A trip to Patriots Point in Charleston South Carolina is well worth the trip if for no other reason to see the neglect of three warriors. Oh yes, the mighty Yorktown (actually the Bonne Homme Richard and re-commissioned as the Yorktown) is the show piece of Patriots Point. Money and upkeep are readily spent to keep the main attraction ready to welcome visitors. There was a time when there were three others ships of the line you could visit, but recently it is my understanding they have been closed to the public because they are sinking.
These three ships while not as physically impressive as the Yorktown but whose history and survival are important to our understanding of U. S. Naval History are the USS Laffey DD 724, USS Clamagore SS 343, and the USCGC Ingham WHEC 35 and whose collective history spans World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War.
So why would a ground pounder, hairy knuckled, Army Infantryman care about these three ships, because in the case of the Laffey my father-in-law Rod Morgan (Senior Chief Petty Officer, USNR RET) served aboard the Laffey in the 1950’s. In the case of the USCGC Ingham my brother Lee (Lieutenant, USCG RET) served aboard the Ingham in the early 1980’s. I have no connection to the USS Clamagore, except it is an old warrior who deserves better.
All three are dying a slow death of neglect. Two years ago, I travelled with my father-in-law Rod Morgan and two of his friends to participate in a work party aboard the Laffey. That weekend we were joined by many veterans of the Laffey and of Tin Can Navy, who love that ship and who gave their time to keep it repaired and worthy. Unfortunately all their loving care cannot save it from the wear and tear of time. The hull of the Laffey was replaced several years ago except along the keel, today the rot caused by salt water is slowly eating holes in the bottom of the Laffey along the keel. It is slowly dying, a slow death of drowning, and yes Patriots Point is taking steps to fix it, but it will be a cosmetic fix, that will not reverse its death spiral.
As for the Ingham, as one looks at its hull at the waterline, one will notice that it has gapping holes in its hull caused by the rot of salt water. I do not know what Patriots Point is doing for the Ingham but I suspect nothing. The Ingham and its sister ship the Taney (which can be seen at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore) were commissioned in the 1930’s, both saw action in World War II, in fact the Taney was at Pearle Harbor, both saw action in Korea, Vietnam, and well into the 1980s. When my brother was on board the Ingham in the 1980’s it was on the frontlines of our War on Drugs. An old warrior, with a grand history is being allowed, like the Laffey and Clamagore to die a slow death.
Not all ships need to be preserved, let us face the facts, but these three ships the Laffey, the Ingham, and Clamagore each represent a portion of our Naval History, which should not be forgotten. While not as impressive as the Yorktown, which is the centerpiece of Patriot Point, they each offer an insight into ships whose service was just as important and just as valorous as the Yorktown.
What can be done, I am not sure, but I think that those, who like myself value our history, should contact Patriot Point and urge them to take care of all their assets and not just the Yorktown. One could even go further and write the Governor of South Carolina and suggest that perhaps some of the stimulus money he doesn’t want to fix up these ships.
Something must be done and soon, otherwise the fate of these three ships will be sealed and the only course will be the scrap yard as they will be too far-gone to be saved.
