Restoration efforts of the Iowa-class battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) were completed earlier this year. At the same time, progress continues to be made on the New York-class battleship USS Texas (BB-35) – with the former warship back on the waterfront in Camden, N.J., while the latter will likely be in its new home sometime next year. The efforts to preserve these historic warships have been seen as good news to naval history buffs, and this week comes news that two other significant vessels that saw service in World War II will also undergo restorations.
These are the USS Kidd (DD-661), the only Fletcher-class destroyer in its original World War II configuration, and DD-661’s sister warship USS The Sullivans (DD-537). Though 175 of the class were built between 1942 and 1944, these are two of just four that survive today – with USS Cassin Young (DD-793) now preserved as a museum ship at the Boston Navy Yard, while the former USS Charrette (DD-581) is now maintained as the museum ship Velos (D16) in Athens, Greece.
According to Maritime Executive, both DD-661 and DD-537 are “in desperate need of repair,” as the situation was so bad there were concerns both of these vessels could be lost.
Named for Rear Admiral Issac C. Kidd, who was killed on the bridge of his flagship USS Arizona on December 7, 1941, and became the first U.S. Navy admiral killed in action, the Fletcher-class destroyer saw significant service during World War II, earning eight battle stars and numerous other awards.
USS Kidd was turned to service during the Korean War, earning four additional medals, before being retired and placed in the reserve fleet. As she was never modernized, she is the only warship of her class left intact in her original 1945 configuration. Since 1982, the destroyer has been preserved as a museum ship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. However, because the water levels in the Mississippi River change over the year, she sat afloat in the river half the year and in a dry dock the other half.
That has resulted in significant damage to her hull, and there were concerns in 2022 that the USS Kidd might sink if permanent efforts weren’t taken to repair leaks. DD-661 is now undergoing an $11 million restoration effort in Houman, Louisiana.
In addition to repairs to the hull, the restoration will bring back the crew quarters of the African-American crewmembers who served onboard the destroyer.
Few warships have “The” as part of their name, but DD-537 was named to honor the five Sullivan brothers who volunteered to serve in the U.S. Navy just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and tragically all were killed when their light cruiser USS Juneau (CL-52) was sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942.
USS The Sullivans was the first warship commissioned by the U.S. Navy to honor more than one person, and she has also been preserved as a museum ship – along with the World War II cruiser USS Little Rock (CL-92) – at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, New York.
Time and the elements have been cruel, and in 2022 damage to the hull was so significant the ship began to list. It was announced this week that both USS The Sullivans and the Gato-class submarine USS Croaker (SS-246) will head to dry dock in Lake Erie in September 2025, with a scheduled return in the spring of 2026. New York governor Kathy Hochul has pledged to provide $10 million to the destroyer’s and submarine’s restoration, while local, state, and federal funding will also help ensure the historic warship that honored the brothers will be saved for future generations.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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