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                        Adams Class Naval Ship Museum  |
NEWS UPDATE NOVEMBER 5, 2012 CHARLES F. ADAMS REUNION APRIL 2013 Dick Harmon, President of the USS Tattnall DDG-19 Association has invited all USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2 veterans to join Tattnall veterans for a joint reunion April 14-18, 2013 in Jacksonville, Florida. USS Waddell DDG-24 will also be holding its reunion at the same time. The joint reunion of these Adams Class DDGs will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, where the October Gala event was held this year. This is a tremendous first opportunity for all veterans who served on the Charley Deuce from the different periods of its 30 years of service to come together in a special celebration. The ship reunion groups will be having their own meetings in addition to a joint dinner celebration at the Crowne Plaza. Tours of the Mayport Naval Station, St. Augustine, and Kings Bay Sub Base will be offered in addition to the social events. More details will be provided soon in a Newsletter Update. SIGN UP below, registration for the Crowne Plaza will announced later. NEWS UPDATE OCTOBER 22, 2012 CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS NAVAL BLOCKADE - 50th ANNIVERSARY Early in October 1962, the first Soviet SS-4 missiles arrived in Cuba, and American U-2 spy planes discovered them almost at once. President John F. Kennedy knew about them by October 16, but he did not go on television and warn the American public of the risk of nuclear war until October 22, 1962 when he announced a naval blockade of Cuba until Soviet missiles were removed during the Cuban missile crisis.  President John F. Kennedy making a national television speech from Washington President Kennedy said that the naval blockade of Cuba would stop Soviet ships carrying further missiles from reaching Cuba by force if necessary. That would mean war, and probably nuclear war, but at least the blockade gave the Russians some time to think before the shooting started. NEWS UPDATE Monday September 24, 2012 Connecting with the ADAMs Family In the past two weeks the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association and the Adams Class Veterans Association had the great opportunity to meet with members of the Charles F. Adams family in Massachusetts and Florida to provide an update on the effort to save the ex-USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2 as a historic ship museum in Jacksonville, Florida. DOWNTOWN Adams Class Museum Recent JHNSA efforts for developing the Adams Class Museum in Downtown Jacksonville have focused on the assessment and design of the former Jacksonville Shipyards pier location on the North Bank of the St. Johns River as an interim site to place the ex-USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2. The existing piers would require less construction funding and could provide an opportunity to develop the area as a recreational and educational site for the Downtown area as well as provide an opportunity for a riverfront park and restaurants for local residents and tourists. Local architect Chris Flagg has been working with JHNSA to design the layout of the area for the ship museum and the surrounding areas on the river. Jacksonville City Council President Bill Bishop, who led the effort to get the Adams Class Ship Museum accepted in a 2010 Ordinance with the City, is supportive of this concept on the North Bank. Marine design engineer Sandy Rice and environmental scientist Gary Howalt continue to provide their valuable experience and technical support to design the pier site.
NEWS UPDATE SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 Captain Jack Jones USN Ret. We are sad to have to report that Captain Jack Jones USN Ret., the sixth Commanding Officer of USS Charles F. Adams and one of our great ACVA supporters, passed away on August 28, 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida. Jack took command of the ADAMS in 1968 and brought her from Charleston to her new homeport in Mayport in July 1969. The ship remained there for the rest of its service life. His generous donations to our effort were special. We will always remember him. 
More Support for Adams Class Museum In Jacksonville The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association received a big boost on Friday morning, August 24, 2012 at Jacksonville City Hall when the effort to bring the retired USS Charles F. Adams home was touted during a presentation by the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Team. Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, some City Council and Chamber of Commerce members, business leaders and media members were among approximately 100 attendees at the hour-long visual presentation and discussion. NEWS UPDATE AUGUST 5, 2012 FUNDRAISING UPDATE In the previous three and a half months JHNSA/ACVA has raised $180,000.00 for our fund raising campaign and we engaged a professional fund raising company, GiftCounsel.com, based in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The JHNSA Board and team members are working closely with GiftCounsel.com, to increase the local corporate support for the ship museum effort. 
Registration is open for the Fourth Annual 2012 JHNSA Gala weekend scheduled for October 12 and 13, 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida. Join us as we celebrate the major milestone of raising the funds needed to obtain the USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) from the U. S. Navy and transfer her back home to Jacksonville! Meet the city and state leaders and the many folks from around the country who are supporting and working to establish Florida’s first historic Navy ship museum. This year we will be joined by very special national and state leaders as well as shipmates from the USS Voge (FF-1047) and the USS Sellers (DDG-11) who are holding their annual reunions in Jacksonville to support the project! This Fourth Annual Gala weekend is a series of events that grow. 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.  Steve Weber and Craig Bernat with SPA-66 Radar Repeater 
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/ 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. NEWS UPDATE FEBRUARY 14, 2012 The Importance of 2012 As many ACVA veterans know our effort to save the ex-USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2 has been a long and dedicated one to this point. Our number one priority is to raise sufficient funding to be able to restore the ship and build the pier next to the Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida. This year fundraising is critical to obtain more time to accomplish this goal we have worked towards for so many years. We need the help of ACVA Veterans and DDG-2 Ship Associations to join with the JHNSA in Jacksonville to obtain as many donations as we can to be allowed to have more time to raise the funds to do this. Our special thanks to so many of the veterans and associations over the past several years who have already contributed so much to get us to this project. NEWS UPDATE FEBRUARY 14, 2012 Y'ALL COME Gentlemen, I (the webmaster) just received the following information from Dan Bean, JHNSA President; via Dave Myerly: NEWS UPDATE NOVEMBER 27, 2011 PHILADELPHIA OPEN HOUSE From November 14-17, an ACVA team worked hard in Philadelphia at an Open House to obtain more restoration equipment for the ex-USS CHARLES F. ADAMS (DDG-2). Thanks to the skillful rigging of John Quigley and the hard work of all, unique electronics were collected to help restore systems on the Charley Deuce removed or damaged after it was decommissioned.  Steve Weber, John Quigley and Mike Mullin  Back (Craig Bernat, Bob Branco) Front (John Quigley, Tim Kraft, Steve Weber) The Open House was a reunion with the CHARLES F. ADAMS for Tim Kraft who was a Sonar Tech on the ship in the late 1960s and for Mike Mullin who was an Electronic Warfare Tech who served on the ADAMS in the early 1980s when Bob Branco was the CO.  John Quigley, John O’Neil, Mike Mullin, Craig Bernat, Steve Weber During the four days of work the seven man team obtained over 120 pieces of electronics, fire control, damage control, IC/ electrical and engineering equipment. Some of this equipment is shown in the CHARLES F. ADAMS mess deck where it is being stored. It was an enjoyable week for all who participated.
GALA WEEKEND OCTOBER 14-15, 2011 Florida Governor Rick Scott, who served in the Navy on the USS Glover in the early 1970s, was the guest of honor for the Gala on Saturday night, October 15. Governor Scott arrived at the Omni Jacksonville Hotel before hundreds of attendees from the region, around the country and from as far away as Australia. He mingled with guests for over two hours talking about his Naval experiences and hopes for Florida’s future. The Governor was introduced to the guests by JHNSA President Dan Bean and Toney Sleiman, the owner of The Jacksonville Landing. “One thing great about our state, Jacksonville in particular, is people start things like this,” Governor Scott said. “They happen. It starts with a few people. The individuals who started this did it for the right reasons. It’s something to be proud of – our Navy heritage, especially right here in Jacksonville. It will be nice when it’s finished and here. I look forward to the day when I can walk on the Adams.” The Gala was highlighted by a large successful Silent Auction of a wide variety of special items donated by the JHNSA’s supporters in Jacksonville. In addition, John O’Neil, the Executive Director of the JHNSA, and his wife Carol made a donation of $10,000 to the cause. O’Neil, a Surface Warfare Officer with more than 30 years of active duty, has been instrumental in the fund-raising drive to bring the Adams home.
NEWS UPDATE AUGUST 8, 2011 To All ACVA Members from Bob Branco: The ACVA Board and I want to thank you for the tremendous support you have given our effort during the past several years. Your donations from individuals and ship associations have made it possible for us to get the professional support required to submit an outstanding Donation Application to NAVSEA as well as obtain the needed technical support to complete engineering and environmental work in Jacksonville for obtaining the City of Jacksonville's approval of the site next to the Acosta Bridge. The attached newsletter describes the hard work of the ACVA and the JHNSA teaming together to have the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS donated to become the Adams Class Naval Ship Museum in Jacksonville. NEWS UPDATE JULY, 2011 Tuesday, July 12, 2011 ACVA & JHNSA PARTICIPATE IN PHILADELPHIA OPEN HOUSE From June 20 to June 23, 2011, a team of Adams Class veterans visited the USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) which is currently at the U. S. Navy's Inactive Ship's Facility at the former Naval Base in Philadelphia, PA. The group participated in an "Open House" sponsored by the Naval Sea Systems Command where ship museums are allowed to collect restoration equipment from non-museum, deactivated ships. The team of veterans was comprised of ADAMS Class Veterans Association (ACVA) and Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association (JHNSA) members Steve Weber, former Electricians Mate Second Class and "Plank Owner" on USS Semmes (DDG-18), Bill Reinard, Hull Technician Second Class on USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2), John Quigley, Yeoman Third Class on USS Earl K. Olson (DD-765), and Bob Branco, Captain USN (Ret), former Commanding Officer of USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2), and President of ACVA.  Bill Reinhard, John O'Neil, John Quigley, Steve Weber, Bob Branco  Electronics and fire control equipment on the Mess Decks of the Charlie Deuce NEWS UPDATE JUNE, 2011 Friday, June 10, 2011 Billboards in Jacksonville Now Advertise the ADAMS Class Museum Digital billboards touting "Bring Home the Adams" are now in place at five locations around Jacksonville, Florida. The blue-and-gold digital boards state "Bring Home the Adams" and show the www.Adams2Jax.org web site address, along with the ADAMS Class Museum logo. The locations include Southside Boulevard at Beach Boulevard, San Jose Boulevard at Old St. Augustine Road, Beach Boulevard and Aldridge Mall, I-95 at University Boulevard and Philips Highway at Southside Boulevard.  Our Media and PR Committee are now working on radio and TV spots and a digital spot for the Internet. Friday, June 10, 2011 BaD SHIP MODELS PRESENTATION  On May 28, 2011 BaD Ship Models owner and ACVA/JHNSA Member Keith Mullen presented an impressive model of the USS Wisconsin to the Nauticus ship museum in Norfolk, Virginia. His skillful artwork created an outstanding display for the museum and he made the announcement over radio and TV that part of the proceeds from future sales of any Wisconsin models would be donated to the efforts to save the Charles F. Adams. NEWS UPDATE MAY, 2011 Thursday, May 12, 2011 ACVA VETERAN HULL PLATE DONATION Recently the ACVA received a $1500 Violet Level hull Plate sponsorship from Jane Willson in memory of her husband Ron who served on DDG-2 from 1963-65. He joined the Navy in September of 1961 and was on board the Adams during the Cuban Missile Crisis. During his time in the Navy, he sailed the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Mediterranean. He received the Royal Order of the Blue Noses card on September 21, 1964 for those who have crossed the Arctic Circle. He was discharged honorably on September 24, 1967 as an FTM2 and loved his time in the Navy and was proud of his service. After leaving the Navy, he became a draftsman for the Bechtel Construction Company for 26 years. ACVA thanks Jane Willson, Ron's wife of 30 years and their children Rob and Jennifer for their special memorial donation. NEWS UPDATE APRIL, 2011 Friday, April 15, 2011 JHNSA Makes Presentation to Florida Governor SCOTT The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association made a presentation to Florida Governor Rick Scott for the State of Florida on Friday evening, April 15, at The Jacksonville Landing in Downtown Jacksonville, honoring Governor Scott’s Naval service. .jpg) JHNSA with Governor: Florida Governor Rick Scott (center) with (L-R) Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association Executive Director John O'Neil, JHNSA President Dan Bean, JHNSA Vice President Joe Snowberger (back), JHNSA Member and Model Maker Barry Kryspin and The Jacksonville Landing owner Tony Sleiman. Thursday, April 7, 2011 JHNSA Holds First Annual Golf Fundraiser: On Thursday, April 7th, the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association (JHNSA) held it's First Annual Golf Fundraiser to help "Bring Home the USS Charles F. Adams to Jacksonville". Executive Director John O'Neil worked his organizational magic along with volunteer Bob Salser to recruit players, sponsors, and donors for the event. They also collected numerous items for the Silent Auction. The Golf Fundraiser was held at the Queen's Harbour Golf & Country Club. Players had a light breakfast, teed off at 9:00 AM and finished in time for a delicious buffet of pulled pork bar-b-q and grilled chicken with all the fixings, plus cookies and brownies for dessert. Sixty-three players in three flights enjoyed the event, which included many prizes. The event players, along with our sponsors, helped the JHNSA raise almost $10,000. We also signed up 7 new JHNSA members. BAE South Shipyards sent 8 golfers to play and several of them had been USS Adams men! A small world indeed. JHNSA ESTABLISHES A MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM For over three years the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association (JHNSA) and the ACVA have been teamed together to save the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS as the ADAMS CLASS NAVAL SHIP MUSEUM in Jacksonville, Florida. JHNSA has established a Membership Program that will help build support for Bringing the Adams Home to her old homeport. All of those interested in making this happen are encouraged to show your support and become Members of JHNSA. By clicking this link http://www.adamsclassmuseum.org/join_us.htm you can go to the JHNSA web site and become a JHNSA member. Membership dues are $25/year for Regular Membership, and for those able to more fully support the Museum effort, Sustaining Membership is $125/year. NEWS UPDATE FEBRUARY 12, 2011 DAN BEAN ELECTED JHNSA PRESIDENT At a recent JHNSA Board meeting, Daniel K. Bean, a commercial trial attorney in Jacksonville, Fla., and a Navy surface warfare veteran, was elected to be the new President of the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association. Bean, a 45-year-old Alexandria, Va., native, is a partner in the Jacksonville law firm of Holland & Knight. He attended Vanderbilt University on a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarship. As the outgoing President of The Jacksonville Bar Association, he is a decorated barrister with numerous awards, memberships and published writings. Bean also possesses a strong Navy background, having served as a Surface Warfare Officer beginning with a stint on the USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) as a Midshipman with an underway period to Guantanamo Bay Cuba for ship training.
NEWS UPDATE February 6, 2011
NEWS UPDATE JANUARY 11, 2011 TSAM ON DISPLAY AT MUSEUM VISITOR CENTER  Recently added to the items on display at the Adams Class Museum Visitor Center in the Jacksonville Landing is a TSAM obtained from Great Lakes with the assistance of Craig Bernat and Jim Donaldson and restored with the hard work of ACVA/JHNSA member Wayne Misenar. Other ship restoration items for the museum are the WSC-1 Antenna shown to the left of the TSAM and radar repeaters and other equipment recovered from DDG-2 ships. FLORIDA TIMES UNION EDITORIAL SUPPORTS ADAMS CLASS MUSEUM An editorial in the Florida Times Union on Sunday January 9, 2011 outlined all of the key points that make the Adams Class Ship Museum a major contributor to Jacksonville's future growth of tourism. The information cited included other ship museums in other parts of the country including the USS Midway Museum in San Diego and their strong contributions to their city's attraction for tourism and business. This link will take you to the editorial. http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2011-01-09/story/tourism-good-plan FLASH NEWS – OCTOBER 12,2010 JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL APPROVES MUSEUM SITE  This evening, at about 5:45 PM, the Jacksonville City Council voted 15-0 UNANIMOUSLY to approve Ordinance 2010-675, which gives the City of Jacksonville's formal support for berthing the ADAMS Class Museum, utilizing the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS, alongside the Acosta Bridge in downtown Jacksonville on the south bank of the St Johns River. This is one of the key legislative steps in satisfying the US Navy requirement to demonstrate the availability of a permanent berth for ADAMS for at least 10 years. Great work by the JHNSA team of Bert Watson and John O'Neil who worked hard with Councilman Bill Bishop, the sponsor of the Ordinance to make this happen. BRING the CHARLIE DEUCE HOME! WSC-1 ANTENNA RESTORATION  In the Museum Visitors Center at the Jacksonville Landing on display is one of the two WSC-1 Satcom Antennas obtained for the restoration of USS CHARLES F. ADAMS DDG-2. The AN/SPS-40 and AN/SPS-10 antennas are on display at the Armed Forces Military Museum in Largo, Florida. Former Adams crewman Jim Donaldson who picked up the antennas from Brownsville, Texas restored this antenna and mounted it for display in the Visitors Center. Many thanks to Jim for all of his devoted work to our restoration effort. The USS SELLERS (DDG-11) Association votes to donate $2,500 to the ADAMS Class Museum effort. During their recent Reunion the Sellers Association voted to donate$2500 to help the effort to establish the last US Navy ADAMS Class Guided Missile Destroyer as a Naval Ship Museum on the banks of the St Johns River in Downtown Jacksonville, FL. In addition, the SELLERS Association voted to hold their next Reunion in Jacksonville, Florida, during the fall "Navy Fleet Week 2012". OCTOBER EVENT IN JACKSONVILLE  Steve Weber, Bob Branco, Herm Chambers, Jim Aldrich, Craig Bernat Some ACVA Board members attending the recent October Event in Jacksonville included current members Steve Weber, Bob Branco, Jim Aldrich and Craig Bernat. It was great to have former ACVA Treasurer Herm Chambers present all the way from California to be with us. UPDATE: RESTORATION DONATIONS – HULL PLATES ACVA would like to provide a restoration update on Hull Plate Donations. As of this date we have had seven DDG-2 Ship Associations and three individuals who have donated a total of 14 hull plates for the restoration of USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2. For those who wish to contribute to this important cause you can go to the RESTORATION FUND DONATION PROGRAMS button on the left hand of the ACVA Home page to find about how to contribute and to check on the status of donors to date.Many thanks to all of our contributors in this effort.
* Capt John (Jack) L. Jones (Ret) 6th CO of USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2 Hull plate Nr.2 NEWS UPDATE OCTOBER 8, 2010 JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL VOTE ON ORDINANCE 2010-675 This Ordinance is the City of Jacksonville's formal support for berthing the ADAMS Class Museum, utilizing the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS, alongside the Acosta Bridge in downtown Jacksonville on the south bank of the St Johns River. This is one of the key legislative steps in satisfying the US Navy requirement to demonstrate the availability of a permanent berth for ADAMS for at least 10 years. All of the City Council committees have recommended approval of the Ordinance. The next step in this process is the City Council vote on this legislation on Tuesday 12 October. ADAMS CLASS MUSEUM EVENT OCTOBER 2010  NEWS UPDATE JUNE 19, 2010 USS CHARLES F. ADAMS RESTORATION  AN/SPS-10 Surface Search and AN/SPS-40 Air Radar Antennas In October of 2008 the ACVA had requested that the Navy donate the two radar antennas that were removed from the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS when it was decommissioned in 1990. The antennas shown above were obtained from the USS Austin currently in Brownsville, Texas undergoing the scrapping process. ACVA veteran, Jim Donaldson, who had served on board the CHARLES F. ADAMS as a CWO3 Warrant Machinist, picked up the antennas a week ago and delivered them to the Armed Forces Military Museum in Largo, Florida where they will be displayed as the donation process of the ADAMS continues.
The two radar antennas and the AN/WSC-1 satellite communications antennas above will be used to restore the ADAMS to its original appearance while in service. The AN/WSC- 1 antennas will be displayed at the Jacksonville Landing in the Museum Visitor Center.
NEWS UPDATE JUNE 3, 2010 PHILADELPHIA OPEN HOUSE  During the week of May 17, 2010 ACVA members participated in the Inactive Ships Open House in Philadelphia. ACVA Treasurer Craig Bernat and John Quigley are shown getting ready to unload two signal searchlights and damage control fittings that will be used in the restoration of former USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2.
During previous trips to Philadelphia, the ACVA has obtained radio transceivers, teletypes, AN/UYK-20 computers and a SPA-25 radar repeater. All are stored onboard the ADAMs ready to be used to help restore the damaged or missing equipment onboard. 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.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 This morning, the Finance Committee of the Jacksonville City Council voted "out of the committee" with a 5-0 vote Ordinance 2010-675. This Ordinance is the City of Jacksonville's formal support for berthing the ADAMS Class Museum, utilizing the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS, alongside the Acosta Bridge in downtown Jacksonville on the south bank of the St Johns River. This is one of the key legislative steps in satisfying the US Navy requirement to demonstrate the availability of a permanent berth for ADAMS for at least 10 years. The next step in this process is the City Council vote on this legislation on Tuesday 12 October. Councilman Bill Bishop and the members of the Finance Committee worked diligently with the Office of General Counsel to tune up the Ordinance to everyone's satisfaction and the bill has been moved forward. Monday, October 4, 2010 The USS SELLERS (DDG-11) Association during their recent Reunion voted to donate $2,500 to the ADAMS Class Museum effort. The Association will be sending a check this week to help the effort to establish the last US Navy ADAMS Class Guided Missile Destroyer as a Naval Ship Museum on the banks of the St Johns River in Downtown Jacksonville, FL. Monday, October 4, 2010 JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS ORDINANCE FOR USS CHARLES F. ADAMS Click here to view the press release Thursday, September 23, 2010 Jacksonville defers Adams ordinance two weeks The Jacksonville City Council has voted to defer voting on the Adams ordinance for two weeks. For more details, click here. JHNSA Fundraiser The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association and the ADAMS Class Veterans Association are holding the second annual series of fundraising events in Jacksonville, FL on Thursday & Friday, October 21 & 22, 2010. The events include a Reception and Banquet. This is also the weekend of "Jacksonville Salutes The Sea Services", and numerous other events are scheduled for the Jax downtown riverfront area, including US Navy and Coast Guard ship tours. Sign Up now! Public Hearing to receive Comments from the Public Held at Jax City Council Meeting on ADAMS Berth Site Tuesday, August 24, 2010 At tonight's Jacksonville City Council Meeting, a Public Hearing was held to receive Comments from the Public on the proposed legislation which will give the City of Jacksonville's formal support for berthing the ADAMS Class Museum, utilizing the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS, alongside the Acosta Bridge in downtown Jacksonville on the south bank of the St Johns River. This is one of the key legislative steps in satisfying the US Navy requirement to demonstrate the availability of a permanent berth for ADAMS for at least 10 years. THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION POSTS VIDEO CLIP FROM THE ADAMS CLASS MUSEUM VISITORS CENTER 08/13/10 The Florda Times-Union newspaper (Jacksonville) has posted a video clip about the Adams Class Museum Visitors Center on their website. You can view the video via this link: JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL REVIEW OF ORDINANCE 2010-675 Jacksonville City Council Member Bill Bishop has been working with Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association (JHNSA) leaders Bert Watson and John O’Neil to develop Ordinance 2010 over the past two months. When approved by the City Council Ordinance 2010-675 would “provide the City of Jacksonville’s formal support for and help to the efforts of the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association (JHNSA) to coordinate local, state and federal authorities to bring the retired naval vessel USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) to Downtown Jacksonville as a floating museum.” Over the next several weeks’ Council committees will discuss and review Ordinance 2010-675 before voting on it. The law firm of Holland and Knight provided the JHNSA with legal counsel for the Ordinance, and Halcrow Group assisted with engineering support with the Florida Department of Transportation coordination. The approval of this ordinance would be a major step forward for the Adams Class Museum effort. ADAMS CLASS MUSEUM EVENT OCTOBER 2010 For all Adams Class Veterans there will be the second annual event from October 21-23, 2010 to support the effort to “Bring Home the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS” as a ship museum honoring all of the ships of the class in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association (JHNSA) and the Adams Class Veterans Association (ACVA) will be hosting the event at the four-star Omni Hotel in Downtown Jacksonville, a block from the Jacksonville Landing where the ADAMS Class Museum Visitor Center is located. There will be a mini-Fleet week with several ships moored Downtown and we will get these activities and times out to you! NEWS UPDATE JUNE 23, 2010 The USS King DLG-10/DDG-41 Association Donation  The USS King DLG-10 / DDG-41 Association held their annual reunion
in Orlando, Florida the weekend of June 19/20, 2010. During the business
portion of their meeting they voted to officially support the efforts of the ACVA
and donate $5000. Our sincerest thanks and regards to this group and we will
use the donation wisely. NEWS UPDATE APRIL 6, 2010 JACKSONVILLE UPDATE  ACVA and the JHNSA (Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association) have teamed together for the last couple of years to bring the ex-USS CHARLES F. ADAMS DDG-2 back to her former homeport in Jacksonville. Last fall the ADAMS Class Museum Visitor Center was opened in the Jacksonville Landing with a combination of DDG-2 ship equipment and memorabilia on display as well as a great selection of military ball caps, shirts and other items provided by Eagle Crest, Inc. supporting the museum effort. The JHNSA’s Board of Directors and public support is growing in Jacksonville. The JHNSA’s new web site at www.adamsclassmuseum.org is operating now with up to date information on the Museum project. A link is on the Site Navigation bar on the left.  DDG-2 Ship Model Built by Keith Mullen
NEWS UPDATE OCTOBER 22, 2009 FORMER ADAMS DDG-2 COMMANDING OFFICER NEW MAJOR DONOR 
NEWS UPDATE JANUARY 26, 2010 ADAMS CLASS NAVAL SHIP MUSEUM IN THE NEWS Recently the Jacksonville Daily Record published a great article on the JHNSA Store at the Jacksonville Landing in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. The article includes photos of the store and its displays. Below is the link to that story: NEWS UPDATE JANUARY 17, 2010 MAJOR DONORS & HULL PLATE SPONSORS Our Major Donors page has been updated based on recent events including the opening of our Museum Store provided by the Jacksonville Landing, and the tremendous sponsorship by Eagle Crest who provided the outstanding selection of military memorabilia for the store. NEWS UPDATE DECEMBER 18, 2009 CAPTAIN LAWRENCE CANEY –USS HENRY B. WILSON DDG-7 
At the recent Adams Class Naval Ship Museum Commanding Officer event in Jacksonville during the first week of November, Larry and Marjorie Caney enjoyed the reception, dinner and opening of the Jacksonville Landing Museum Store. Two weeks later Captain Caney tragically passed away from a massive stroke after a morning bike ride. He was 88. Captain Caney was the first Commanding Officer of USS Henry B. Wilson DDG-7, putting her in commission on December 17, 1960 and serving until he was relieved in July 27 1962. His career spanned 40 years from his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1943, participation in World War II landings at North Africa, Normandy and Southern France, and six sea commands including Destroyer Squadron Commander in the Vietnam War. He participated in the development of the Spruance Class Destroyer, and his last act in uniform was as Guest Speaker at the decommissioning of USS Henry B. Wilson DDG-7. ACVA and JHNSA have sent our condolences to his family. He will be missed.
NEWS UPDATE NOVEMBER 15, 2009 Recent Adams Class Naval Ship Museum Commanding Officer Events November 5-7, 2009 
Goldsborough Association President, Pat Taylor, presents the $2500 donation check authorized by the Association sponsoring a hull plate in memory of seven shipmates who lost their lives while serving on Goldsborough to Capt. Bob Branco, USN (Ret.) ACVA President, former CO of USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2 and former XO of DDG 20. At Pat’s left is RADM George Huchting, USN (Ret.) former CO of USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2. On the far right is ADM Jonathan Howe, USN (Ret.) the Guest Speaker of the Dinner on Friday night and former CO of USS Berkeley DDG-15. DDG-2 Ship Model Built by Keith Mullen After the Reception, everyone headed into the ballroom for the Dinner. Each table had a framed picture of one of the ships of the Adams Class of guided missile destroyers. Following dinner, Captain Bob Branco (former C.O. of Adams and President of ACVA) gave a presentation on the status of our efforts to set up the Adams Class Museum. Rear Admiral George Huchting shared his thoughts on why these ships were so significant, and how the Adams Class Museum should be used to educate the youth of today and tomorrow. Next, our Guest Speaker, Admiral Jonathan Howe USN (Ret) spoke eloquently regarding the Cold War, and the role that was played by the Adams Class Destroyers. He made it very clear that there was a compelling case to be made for telling the story of the Cold War, how the USA was successful in winning that very difficult struggle against Communism, and how the story of the US Navy and the Adams Class needs to be told through the Adams Class Museum. Finally, Councilman John Meserve, former Mayor of Jacksonville, gave a strong endorsement of the Adams Class Museum. It's important to note that the dinner attendees included a number of Jacksonville City Council members and local businessmen. The dinner concluded with remarks by JHNSA President Bert Watson.
Retired Captain John L. (Jack) Jones became the largest individual donor to the effort to save his former ship the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS DDG-2. Jack commanded the Charley Deuce from April 10, 1968 until September 11, 1969. He is the CO who took ADAMS from its home port of Charleston, SC to Mayport, FL. To his friends he is known as Captain Mustang, because he served as an enlisted Aviation Electronics Technician from 1943 to 1955 before receiving his commission from OCS. Jack’s 45 years of dedicated naval service included four commands, three ships and Commander Destroyer Squadron Twelve in Mayport, Florida. Recently he donated $5,000 to ACVA, bringing his total contributions to over $7,150. ACVA thanks Captain Jones for his dedicated military service and very special unselfish support of our efforts to save his former command as a ship museum. USS LYNDE MCCORMICK DDG-8 ASSOCIATION NEW MAJOR DONOR Recently the USS Lynde McCormick DDG-8 Association generously contributed $4605 to ACVA for our efforts to save ex-USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2. Thirty contributors topped by Jim Hirshfield’s $1,000 personal donation. We send our thanks to Bob Wefald, President of the USS Lynde McCormick DDG-8 Association veterans, for their generous donations to our effort. USS RICHARD L. PAGE DEG-5 /FFG-5 DONATION The USS Richard L. Page DEG-5 / FFG-5 Association and CAW Marine Services combined to donate $2,000 to ACVA to host a table at the ACVA / JHNSA Jacksonville Nov. 6, 2009 event to honor all DDG Commanding Officers. We thank them for their generous contributions to memorialize the ADAMS Class DDG ships. NEWS JULY 24, 2009 JACKSONVILLE UPDATE SHIP RESTORATION FUND RAISING For the last couple of years Major Supporter and ACVA Member donations have been used in the long process of submitting our Donation Application for ex-USS Charles F. Adams. This process included engineering surveys, marketing studies, environmental studies and permitting. Our ACVA team has donated over $650,000 dollars of cash and in-kind labor to support the project by developing the Donation Application and obtaining all types of shipboard equipment to restore the CHARLES F. ADAMS. In addition, DDG-2 will need to be dry docked and have major hull repairs conducted by a shipyard. THIS LINK will provide the details of how you and your shipmates can help us “Restore the CHARLES F. ADAMS.” JACKSONVILLE FUND RAISING All Adams Class Veterans in the vicinity of Jacksonville, Florida interested in supporting fund raising events are urged to contact Craig Bernat, ACVA Treasurer and Fund Raising Chairman: fc1ddg4@atlanticbb.net NEWS UPDATE - MARCH 17, 2009 SHIP RESTORATION - MATERIAL DONATION AGREEMENT The ACVA and JHNSA recently completed an important Material Donation Agreement with NAVSEA to obtain antennas for the restoration of ex-USS CHARLES F. ADAMS (DDG-2). The antennas shown above will be removed from a ship undergoing scrapping in the near future and provided to ACVA/JHNSA for display while the Ship Donation process continues. The radar antennas will be displayed in the Armed Forces Military Museum in Largo, Florida and the satellite communications antennas will be displayed with other DDG-2 class memorabilia and museum information at the Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville. Keeping the items on public display is required until the ship begins the restoration process after the Navy officially donates it as a museum. This is a significant step in restoring the ship to its former appearance as an active Navy Ship..
NEWS UPDATE FEBRUARY 9, 2009
The ACVA and JHNSA began the effort to develop restoration plans for the ADAMS in November and December of 2008. From 17-21 November five members participated in a NAVSEA Open House in Philadelphia at the Inactive Ship Facility. Steve Weber, Bill Reinhard, Craig Bernat, Jim Lappegaard, and Bob Branco visited four Navy ships that are planned for disposal. They obtained important pieces of equipment that had been removed from the CHARLES F. ADAMS during her many years in that facility, and placed that equipment on board the ADAMS. The ACVA and JHNSA are also filing a Material Donation request with NAVSEA to obtain replacement SPS-40 and SPS-10 radar and WSC-1 satellite communications antennas that are important for restoring the appearance of the ship during her last operating days at sea. NEWS UPDATE OCTOBER 30, 2008  
The beginnings of Navy Birthday Celebration started on Thursday morning when ACVA Treasurer Craig Bernat picked up Bert Watson in Fairfax, VA. Craig’s truck was full of guided missile destroyer shipboard equipment that was being transported to Jacksonville to be put on display for the Navy celebration at The Jacksonville Landing. On Sunday the crowds were very enthusiastic and the long lines for the GROVES tours were long, with several thousand people being turned away. The Jax River Taxi manager is very supportive of the museum plans and would like to land his craft at the mooring pier once the museum is opened. Towards the end of the weekend, one of the coordinators of the NAVY Birthday Celebration came by the JHNSA booth and expressed that the JHNSA booth was the most popular booth there of the four booths(Naval Order, Navy League, USO and JHNSA). NEWS UPDATE APRIL 30, 2009 DDG-2 CLASS SHIP REUNIONS IN 2009 Today starts the USS Claude V. Ricketts DDG-5 Reunion in Jacksonville, Florida. The Big Nickel’s Reunion Coordinator Carl Slack has welcomed other ACVA supporters to join their celebration. USS Hoel DDG-13 Reunion will be in Branson, Missouri in October 2009, and the USS Lawrence DDG-4 Reunion will be in Charleston, starting the 21st of June 2009. Reunion groups from other ships in the class, who would like to have information on their reunions posted on the ACVA web page, please forward them to Dave Myerly. Reunion information will be posted on the REUNIONS link. NEWS UPDATE JANUARY 30, 2009 Major milestone reached in making the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS NAVAL SHIP MUSEUM a reality. Use the following link to view the report: YEAR END REPORT / NEWSLETTER - JANUARY 6, 2009 A summary of our progress during 2008 and our current status can be downloaded or viewed via this link.
The effort to berth the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS (DDG-2) as a Naval Ship Museum as a part of the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Museum project received nation-wide news coverage in the October edition of SEAPOWER, the monthly magazine of the Navy League of the United States. NEWS UPDATE NOVEMBER 15, 2008
An article on the effort to establish the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Museum, utilizing the former USS CHARLES F. ADAMS (DDG-2), appeared in the just released NOV/DEC 2008 issue of "The Navigator", the bi-monthly newsletter publication of the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA), Branch/Unit/Club 91 (the local Jacksonville area Branch of the FRA). Click on the following link, FRA_Article, to see the article. NEWS UPDATE - OCTOBER 15, 2008 The USS SELLERS (DDG-11) Association recently conducted their bi-annual Reunion in Baltimore, MD in early September. During their Business Meeting, SELLERSmen voted unanimously to donate $2,000 to the ACVA for the effort to berth the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS (DDG-2) in Jacksonville, FL as a Naval Ship Museum that will honor all 23 ADAMS class DDGs. If the Museum is in place in Jax in 2010, the SELLERS Association will be having their next Reunion there!  In early September, the USS Goldsborough (DDG-20) Association concluded their reunion in Annapolis, Maryland with a presentation by ACVA President Bob Branco updating the latest progress by ACVA in the effort to have ex-USS CHARLES F. ADAMS (DDG-2) donated by the Navy to become the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Museum. After the presentation, Goldsborough Association President Pat Taylor presided over a unanimous Business Meeting vote to donate $2,500 to ACVA supporting the project. The ACVA and JHNSA send out their special thanks to the SELLERS and GOLDSBOROUGH Associations for their generous contributions supporting the establishment of a naval ship museum to honor all 23 ships of the Adams class and their Navy veterans. REUNION PRESENTATIONS NEWS UPDATE - SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORIC NAVAL SHIP MUSEUM  Capt. Dave Tungett (NAVSEA PMS 333) & Tom Schodowski (JHNSA) JAX VISIT. On August 11, 2008, Captain Dave Tungett, Program Manager for the Navy's Inactive Ships Program met with Bert Watson, Jim Aldrich, and Tom Schodowski in Jacksonville to view the planned site for ex-USS CHARLES F. ADAMS DDG-2 on the St. Johns River. In addition to presentations from the ACVA/JHNSA leadership, Capt. Tungett met with representatives from the Mayor of Jacksonville’s office, local hotels, and Duval County Schools who highlighted the positive benefits of the ship museum to the community in Jacksonville. PHILLY SHIP VISIT. On August 28th ACVA/JHNSA leaders visited to CHARLES F. ADAMS in Philadelphia to update Donation Application planning ideas before their meeting with NAVSEA PMS 333. Bob Branco, Bert Watson, Jim Aldrich, Pete Mansel, Craig Bernat, and Steve Weber completed another good survey of the Adams and a tour of ex-USS EDSON to develop some new display ideas about about preparing ADAMS as a museum. NAVSEA MEETING. Our meeting on Friday August 29th with Capt Dave Tungett and Glen Clark lasted over 4 hours and the discussion created a good path for providing answers to the questions on the Donation Application. Later in the meeting we discussed Curatorial Plan questions with the Naval Historical Center Curator, Mark Wertheimer. We also obtained lists of Naval Historical Center artifacts from all of the ships in the DDG-2 class that are available to develop excellent displays to memorialize all 23 ships in the museum. The revised Donation Application is due to NAVSEA at the end of January 2009. NEWS UPDATE - JULY 28, 2008  (L-R) Jim Aldrich, CNO Admiral Gary Roughead, Bert Watson CNO ENDORSES THE ADAMS CLASS SHIP MUSEUM
THE “NEW CHARLIE DEUCE”  NEWS UPDATE - JULY 11, 2008 NAVSEA RESPONSE TO DONATION APPLICATION The deadline for responding to NAVSEA PMS 333 Donation Application questions is January 30, 2009 NEWS UPDATE - JULY 11, 2008 CHARLIE DEUCE BACK AT HER BERTH NEWS UPDATE - 06/18/08 ACVA NEWSLETTER NEWS UPDATE - 06/09/08 MIDWAY DINNER (L-R) Jim Aldrich, CNO Admiral Gary Roughead, Bert Watson NEWS UPDATE - 06/09/08 ADAMS CLASS DDG REUNIONS CHARLIE DEUCE ON THE MOVE BOARD CHANGES Tom Crosser, who has been President of ACVA since the passing of our original President Frank Manis in 2004, stepped down in an April 16 ACVA Board meeting after the Donation Application was completed. Tom will continue serving on the Board as Director of the Volunteer Program that he helped to develop for the Donation Application. We are indebted to Tom for his efforts over these past years as President to make USS CHARLES F. ADAMS (DDG-2) as a ship museum. Later, the Board voted and approved Bob Branco, the current ACVA Vice President, to succeed Crosser as President. In addition, Craig Bernat, the ACVA’s Director of Public Relations and Fundraising was elected to relieve Pete Mansel as the ACVA Treasurer. Pete’s efforts to organize the Donation Application and prepare the Business Plan for the Application were invaluable to that huge 828 page effort. MAJOR CONTRIBUTION Recently the ACVA received a major contribution of $2.500 from DRS Technologies, a defense contractor with headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey. Not only did the company make the generous donation, but they also offered to assist ACVA with the restoration of the MK 68 gun fire control system onboard ex-USS CHARLES F. ADAMS (DDG-2). NEWS UPDATE - 05/14/08 DONATION APPLICATION SUMMARY NEWS UPDATE - 05/14/08 NEW BOARD MEMBERS 5/6/08 - MAJOR SUPPORTERS Now on the web site is a new Major Supporters link that displays an updated list of corporations and sponsors who made major donations to support our Donation Application effort. This link replaces the former Corporate Backers link. 3/31/08 - SHIP DONATION APPLICATION COMPLETE GREAT NEWS for all ACVA Members and everyone who has supported our effort to berth the USS CHARLES F. ADAMS (DDG-2) on the St Johns River in downtown Jacksonville, Florida - The SHIP DONATION APPLICATION has been completed!!! We have met the deadline for completion of the Application beyond all expectation and overcoming numerous obstacles, the most critical one being TIME!! Our Application Team put together in 75 days what normal ship organizations take up to two years to do. 3/19/08 - PLANNING THE RESTORATION OF CHARLES F. ADAMS VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP - The ADAMS Class Veterans Association (ACVA) is beginning to plan for the restoration of the CHARLES F. ADAMS with an “advanced sign-up” request to Navy veterans and other interested individuals who want to help restore the various areas of the ship and set up museum displays. We need lots of skilled help from preservation to technical skills in order to restore the ship’s appearance to that of its operating days of service. We will not be starting the restoration work until the Navy awards us the ship. It will be a big help to have an “advanced sign-up” list that will allow us to build a database of seriously interested individuals who are motivated to participate in the restoration work. Go to the "VOLUNTEER" page on the ACVA web site and register today so that we can begin the effort to “RESTORE THE CHARLEY DEUCE” as a representative of all ships of the ADAMS class!! 3/11/08 - SPECIAL RECOGNITION – USS Barney Association For several years a number of DDG Ship Associations had made strong efforts to have their ships saved for history. The leader of the USS Barney Association, John Van Dusen, had fought hard to have the Barney preserved. After the Navy disposed of the BARNEY for scrap, he shared his disappointment with ACVA Vice President Bob Branco and started to build new hope and greater resolve to save the last DDG by joining the team. This became even more important as the Jacksonville ACVA Team moved steadily towards getting the approval of the City Council to bring the former USS CHARLES F. ADAMS DDG-2 back to its homeport, ending 17 years of exile in the Inactive Ship Facility in Philadelphia. “John Van Dusen was excited about the possibility of having the last surviving DDG-2 class ship represent not only Barney, but all the ships of the class. John worked hard with the Barney Association to help make it a reality” said Bob Branco. 3/3/08 - ACVA Membership Increases Dramatically During Recent Months Due to the success achieved by ACVA's Jacksonville City Team and support from ACVA members, Jacksonville City Council has endorsed the concept of bringing the USS CHARLES F ADAMS home to Jacksonville for permanent display as a Naval ship museum. With news of that success going out to so many through articles, emails, and broadcasts, ACVA Membership has increased significantly. During the past three months, over 145 new members have joined ACVA, for a total nation-wide membership of 555. 3/2/08 - ACVA Receives More Support for ADAMS Berthing in Jacksonville The Florida Secretary of State and the Florida Executive Director for the Department of Veterans' Affairs have both written letters to ACVA supporting the berthing of ADAMS on the St Johns River in downtown Jacksonville. Click the links in preceding sentence to read the letters. Both of these letters will be a part of the Ship Donation Application being prepared by ACVA for submission to the Navy Department. EX-USS CHARLES F. ADAMS GETS JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL ENDORSEMENT The City Council of Jacksonville, Florida passed a Resolution supporting the establishment of the ex-USS CHARLES F. ADAMS as a Naval Ship Museum in Jacksonville. The CHARLES F. ADAMS is the first in the class of 23 guided missile destroyers built by the Navy in the 1960s. Currently, only one other DDG-2 class ship exists besides the Adams, and it’s in Germany moored as a museum. 2/21/08 - UPDATE This week, Adams and ACVA passed another hurdle by being endorsed by the Finance Committee and the Recreation / Community Development Committee of Jacksonville City Government. 1/22/08 - NEWS FLASH As many of you ACVA members already know, ACVA set out some weeks ago to raise the $100,000 (plus!) needed to cover the cost of having a professional Application writer prepare the ADAMS Ship Donation Application for submission to NAVSEA before the 31 MAR 2008 deadline. However, the ACVA Board has also explored other alternatives to completing the Application. As it worked out, part of the answer came from within ACVA. Support for the project has been growing tremendously, both in the Jacksonville area and across the country. The end result has been an influx of new members and supporters, many of whom are uniquely qualified in areas critical to the project. After analyzing who and what resources we had gained, ACVA Directors of City Search, James Aldrich and Bob Branco, suggested that we complete portions of the application ourselves. This is not without precedent; several successful naval ship museums have followed the same course. 12/18/07 - PROCEDURE CHANGE The ACVA Bylaws are going to be removed from the EZ Board. ACVA Members who wish to have their own copy of the bylaws may request them directly, via email, from Dave Myerly: DaveDDG2@aol.com 12/08/07 - STATUS REPORT TO NAVSEA and REPLY We recently sent NAVSEA a status report and received a prompt reply. View them via this link. 11/29/07 - UPDATE
> To: All ACVA Ship Reps. 11/02/07 - FLASH MESSAGE - JAX Waterways Commission endorses ADAMS Concept On November 1st, the Jacksonville Waterways Commission (which is tied to the City Council) voted to endorse the concept of berthing ADAMS in JAX. Final endorsement from the Commission will depend on the future submission of a detailed Business Plan, and related Financial Plan (upon which work can now begin, given Commission support of the berthing... they understood we couldn't put a plan together without a location defined). The next step will be to go to the JAX City Council and also get their support (about 1/2 of all City Councilmen have already said they support the proposal). Bert Watson gave a superb presentation (Powerpoint), and then there was an extensive Question & Answer session. There were 2 Commissioners who, during the Q & A discussion, voiced some concerns (parking, impact on nearby boat ramp, lack of a detailed financial plan, etc). One Commissioner expressed concern that there was "no organization behind the effort". Jim Aldrich explained about ACVA, and our concept that once the City says they support the idea, then a local "501c3 Museum group" will be formed. In spite of the concerns from the 2 Commissioners, these 2 Commissioners voted to Endorse anyway. On the other hand, during the Q & A, there were about half a dozen Commissioners who were very vocal in their outright support of the idea. One had recently been to Charleston, and Patriot's Point, and she said, basically, this is a wonderful thing to do, and can be of great benefit to the City ! The failed SARATOGA effort surfaced, but everyone agreed that ADAMS is a much different (smaller, more appropriate to JAX) kind of proposal. Another key point - the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Waterways Commission are both City Councilmen, and both of these men expressed strong support of the idea. There were no "NO" votes when the Commissioners voted on the Motion to endorse the ADAMS concept. Bert has been told that he will get a "copy" of the Endorsement. After the presentation, several - commissioners and people from the audience - came up and voiced strong support of the proposal; all offered support, a couple offered guidance and references to other that might help, and one offered to help directly! That afternoon, the ACVA JAX Team put together the urgent action items that now must get into high gear - additional fund raising, establishment of 501c3 in JAX, and commencement of work on elements of the Application. This is what we have been waiting for. The door has been opened and it up to us to continue opening it so that we can walk through it. This is why the fundraising letters have been sent. We have asked for this opportunity - it is ours for the taking and take it we must. It is a great part of the reason we have banded to gether. Please contribute some funding, some names and contacts of others who can contribute, and please share the inspiration felt by the ACVA Board and the ACVA JAX T team !! We can now control our destiny - it is up to us to kick this can down the road. We owe Wayne & Bert a big ATTAYBOY for achieving this success!! Download the Jacksonville Waterways Commission resolution. 10/16/07 - Waddell Association Presentation The WADDELL Association recently had a Reunion in Charleston, SC. Jim Aldrich went to their Saturday evening banquet to provide a Powerpoint briefing on ACVA's efforts to berth ADAMS in Jacksonville. The presentation was very well received, and some of the WADDELL crew members made very generous contributions to the ACVA effort. 09/22/07 UPDATE - SEPTEMBER 21, 2007 – ACVA Working to Establish ADAMS Ship Museum in Jacksonville, FloridaSince completing the material condition evaluation and marine survey of the Charles F. Adams in Philadelphia during May 2007, the ACVA has focused its efforts to establish ADAMS as a ship museum in its old home port, Jacksonville, Florida. Wayne Misenar, who served on the ship as Electronics Material Officer in the late 1980’s, has headed up the effort assisted by Roger Perkins, a local realtor and a former CIC Officer in ADAMS in the 1980’s, and Bert Watson, a local lobbyist. In early August ACVA City Search Director Jim Aldrich, Wayne, Roger, and Bert Watson had a meeting with Florida State Senator and past President of the Florida Senate, Senator Jim King, to discuss the proposal of berthing the Adams as a ship museum in Jacksonville. The Director of the Jacksonville Maritime Museum also attended the meeting, and was very supportive. The Senator expressed an interest in the idea of berthing ADAMS on the St Johns River. He suggested that the ACVA present the proposal to the local Councilmen who have jurisdiction over the proposed berthing area. Later in August our team in Jacksonville had a great meeting with a City Councilmen, Warren Jones, who had a very positive response to our ideas about the ship museum concept on the river. Our Jax Team next plans to meet with other City Councilmen, and then move on to meeting with the Mayor. When the time is right, ACVA will bring in the support we have gained within the Florida State Government. We will keep all ACVA members informed through regular updates over the next few months. Our ACVA Board of Directors is starting a major fundraising effort to obtain money for the project, specifically the preparation of a Ship Donation Application. This will require some help from our membership. Our goal is to “Save the Charley Deuce” and to establish a ship museum and memorial in Florida honoring the service of the ADAMS class DDG’s, the sailors who served in them, and all other veterans! In the coming months, there will be more regular Newsletter updates with information on our progress in Jacksonville and our fundraising effort. 06/07/07 Official Report - ACVA Report on Adams Evaluation Visit 0521-052307 © 2004-2013 Adams Class Veterans Association, Inc. |
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Ron Willson
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