USS Forrest Sherman DD-931 may become part of park museum

Navy destroyer USS Forrest Sherman DD-931 could become a permanent museum at Delaware Seashore State Park if plans by the USS Forrest Sherman Foundation Inc. come to fruition.

Kurt Wagemann, director of the foundation, spoke to a crowd at a recent meeting led by Rep. Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View, Thursday, Jan. 20. He outlined his plans for the ship and gave a brief history of previous attempts to place it at the Riverfront in Wilmington.

The Wilmington site was rejected because of the height of bridges on the Christina River, between the Delaware River and the Riverfront. The existing Indian River Inlet bridge is also too low for the ship, but once the new bridge is open and the old one removed, the ship could be brought through. It would require first removing the ship’s superstructure and then replacing it once the ship is on a permanent mooring.

The initial location is proposed along the north side of the inlet between the Coast Guard Station and the entrance to the marina. The ship is 407 feet in length with a 45-foot beam and draws 12 feet of water. It would be located so as not to block the view from the state park cottages.

Because this placement would remove shore access to the inlet, Wagemann proposes to allow anyone with a valid Delaware general fishing license free access to the ship for the purpose of fishing.

The ship is currently at the Philadelphia Navy Yard awaiting renovation and donation by the Navy to the foundation.

It has been determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and could be operated as a museum and educational center.

One program in operation aboard other ships in the National Historic Fleet invites school students to spend a weekend on the ship to learn how sailors lived and operated at sea.

Wagemann said the ship museum would generate income to the area, first by creating jobs during the reconditioning work and later as an employer of 10 full-time and 10 part-time workers. The Sherman Foundation would hold its annual convention here and it is possible other groups, such as the Tin Can Sailors and Navy League, would follow suit. The ship would also draw people to the marina where they might become customers for the head and charter boat fleet.

Wagemann said there would no expense to the taxpayers of Delaware, and the foundation would rent space from the park, generating additional income. He also said it is possible the project could receive federal stimulus money. Hocker said he wanted to bring the project to the attention of his constituents and open a discussion of the subject. He emphasized everything is in the very early planning stage with a long way to go before completion.

Eric Burnley is the Outdoors columnist for the Cape Gazette.  Read his column every Friday.