January Meeting

The January meeting will be held on Monday night, January 19, at 7:00 p.m. in Central School, Room 106. The topic is History and Memories of Central School. Our speaker, A. C. Bourdier, will lead the discussion. Members of the Historical Association, and their guests, are invited to bring their own memories and memorabilia to share with each other.

A. C. Bourdier is a lifelong resident of the Lake Charles area. He is a graduate of Lake Charles High School; he attended McNeese State College, and graduated from The Banking School of the South at L. S. U. He is married to the former Gayle Hoffpauir of Sulphur and they have two sons, Andre and Chris. A. C. conducts tours of Lake Charles for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is a one of our area’s biggest fans, as this quote from his biography attests:

“How could anyone who lives here not realize what a magic place this is? We have 4 theatre groups, several excellent dance schools, a great symphony orchestra, an amazing arts program in our public school system, great restaurants, good fishing, beautiful golf courses and you can add your favorites to this list. Visitors love coming here and I am proud to be able to make the sale as to why they should not only visit here but maybe decide to stay.”

A. C. is a member of the Friends of Central School. The goal of this organization is to provide state of the art lighting and sound systems for the auditorium, light the exterior of the building, and redesign the grounds to accommodate different types of outdoor activities. They hope to make Central School a truly multipurpose facility.

Please make plans to attend this meeting and bring your friends!

The Recent History and Current Status of the USS Orleck

The recent history of the destroyer USS ORLECK began in 2000, when this “Top Gun” defender of freedom, “Gray Ghost of the Vietnam Coast,” and charter member of the “Trainbuster’s Club” in the Korean conflict was returned from Turkey to her birthplace of Orange, Texas, where she had been launched some 55 years earlier, on May 12, 1945. This launch date was within a week of Germany’s surrender, while our battle with Japan still raged before the surrender in August. The ORLECK’s return to Orange was made possible when the Turkish Navy donated the Ship to the newly-formed Southeast Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation, to be established as a museum in Orange.

Between her return to Orange in 2000 and the arrival of Hurricane Rita on September 25, 2005, the Foundation made great strides in the restoration of the Ship, which was soon opened to the public for regular tours and special events, including celebrations on the Fourth of July and Memorial Day, as well as the hosting of a large reunion of ORLECK sailors and their families in October 2002 (the arrival of Hurricane Lili in the middle of the reunion did not deter them). The Foundation and the Ship were well supported by the membership of the Destroyer USS ORLECK Association, which provided crucial funds and manpower toward her restoration.

All was well with the Ship until Hurricane Rita made a near direct-hit on Orange, Texas, on September 24, 2005. The Ship would have weathered the storm unscathed, if two barges from a nearby Shipyard had not broken free of their moorings, hit the Ship, and broken her mooring lines. When the storm passed, the Ship was found hastily tied to a tree, with both barges resting against her, and three holes in her hull. The Shipyard whose barges had damaged the Ship offered to tow her the short distance to the Shipyard and effect repairs, but after the Ship was relocated, insurance companies and lawyers descended, and the Shipyard filed a preemptive federal lawsuit to be exonerated from all liability for damaging the ORLECK and other property destroyed by its barges. Protracted litigation ensued, but ultimately the Shipyard repaired the damage its barges had done, and paid the Foundation a reasonable sum to avoid further litigation and trial over the full damages sustained by the Ship.

While the Foundation’s coffers were partially refilled by the settlement, the ORLECK had lost her berth in Orange, and was forced to relocate to a commercial berth on a nearby island in the Sabine River. The island was then sold to a new owner with plans to develop the island for building drilling rigs. Even with substantial funds on hand from the settlement (some of which were used to settle the debt for the long tow from Turkey), the ORLECK was facing eviction, with no place to go. The situation became increasingly desperate in February 2008, as the island’s owner reluctantly insisted that the Ship be moved to avoid costly delay in commercial development of the island.

Ever since her displacement by Hurricane Rita, many ORLECK supporters new and old had undertaken dogged efforts to locate a new home for the Ship. Extensive discussions ensued with North Little Rock, Arkansas, Lake Charles and Westlake, Louisiana, Port Neches and Texas City, Texas, and many other cities, with no success.

Faced with imminent eviction, in March 2008, the Foundation decided to pursue what was then the only even potentially viable option: to attempt to move the Ship to AIMM in North Little Rock. AIMM had offered that if the Foundation could get the Ship to North Little Rock, AIMM would take good care of the Ship going forward. AIMM had the demonstrated capacity to fulfill its end of this offer. But the option included several hurdles, all revolving around the deep draft of the Ship and the relatively shallow waters of the Arkansas River, and the shear length of the journey. Could the ORLECK make the long journey, down the Sabine River, across the Gulf of Mexico, up the Mississippi, to the junction with Arkansas River, and then to AIMM in North Little Rock? Achieving the low draft required would require removal of the propellers (which extended below the keel) and the sonar dome (which added over six feet to the draft at the bow of the Ship), AND temporary removal of the forward mast and radar assemblies, the top of the forward stack, and part of the aft mast, to clear bridges along the Arkansas River. Could all this be done within a limited budget, and would the mighty Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers cooperate by giving the Ship enough depth to clear the bottom, but not so much that it could not clear the bridges? Could the huge bronze propellers be sold for their valuable bronze to help bridge the gap between the ORLECK’S remaining bank balance and the cost of this journey?

With all these uncertainties, on March 6, 2008, the Foundation plunged ahead in a “go for broke” effort. The mighty ORLECK was towed from Livingston Island to the Shipyard of CBH Services, Inc., in Orange, for commencement of underwater and superstructure removals. CBH was proud and happy to undertake this project, as was Tiburon Divers, a company that has long helped the Foundation keep an eye on the underwater side of the ORLECK. Parker Diving out of Long Beach, California, was retained to consult based on its expertise in the removal of sonar domes from GEARING Class destroyers. Phones were ringing and e-mails were zinging all over the Country. The ORLECK was on the move. Was the long post-Rita period of waiting and wondering at an end?

Underwater work commenced soon after the Ship’s arrival at CBH, with a team of divers from Tiburon’s Houston operation arriving to begin removal of the screws and dome. The divers’ work proved more difficult, and therefore more expensive, than planned and hoped for, but the work was accomplished, and the propellers were sold for a good price (extensive efforts to find a foundry and mill to make commemorative medallions from the bronze were not successful, due to U.S. capacity in these industries having moved offshore).

Unfortunately, by the time the underwater removals were complete, there were not sufficient funds left to transport the Ship to North Little Rock. AIMM extended every effort to assist with the relocation, but the money simply was not there. In yet another twist of fate, just as the AIMM option evaporated, negotiations with Lake Charles, which had failed earlier, suddenly came back to life, and Lake Charles demonstrated serious interest in providing a home for the Ship, passing a resolution approving an excellent location for the Ship where it will be in full view of thousands of passing motorists on U.S. Interstate 10. The turnaround in Lake Charles was due entirely to the tireless efforts of Ed Martin of Lake Charles. Ed is an Army veteran, successful Lake Charles car and truck dealer, and great supporter of military, veterans, and civic organizations in Lake Charles.

The Foundation is extremely grateful for Ed Martin’s work and Lake Charles’ invitation, and is hopeful and optimistic that it can relocate the Ship to Lake Charles, Louisiana. Lake Charles, with its growing population, veterans groups and volunteer base, first-class hotels, resorts, dining, casinos, and golf, would make an excellent home for the Ship and a superior destination for dozens of yearly reunions for GEARING and other destroyer reunions.

Hurdles remain. The Ship needs minor repairs and insurance before she is moved. Approvals are needed from a host of governmental bodies. Dredging and mooring facilities are needed. A tow is needed. The Ship badly needs a paint job and other maintenance and continued restoration. Funds are critically low. Tax deductible donations to this 501(c)(3) Foundation will be much appreciated and should be mailed to: Steve Phillips, President, Southeast Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 3005, Orange, TX 77631-3005.

For further information contact Steve Phillips, e-mail stretch@gte.net, or

Evan Caffrey, e-mail ecaffrey@bakerdonelson.com

Webmaster: pthreatt@mcneese.edu