Many Downtown Jacksonville advocates agree that they are on the precipice of something great regarding the immediate future of the Urban Core. New local businesses, shops, restaurants, and innovative ideas are emerging. Organizations like One Spark, The Elbow and, JCCI, as well as various movements like Downtown Is on Fire, Keep Jax Weird, and Jax2025 encourage involvement in the city. There is an obvious inclusiveness moving into Downtown and now more than ever before there seems to be a change in the air. And the change is good.
With the added attraction of the USS Adams, a retired ship to be transformed into a museum by The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association, moored at The Shipyards, a family can plan an entire day safely enjoying all the amenities Jacksonville has to offer — including an exciting new allure.
The USS Charles F. Adams was built in June 1956 in Bath, Maine, as the first of the 23 Guided Missile Destroyer ships. She toured the world during an extensive deployment in Europe in the early 1960s, including an active duty stop at the Bay of Pigs as part of the Cuban Blockade and as gun support in Vietnam. She traveled considerably from port to port during several deployments around the world, including in Europe, Africa, South America, and Canada.
After an overhaul in Philadelphia with various repairs and upgrades to the vessel, she sailed to her new homeport of Mayport. The USS Adams was tasked on many more deployments, proving to be a faithful and sturdy ship of the United States Navy.
The USS Adams was decommissioned in August 1991 and sent to the U.S. Naval Shipyard back in Philadelphia, where she languished; many were hoping the ship wouldn't be scrapped as so many have been. In 2008, The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association and Adams Class Museum (JHNSA) began a campaign to bring her home, with the dream of utilizing the vessel as a museum and downtown attraction. The Jacksonville City Council and Mayor Alvin Brown approved an ordinance in September to move the ship to the Northbank area on the St. Johns River at the Jacksonville Historic Shipyards, a move which will speed up the process of opening the museum, since a berthing pier won't have to be financed and then built.
It is the hope of the JHNSA that the USS Adams Class Museum will boost economic resurgence in the Urban Core by offering 28 direct jobs working for or on the museum, and 75 indirect jobs, as well as a projected $4 million economic impact to Downtown Jacksonville. The group imagines drawing 150,000 tourists year round to the ship for tours, and more locals to attend special events aboard the massive structure.
A plan to educate young people in the community about the rich history, technology and engineering that made the remarkable ship a reality is closer than ever to be a reality. Nearly half the funding has been collected by the JHNSA to bring the USS Adams home to Jacksonville and if all goes as meticulously planned, she will be here and ready to receive the public by November 2014. The funds will be allocated to encourage education and exploration in a fun, safe environment and to offer the citizens of Northeast Florida a new, exciting venue to hold their special events. Imagine hosting a birthday party, trick-or-treating or even having a wedding ceremony aboard the massive ship. JHNSA is proud of Jacksonville’s impressive Naval dedication and strongly believes that the ship would honor or veterans and families that have served. For more information including how to donate to the USS Adams Navy Warship Museum fund visit http://www.adamsclassmuseum.org/
Abigail Wright
http://www.arbus.com/
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