allowing visitors the rare opportunity to experience what life aboard a warship was like for the officers and crew who manned her, states the downstate group.

Why the Edson?

Mike Buda, U.S. Navy veteran, former Bay City mayor and vice-president of the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum, explains:

"It seems there have been two deaths on the Edson. One during her combat days when a sailor was killed in the hold when a box fell on him; the other an elderly caretaker who died in his bunk when the ship was on display in New York."

The latter death only became noted when a psychic visited the ship recently, said Buda, commenting: "She said she saw the caretaker dressed in khaki; she couldn't have known the caretaker was known in New York for wearing khaki all the time. This freaked out the crew here who man the Edson daily."

The attraction of the paranormal investigations group, who pay $60 per night each (split with the Edson), has boosted visitor revenues that in the past year are estimated at $125,000, according to unofficial reports.

Metro Paranormal Investigations is an experienced group of paranormal researchers who have investigated reported cases of unexplained activity across the state of Michigan since 2006. The group promotes the Edson visit:

"Metro Paranormal Investigations, in partnership with the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum, are proud to present this rare opportunity for guests to explore one of America's most decorated warships, and one of only a select few museum ships afloat today, the mighty USS Edson!

"A Forrest Sherman-class destroyer, the Edson proudly served America for three decades, and now has reached her final berth in Bay City, Michigan. But even in retirement from active service, all is not quiet on board, as many tales of unexplained activity on the Edson have followed the ship throughout the years.

"Now, you can explore this mighty ship and attempt to learn its secrets. What will you find on board this piece of American history?

"As your hosts for the evening, the members of MPI combine their knowledge of the history of the Edson along with their own experiences researching unexplained activity to provide guests with a one-of-a-kind experience in Michigan."

Where do they sleep? a reporter asked Mr. Buda: "They don't sleep," he exclaimed. "They stay up all night using listening devices and otherwise trying to hear and see ghosts."

Private ghost hunts aboard the Edson are available each Friday evening before regularly scheduled tours dates. Investigators will have access to the ship starting at 7:00 pm and ending at 3:00 am, and equipment not normally allowed for use during standard tours is permitted.

Pricing: For groups of 20 persons or less, the cost is $1200. Each additional guest costs $60. The maximum group size allowed is 40 persons.

Metro group tours are scheduled in 2015 on May 2, June 13, July 18, Aug. 15 and Oct. 3, all Saturday nights.

For information and details, contact reservations@metroparanormal.org, or call (810) 853-8573.

Most of the Edson visitor revenue goes to utility costs and to repay debt incurred in building dock and mooring facilities to government specifications, according to Vice President Richard Sorenson.

Commissioned in 1958, the USS Edson was one of eighteen Forrest Sherman-class destroyers built for the U.S. Navy. Named for Major General Merritt "Red Mike" Edson USMC (1897-1955), the Edson was built by the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine.

The Edson served throughout the Vietnam War and Cold War, and fired the most five-inch shells of any destroyer, earning her the motto "Three Guns, No Waiting," as well as the nickname "Gray Ghost of the Vietnamese Coast."

Her active naval career came to an end in 1988 when she was decommissioned from service and transferred to the Philadelphia Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility, where she was placed into storage.

The Edson began her second career in 1989, when she was transferred to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City to serve as a museum ship. In 1990, the Edson received National Historic Landmark status.

She remained a museum ship at the ISASM until 2004, when she was returned to Philadelphia and reentered storage. After considering proposals from various organizations, the U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command awarded the Edson to the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum for use once more as a museum ship.

The Edson arrived at Bay City on May 7, 2013 after a two-week $500,000 journey through the Atlantic Ocean and St. Lawrence Seaway under tow by two tugs.