>
>On Wednesday, January 6, 1999, LeRoy Marsh of the Military Heritage Foundation
>in Eureka, CA was notified by Glen Clark of NAVSEA that Sterett is no longer up
>for sale as scrap. As a result of a letter writing campaign by former Sterett
>crewmembers and support of numerous members of congress, Sterett is being
placed
>in "available for donation" status for one year.
>
>Military Heritage Foundation (MHF) wants to acquire Sterett as a
>museum/memorial for their city. MHF is establishing a military museum that
will include the
>Sterett and an air museum. MHF is scheduled to visit and inspect Sterett within
>the month of January and will submit formal paperwork to the Navy immediately
>following their visit to Sterett. Normal adoption process takes approximately 6
>months.
>
>MHF is not soliciting money from Sterett crewmembers but is asking for input
>from Sterett sailors as to how to put the ship into showable condition. Who
knows
>the ship better than those who served on her? The restoration process' first
>goal is to restore her profile and topside appearance. This includes replacing
>items such as the 5" gun mount, radar antennas, boats and other items
removed during
>decommissioning.
>
>Interior space renovation will always be an on-going process. A set of
>priorities will be established. Only spaces that would be of tour-group
interest will be
>restored. The targeted spaces so far are the bridge, Ward Room, Crew's Mess and
>the missile room.
>
>Vital to these goals is the retrieval of items from the National Archives and
>from Navy sites. Most of the items needed for Sterett will be obtained via
>surplus programs and by donations. Procurement of surplus equipment will take
>creativity and a lot of diligent searching by a lot of people.
>
>MHF has assured us that the means to obtain financing is already in place but
>the funds will not be available until the business plan is completed and
the Navy
>makes the final award of Sterett to MHF.
>
>The USS Sterett Association was formed in 1998 by the crewmen of the Sterett.
>The USS Sterett Association is a non-profit organization registered in the
State
>of Colorado and is in no way fiscally or legally affiliated with the Military
>Heritage Foundation. The primary goal of the USS Sterett Association is to
promote
>camaraderie between former crewmembers and perpetuate regular reunions. This
>newly formed association is soliciting membership applications. The forms
may be
>found on the Sterett web page or by writing Elden Miller at 15910 E. Union
Ave.;
>Aurora, Colorado: 80015.
>
>Keep your eyes on the Sterett web page at http://www2.netcom.com/~egmiller for
>the latest Sterett information.
>
===
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