If you’ve driven along River Road downtown in Baton Rouge, or even on the Mississippi River Bridge, you’ve probably seen it: a gray World War II destroyer sitting right next to the levee. The USS Kidd has been part of the Baton Rouge skyline since May 23, 1982. The strangest part isn’t that a warship is parked in the capital city. It’s that for half the year it floats, and for the other half it sits high and dry on the riverbank. Right now, though, its spot by the levee is empty, and the reason is very Louisiana, specifically the Mississippi River depth.
You really do get a different perspective when exploring the ship. The view of the ship on the outside can be deceptive. As we walked our way through the USS Kidd, it was noticeable how compact the structure is on the inside. Ducking through doorways, limited space in the bunk areas, it’s hard to imagine being on the boat during a mission with a full crew and making your way around it.
Who Was the USS Kidd Named After?
The ship is named for Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd. He died on the bridge of the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor and was the first American admiral killed in action in World War II. His widow sponsored the ship when it was launched in New Jersey in February 1943…