NEWS UPDATE APRIL 1, 2012

CAPITAL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO BRING HOME THE ADAMS

Jim Bailey, President of Bailey Publishing

This past week, Jim Bailey, the President of Bailey Publishing in Jacksonville and a strong supporter of the joint effort by ACVA and JHNSA to Bring the Adams Home to Jacksonville, Florida as a ship museum has assumed the leadership of the Capital Fundraising Campaign. He has been actively working with JHNSA President Dan Bean and Executive Director John O’Neil to assemble fund raising support from businesses and individuals in Jacksonville. This fundraising campaign is vital to first raising the $200,000 needed to obtain the fundraising staff support. Danny Berenberg, a fundraising professional, has volunteered to organize and launch the effort by training JHNSA Board members for the campaign. If the campaign raises $200,000, JHNSA has received a pledge from an Adams Class Museum supporter to donate $100,000

KEY SUPPORTERS JOIN TO BRING HOME THE ADAMS

New important supporters have joined the JHNSA Board to strengthen our fund raising campaign and also gain community and engineering support to make the Adams Class Naval Ship Museum a reality. Retired Admiral Gene Kendall, who served on USS Berkeley DDG-15 as a junior officer and who works at GSO Corporation, has committed to the effort to save CHARLES F. ADAMS.

Joining the JHNSA Board leadership as the Chief Engineer to help coordinate the restoration of the ship is Dan Welch who will retire from BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards this month. Dan was an engineer officer on the USS Charles F. Adams and retired as a Captain in the Navy with many years of engineering experience. Both of these retired officers provide invaluable experience to our help us Bring the Adams Home.

Retired Rear Admiral Vic Guillory, who served on USS Towers (DDG-9) as a junior officer and was recently brought aboard as the Mayor's Military Affairs Department Head, is very well aware of the benefits of having the only naval warship museum in Florida and Georgia in downtown Jacksonville.  All three of these retired officers provide invaluable experience to our help us "Bring the Home the Adams."

NEWS UPDATE FEBRUARY 14, 2012

DDG-4 RESTORATION EQUIPMENT FROM THE INDEPENDENCE SEAPORT MUSEUM

The ACVA recently obtained some very special electronic restoration equipment formerly on the USS Lawrence DDG-4 that the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia had held for many years. The very valuable equipment included an NC-2 Plotter, a Dead Reckoning Tracer, two AN/SPA-66 radar repeaters, and UQN-1 Fathometer and Loran Navigation equipment. The NC-2 plotter was missing on the Charles F. Adams and the SPA-66 Repeaters had been smashed and damaged. The navigation equipment was also missing from the Chart room in the Adams. We also obtained a Desron Two plaque that ACVA Board Member Bob Rumney had obtained, and a very special item - the Charles F. Adams DDG-2 name board that Erich and Kim Diehl in Chesapeake, Virginia donated. They had obtained it after the ship was decommissioned.

Ship Name Board donated by Erich and Kim Diehl

ACVA Board members Craig Bernat and Steve Weber picked up the valuable museum items in Philadelphia and drove them to Jacksonville, Florida. Some will be displayed in the Adams Class Museum Visitor center and others will be stored. Our sincere thanks to Craig and Steve for their dedicated support to our effort to Save the Charles F. Adams.

USS CHARLES F. ADAMS PHOTO TOUR

During the Open House in Philadelphia, Craig Bernat took a series of pictures showing the condition of the ship in many of the spaces in all parts of the ship. By clicking on this link, Adams Photo Tour 0510, you can see the ship in its current condition.

The DDG-2 Ship Model kit built for the JHNSA/ACVA is available from

For more information on these model kits go to http://www.badshipmodels.com/
Or contact keith@badshipmodels.com

Introduction

The Adams Class Veterans Association is an IRS registered 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization.

Our Mission

• Work with all Adams class groups and organizations to Save, Restore and Preserve the USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2;


• Educate the public on the rich naval heritage of the Adams class DDG ships;


• Document the roles of Adams class DDG ships in United States history;


• Show the importance of preserving historic naval vessels and memorabilia for future generations to appreciate.

What is a ship, really?

Most people look at a ship as nothing more than a bunch of iron and steel. A sailor sees it as a living being conceived in a shipyard; the hopes, dreams and pride of those who built her - from the grandmother who helped assemble her electronics to the welders and pipe fitters who turn her into something recognizable. Eventually the day comes when she is commissioned and her crew breathes life into her hull. Her radar and lookouts are her eyes, sonar her ears, radios her voice and engines her heart. She reflects her crews attitude, their hopes and dreams. In her life time she will see about 10-15 complete crews man her, until that sad day when Uncle Sam says 'Thank you for your service" and she is retired.

The ships of this class were, in the tradition of the Navy, named for famous men; from Revolutionary War heroes and Civil War admirals to former statesmen. It is our dream and goal to save the last of this proud class of ships.

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