The USS Hornet, located in Alameda, CA, is facing a possible move

General Discussion
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Here is a link to that story: USS Hornet may be forced to leave Alameda, and it’ll be an expensive goodbye

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There is a saying that ‘a boat is a hole in the water into which you throw cash’. A ship is a bigger hole.

Cheers to the commercial and governmental operators who attempt to preserve these artifacts. It is an intensive operation, both monetarily and personnel-wise.

The Texas had long been run by the Department of Parks & Wildlife. They did not have the resources to continue the necessary preservation, and extreme deterioration set in. The ship was at the San Jacinto battlefield in an industrial area of Houston. Visitor numbers were low. The ship was offered to the Battleship Texas Foundation with the caveat that it would be placed in a location with good tourist traffic. The foundation announced the plan to move to Galveston with 3+ million cruise ship passengers annually. The foundation undertook a major fund-raising program and secured sponsorship from several sources, including a major hospitality company. The Texas should open to the public later this year or early next. The Texas example should be learned by any organization seeking to run a museum ship

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Saw this article - Sad…

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There is always $ if it is important to enough people. Zuckerberg’s $300 million yacht is in Seattle this week and it’s a behemoth. If people that can build a $300 million vanity yacht wanted to keep the Hornet around bad enough, they could certainly donate to the museum/restoration project.

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Ed, thanks for that great reply. I live in Houston but you said it better than I could! Yes, the Battleship Texas is closed for now and is undergoing repair. I believe they finally found a home for it in Galveston, at Pier 13, even thought lots of businesses did not want it in their backyard. For those interested, here is a link to the Battleship Texas Foundation: About | Battleship Texas Foundation

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If you read the article, the move is not a lack of money issue. The organization that owns/runs the boat is doing a great job of raising and earning funds from it. The move is being predicated by the City of Alameda changing an ordinance that limits the number of occupants on the boat which will shut down the lucrative rental of the ship for major events, cutting into their funds greatly. Moving to SF is to keep the money flowing to support the ship.

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Could you imagine if they limited an AMPS show or Nats to 600 people???

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