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What’s needed to Preserve and Celebrate Mississippi’s Maritime Heritage?

Mississippi Maritime & Warship Museum

I hardily endorse the concept of the Maritime Museum for

Mississippi in my hometown of Pascagoula.  My father worked at the Ingalls Shipyard and I have known all my life about the maritime history of that community.

 The history of the area is much more than shipbuilding.  It has

included the seafood industry, water borne traffic such as lumber, and port activities.  The Port of Pascagoula always had ships docked from all over the world in areas as diverse as produce and energy.

 But the greatest of all has been the quality and quantity of ships

built here for the United States Navy.  Since before World War II we have built hundreds of ships for the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, and we still do! We also have NOAA’s Marine Laboratory, one of the world’s finest for marine research. In addition, many ships named after Mississippi cities and counties have been built at the other shipyards. 

 There is broad and enthusiastic support for such a museum in

Jackson County.  We should preserve this part of our history and it would be a huge tourist attraction. This project has my support and I hope to be involved as it moves forward.

 Sincerely 

Trent LottFormer U.S. Senator

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February 15th, 2012

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USS LEE COUNTY LST-888USS LINCOLN COUNTY LST-898USS MARION COUNTY LST-975USS MONROE COUNTY LST-1038USS MONTGOMERY COUNTY - 1048USS STONE COUNTY LST-1141USS TALLAHATCHIE COUNTY LST-1153 USS DE SOTO COUNTY LST-1171

USS Vicksburg

The “County” LSTs

Mississippi Namesakes

USS BENTON COUNTY LST-263USS CALHOUN COUNTY LST-519 USS CLARKE COUNTY LST-601USS HOLMES COUNTY LST-836 USS JEFFERSON COUNTY LST-845USS KEMPER COUNTY LST-854 USS LAFAYETTE COUNTY LST-859USS LAWRENCE COUNTY LST-887 4

1898 1944 Today

Mississippi Builds America’s Ships

Dierks-BlodgetDantzlerHodgesInternational ShipyardVT Halter MarineIngalls

World War IWorld War IIKoreaVietnamCold WarGulf WarsWar on TerrorismExploration & Science

Proud Mississippians

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…build ‘em

… fight‘em

… are honored by them

The Gulf CoastMilitary Trail

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Mississippi Ship Connection

2012 Reunions 

USS Boxer LHD-4(03/24/2012 - 03/24/2012)

USS Paul F Foster (04/26/2012 - 04/29/2012)

Nicholson DD 982 Reunion (05/17/2012 - 05/20/2012)

USS SAN DIEGO (05/17/2012 - 05/20/2012)

USS Wasp LHD-1 (05/18/2012 - 05/20/2012)

USS Kiska 2012 Reunion (06/01/2012 - 06/05/2012)

USS Iwo Jima LPH2 & LHD7 Shipmates (06/06/2012 - 06/10/2012)

USS Tarawa LHA-1 and CVA-40 (08/01/2012 - 08/03/2012)

Destroyer Leader Association (09/10/2012 - 09/13/2012)

USS Markab (09/26/2012 - 09/30/2012)

Return to DD-967 (01/01/2019 - 01/01/2019)

USS Mississippi CGN40 Reunion 2012 (06/01/2012 - 06/03/2012)

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Flint Shasta Mount Baker Kiska Tripoli Cleveland Dubuque Tarawa Saipan Belleau Wood Nassau Peleliu Wasp Essex Kearsarge Boxer Bataan Bonhomme Richard Iwo Jima Makin Island America Vernon County Wahkiakum County Waldo County Walworth County Washoe County Thomaston Plymouth Rock Fort Snelling Point Defiance Spiegel Grove Alamo Hermitage Monticello

Anchorage Inchon Blueback Sculpin Snook Barb Dace Haddock Tautog Aspro Puffer Pogy William H. Bates Tunny Parche Iowa Wisconsin Ticonderoga Yorktown Vincennes Valley Forge Bunker Hill Mobile Bay Antietam Leyte Gulf San Jacinto Lake Champlain Princeton Chancellorsville Chosin Hue City Anzio Vicksburg Cape St. George

Vella Gulf Port Royal Morton Parsons Spruance Paul F. Foster Kinkaid Hewitt Elliott Arthur W. Radford Peterson Caron David R. Ray Oldendorf John Young Comte de Grasse O'Brien Merrill Briscoe Stump Conolly Moosbrugger John Hancock Nicholson John Rodgers Leftwich Cushing Harry W. Hill O'Bannon Thorn Deyo Ingersoll Fife Fletcher

Kidd Callaghan Scott Chandler Hayler John Barry/Barry Stout Mitscher Russell Ramage Stethem Benfold Cole Milius Ross McFaul Porter Roosevelt Lassen Bulkeley Shoup Preble Mustin Pinckney Chung-Hoon James E. Williams Halsey Forrest Sherman Kidd Truxton Dewey Gravely William P. Lawrence Rigel

Vega Glacier San Antonio New Orleans Mesa Verde Green Bay New York San Diego Anchorage Arlington Somerset John P. Murtha Bertholf Waesche Stratton Munro James Stone Midgett Kimball Monitor Montauk Osage Saugus Holland Canopus Pocomoke Lyon Markab Arther Middleton Samuel Chase George Clymer George W. Goethals Henry Gibbons

David C. Shanks Fred C. Ainsworth Monitor Montauk Galilea Osage Saugus Custer Du Page Elmore Fayette Fremont Henrico Leon Knox Lamar Aegir Anthedon Apollo Clytie Burleigh Dade Mendocino Montour Riverside Griggs Westmoreland Grundy Guilford Sitka

Mississippi-built Navy Ships

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ECONOMIC IMPACT

• TOURISM Independent economic feasibility study showed a potential of 60,000+ visitors per year to Mississippi

• JOBSJobs created for Mississippi citizens during construction with long term jobs for museum staff

• REVENUEOpportunity for hotels, restaurants and retail stores with resulting increased sales taxes

• COMMUNITYproject compliments the City of Pascagoula’s river front development and Mississippi tourism efforts

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WHERE WE ARE TODAY

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Mississippi Maritime and Warship Museum

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conceptual drawing museum building

Proposed (interim) Museum Site Old Pascagoula High School

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Mississippi Maritime MuseumPascagoula, Mississippi

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300 Years of

MARITIME Legacy

Mississippi Maritime & Warship Museum

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The Mississippi Maritime and Warship Museum’s mission is to preserve and promote naval and maritime history for the benefit of community, business and government.

• Phase I will provide a 30,000 sq. ft. museum to preserve and commemorate Mississippi, Jackson County, & Pascagoula’s 300 years of shipbuilding history.

• Phase 2 will see the US Navy’s first Aegis Class Cruiser, USS Ticonderoga CG 47, brought to Pascagoula’s Singing River and established as a U.S. Naval museum, learning center and attraction for future generations.

MISSION

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2010 Activities

• February Visit to MS State Legislature

• March Visit to U.S. Military Museum at Camp ShelbyContacted USM’s History, Anthropology & Archive

Departments

• May Visited Washington DC to brief our congressional representatives and their staffs and the Secretary of the

Navy

• June Received an economic feasibility report from Resources Development, LLC

• August Hosted a community social to build local awareness and support

• September Visited three of our State of Mississippi Museums17

• February Briefed State Tourism Committees on progress to date Met USM faculty and Dept. Heads to discuss joint efforts for

archiving local artifacts and established a cooperative Memorandum of Understanding

• August Hosted a community social to build local awareness and support

• Grants Started researching and applying for various grants, established contact with Senator Cochran’s office for grant notices

• Monthly Board meetings

• Quarterly General Membership Meetings

• Membership 187 Local Members

• Visited USS Midway, San Diego, California 18

2011 Activities

THE FIRST STEPS

• Completed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with USM to assist in developing the interim museum’s historical artifacts, data collection, archiving, and developing a theme video

• Contacted MSU School of Architecture and received verbal commitment for support of museum’s architectural design and project support.

• Continued discussions on the Terms of our Leasing Agreement with the Secretary of State for Lowery Island on the Pascagoula River

• Submitted SCOPE Document to the City of Pascagoula to secure a planning grant for both Lowery Island and the interim museum sites

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• Continue to fulfill Navy requirements and obligations as outlined in the NAVSEA INSTRUCTION 4520.1B NAVY SHIP DONATION PROGRAM MANUAL

• Increase public relations activities and begin acquisition of donated memorabilia.

• Acquiring interim Museum Space and workshop/storage facilities, with efforts to secure the PHS Math & Science Buildings

• Continue to work on acquiring Grant Funding

• Seek input from Mississippi House & Senate Committees

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THE NEXT STEPS

Proposed 200’x100’ (2 story building )Proposed 1st floor elevation = 13’Two gangplanks from the 2nd floor

USS Ticonderoga (CG-47)

NORTH

HWY

90

Public marina with 77 slipsPrivate marina with 24 slips30 residential townhouses

Wink Engineering’s

Lowry Island Site Concept

Wink Engineering’s

Conceptual Concept of Museum Building

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Mississippi GI Museum Gautier, MS Mississippi Armed Forces Museum Camp Shelby, MS Tupelo National Battlefield Tupelo, MS Veteran's Memorial Project Natchez, MS Vicksburg National Military Park Vicksburg, MS

Louisiana 8th Air Force Museum Barksdale AFB, LA Jean Lafitte Park New Orleans, LA The Confederate Museum New Orleans, LA The National WWII Museum New Orleans, LA USS Kidd Baton Rouge, LA Aviation Museum Patterson, LA.

Florida Camp Blanding Museum Starke, FL Civil War Soldiers Museum Pensacola, FL Florida Military Aviation Museum Clearwater, FL Flying Tigers Warbird Museum Kissimmee, FL International Sport Aviation Museum Lakeland, FL National Museum of Naval Aviation Pensacola, Florida SS American Victory Tampa, FL UDT SEAL Museum Ft. Pierce, FL USAF Armament Museum Eglin Air Force Base, FL Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum Titusville, FL Weeks Air Museum Miami, FL

Alabama Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall Maxwell AFB, AL Army Aviation Museum Fort Rucker, AL Southern Museum of Flight Birmingham, AL Warrant Officer Museum Fort Rucker, AL US Space and Rocket Center Huntsville, AL USS Alabama Mobile, AL 36601 US Army Aviation Museum Fort Rucker Ozark, AL

Arkansas Arkansas Air Museum Fayetteville, AR Arkansas National Guard Museum Little Rock, AR

Georgia Andersonville National Historic Site Andersonville, GA Fort Frederica National Monument St. Simons Island, GA Fort Pulaski Savannah, GA Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum Pooler, GA Museum of Aviation Warner Robins AFB, GA National Infantry Museum Fort Benning, GA Columbus Civil War Naval Center Columbus, GA Signal Regiment Museum Fort Gordon, GA St. Marys Submarine Museum St. Marys, GA

Texas 1st Cavalry Division Museum Fort Hood, TX American Airpower Museum Midland, Texas Battleship USS Texas La Porte, Texas Cavanaugh Flight Museum Addison, TX Flight of the Phoenix Museum Gilmer, Texas Fort Bliss Museum Fort Bliss, TX Frontiers of Flight Museum Dallas, TX Fort Sam Houston Museum Fort Sam Houston, TX Lone Star Flight Museum Galveston, TX Military Museum of Texas Houston, Texas American G.I. Museum College Station, TX

Silent Wings Museum Terrell, Texas South Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation Orange, TX Southwest Aerospace Museum Fort Worth TX Texas Air Museum Rio Hondo, TX Texas Military Forces Museum Austin, TX US Army Medical Museum Fort Sam Houston, TX US Army NCO Museum Biggs Army Airfield (El Paso), TX USS Cavalla Galveston, TX USS Lexington Corpus Christi, Texas Vintage Flying Museum Fort Worth TX National Museum of the Pacific War Fredericksburg TX

Military Museumsin the

Southern States

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