The USS Orleck is once again looking for a home, and this time, Florida is calling. A naval museum group is looking to tow the World War II-era destroyer built in Orange to Jacksonville.
The Jaxson.com reports a decision to tow the ship from Lake Charles to Jacksonville will depend on whether the Jacksonville City Council approves a berth.
The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association, a group of navy veterans, has been looking to establish and ship museum in the downtown area there.
KPLC TV in Lake Charles has reported the Orleck preservation group there still does not have a permanent berth and can no longer afford the upkeep.
The USS Orleck was launched at Consolidated Steel Shipyard in Orange on May 12, 1945, days after the war in Europe ended. It later saw action during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Later, the ship was sold to the navy of Turkey.
Turkey was ready to scap the ship 20 years ago, but a group in Orange raised money to save it. It was towed to Orange and arrived with a big ceremony.
The city let the ship dock at Ochiltree-Inman Park on the Sabine River in downtown with the understanding the non-profit preservation group would raise money to build a permanent berth at another spot.
Hurricane Rita in 2005 blew the ship around the river and it was damaged. The city did not let the Orleck group dock back at the city park. The ship ended up docked by downtown Orange shipyard.
A group in Lake Charles then took over and had the ship towed to the Calcasieu River in 2010. However, deals for a permanent berth there fell through during the years.
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