Sneak peek inside: Modern Navy helps get USS Orleck ship-shape for new Jacksonville museum duty

Job one was to move what Navy Talent Acquisition Group Jacksonville members called a very big "typewriter" from one part of the USS Orleck to another.

It was actually a teletype machine used to relay printed messages to ships when the Navy destroyer was on active duty during the Vietnam and Korean wars.

"That 2,000-pound typewriter that was a task. But that was pretty cool," said Petty Officer 1st Class Duane Lee on the soon-to-be floating museum on Jacksonville's Northbank. "We set up a couple of tents and we did a couple of sweepers to make sure the ship was clean. Anything they asked us to do, we pretty much did it."

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Heeding the call from the Jacksonville Naval Museum for volunteers, current and retired military spent June 10 on board the 77-year-old destroyer making the storied 390-foot warship ship-shape for the city's bicentennial the next day.

"I've just been helping out wherever needed, doing a lot of moving chairs and rearranging, and a lot of preservation," said Petty Officer 1st Class Juan Hall.

Sweating through his T-shirt as he took a break on the cramped bridge, museum treasurer and ship manager Craig Bernat said he appreciated the help from the sailors, some hammering at a recalcitrant bolt on a nearby hatchway.

"When we pulled the ship in here [in late March], I was worried about me being the only volunteer," said Bernat, a recruiter when he was in the Navy. "But then everybody showed up the first weekend we asked for volunteers and we had almost 30 people. Every few days we have a bunch of active-duty Navy showing up. If it hadn't been for them, I tell you we would not be where we are today."

The June 10 volunteer efforts also served as the media's first peek inside the Orleck.

Historic Navy ship docked in downtown Jacksonville

Docked for now outside the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront at 225 E. Coastline Drive, the ship nicknamed "The Grey Ghost of the Vietnam Coast" when it saw duty during that 1960s conflict has a long and colorful history.

Launched in 1945 at a cost of $6.3 million, it operated as part of the Navy's 7th Fleet during the Korean War. It underwent extensive renovations in 1962, then did duty during the Vietnam War. The ship earned 18 Battle Stars — four during Korea and 14 in Vietnam, where it held the record of firing more rounds in support of ground troops than any ship in the Navy.

It later served as a training ship and appeared in the TV miniseries "Winds of War." Its last active duty was in the Turkish Navy from 1982 to 2000, renamed the TCG Yücetepe. In fact, the huge bridge status board on the Orleck, as well as some other equipment, are still in the Turkish language and will remain as part of the destroyer's history, Bernat said.

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The Orleck became a floating museum in 2000 in Orange, Texas, then was moved in 2010 to Lake Charles, La., as part of another waterfront attraction. The ship then sat unused for three years before ownership was transferred in 2019 to the Jacksonville Naval Museum.

In late March, it was towed from Port Arthur, Texas, to get some hull repairs done, then brought to its current downtown St. Johns River mooring site for initial renovation into a museum.

Volunteers making Orleck ship-shape

Just because it has served as a museum in recent years does not mean the Orleck is ready to handle daily visitors yet, Bernat said.

"Unfortunately they did not have the volunteer crew to come on board and do the work," he said of the Orleck's last homeport. "You had one or two people trying to maintain this 390-foot vessel and it doesn't work that way. So we have been working on that right now."

The museum is raising money for necessities like Navy-grade gray paint as it asks for volunteers to help prepare the ship for museum duties. On June 10 the Navy recruiters joined others in last-minute painting, securing of hatchways and cleaning up in preparation for June 11 bicentennial celebrations. That is all part of the regular museum cleanup and renovations, moving methodically from compartment to compartment.

"It's getting the spaces all cleaned up top to bottom, preserving them and getting rid of the rust best we can, then move onto the next space," Bernat said. "There are no rats, mice or pigeons aboard this ship. Cobwebs, I am sure there are, and dust balls, that's what we are cleaning up."

The Navy's recruiting team volunteered when Chief Youdline Adam saw a Facebook notice asking for help and said it would be a good opportunity "to come and give back." She has served nine of her 14 years of duty on modern Navy ships, and it was great to see what those who served before her worked and lived on.

"I thought this was a good opportunity to see the different equipment and see how the Navy has evolved over time," she said. "This is a destroyer, and I used to be stationed on one, so I got to see the difference in equipment and operations."

The ship also is a great recruiting tool for a large district like Jacksonville, Bernat said.

"We also have retired Navy, Army and Marines helping us out, plus civilians," he added. "We have companies who have volunteer hours and give us a call."

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Many of the recruitment team agreed that seeing the classic ship has been interesting comparing similarities as well as differences between the Navy now and then.

"It's just the structure, the way it's built," Adam said. "It is different, like any ship you go on."

"It's totally amazing to see how those who went before us worked, slept and how they used manual labor pretty much to do their job day in and day out," added Lee. "It brings into perspective how far the Navy has grown. But at the same time, most things haven't really changed."

A new home, a new purpose

The Orleck will stay at its temporary berth for a few months as work is completed on a pier, restrooms and ticket office on the Shipyards property further up East Bay Street. Volunteers were painting the chartroom aft of the bridge during The Times-Union's visit as others worked on hatchways, cleared out boxes and packed up old gear for storage or reuse.

The Orleck will eventually move to a new downtown museum district in the Shipyards site between TIAA Bank Field and the Berkman Plaza. It will join historic Fire Station No. 3, just moved to that 620 E. Bay St. site, ultimately to be joined by the planned new $85 million-plus Museum of Science and History.

No date for the move and opening as a museum ship has been set yet.

dscanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549

Join the (volunteer) crew

The Jacksonville Naval Museum continues to seek volunteers to help in cleaning up, painting and preparing the USS Orleck for its public opening. Along with that work, the museum will need volunteer tour guides, ticket takers and greeters to help open and close the exhibit and handle the gift shop, as well as maintenance support, social media and fundraising. 

To sign up to volunteer, go to jaxnavalmuseum.org and click on "Volunteer."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Volunteers help get USS Orleck ship-shape for Jacksonville museum duty