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wdolson -> RE: USS Intrepid on the move again... (12/5/2006 10:05:53 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Ron Saueracker
Still think it a darn shame that CV-6 and other more "historic" ships were scrapped in the 1959 mothball fleet purge yet we have so many other duplicate vessels like the Iowas and vessels which basically served as mothballed strategic reserves for their entire existance being made into museums. Imagine if we had an "as built" Essex like Franklin or Bunker Hill instead of four modernized Essexes, a treaty cruiser along with Little Rock and Salem, an old S-Boat or any pre war fleet boat instead of the dozen or so Gatos. A "gold plater" 1500 tonner DD would have been cool too.
It is sad that the Enterprise was scrapped. She saw more combat than most ships in World War II. We missed an opportunity to save the USS Cabot too. She was returned to the US Navy from Spain in the early 90s and scrapped in 1999. Efforts to preserve her failed.
Back in the 50s, people weren't interested in preserving things from World War II. Ed Mahoney was one of the few people in the world who had any interest in preserving World War II aircraft. He was able to pick up quite a few war relics for virtually nothing in the 1950s. Planes of Fame in Chino, CA now has some of the rarest planes in the world. They don't fly them anymore, but they are the only museum with a P-12 and a P-26 in flying condition. Both were flying back in the 80s.
I've also read about some crazy guy in the US Midwest somewhere who spent all his money in the 1950s-70s collecting aircraft. He is a paranoid recluse and doesn't even want anybody to know where he is. The author of a book I read on preserving warbirds managed to get an interview with him. He's getting quite old now and when he dies, his heirs are going to be selling off all his planes. Among his aircraft is a YB-36 which he hauled home in pieces. His collection is probably worth a couple hundred million today.
Ships are harder to preserve than planes. Unless you are a billionaire, you can't afford to buy a destroyer and tie it up somewhere. A couple of PT boats have been restored in recent years. One was restored here in Portland, though I haven't seen it. I have seen an unpreserved boat which is sitting in a vacant lot a block from the air museum at Pierson Field in Vancouver. A foundation is trying to raise money to restore that boat too. Though the second restoration is going to be tougher since the first one pirated parts off the other.
Bill
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