These letters came in response to a guest column endorsing the effort to transfer a retired warship to Erie’s bayfront to serve as part of a museum honoring veterans and the region’s military heritage. The Perry Shipyard Project is overseen by the nonprofit Oliver Hazard Perry Shipyard . Read more at perryshipyard.org .
What will maintaining a warship cost in Erie?
I read the Jan. 21 art i cle written by Darrell Owens regarding bringing the retired U.S.S. Halyburton FFG 40 to Erie with considerable interest. The idea sounds good and what could be cooler than seeing a fairly modern warship docked in Erie?
Well, let’s look at a few facts.
The ship is made of steel and aluminum that has been exposed all over to salt water for over 30 years. We all know the effect of salt on the roads to our vehicles. Well, a ship is more than a thousand times worse for exterior finish maintenance. I believe it will require constant and costly rust removal and repainting. Remember, this ship has been retired for about 10 years with little maintenance. It’s winter time in Erie and we all know you can’t paint things outside from mid-November until mid-March. Have you ever slipped on a concrete side walk or road covered with snow? I spent two years on ships in Newport, Rhode Island, and believe me, trying to get around the metal decks on a ship with snow and ice is harder than trying to dance on wet ice without skates. So it would spend much of the winter with few if any visitors.