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USS Orleck

USS Orleck (DD-886), is a Gearing-class destroyer that was in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1982. In October 1982 she was sold to Turkey and renamed Yücetepe (D 345). After her final decommissioning the Turkish government transferred Yücetepe to the Southeast Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation at Orange, Texas, where she was berthed as a museum ship. The Orleck Foundation then decided to move the ship to the Calcasieu River in Lake Charles, Louisiana. On 26 March 2022, she arrived in Jacksonville, FL, where she served as a Naval Museum on the downtown riverfront until 3 April 2023, when she docked to its permanent home at the Shipyards West.

USS Orleck in July 1965.
History
United States
NameOrleck
NamesakeJoseph Orleck
BuilderConsolidated Steel Corporation
Laid down28 November 1944
Launched12 May 1945
Commissioned15 September 1945
Decommissioned1 October 1982
Stricken6 August 1987
Identification
Honors and
awards		4 battle stars (Korea)
FateTransferred to Turkey, 1 October 1982
Badge
Turkey
NameYücetepe
NamesakeYücetepe
Acquired1 October 1982
IdentificationHull number: D 345
FateReturned to the USA, 12 August 2000
StatusMuseum ship in Jacksonville, Florida
General characteristics
Class and typeGearing-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 2,616 long tons (2,658 t) standard
  • 3,460 long tons (3,516 t) full
Length390 ft 6 in (119.02 m)
Beam40 ft 10 in (12.45 m)
Draft14 ft 4 in (4.37 m)
Propulsion
  • General Electric geared turbines
  • 4 boilers
  • 2 shafts
  • 60,000 shp (45 MW)
Speed36.8 knots (68.2 km/h; 42.3 mph)
Range4,500 nmi (8,300 km) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement336
Armament

Namesake

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Joseph Orleck was born on 22 January 1906 in Columbus, Ohio. He enlisted in the Navy on 23 June 1924. Rising through the enlisted ranks, he was warranted Boatswain on 14 December 1938, and appointed Ensign on 15 June 1942. He assumed command of USS Nauset on 28 May 1943 with the rank of Lieutenant. He went down with his ship after a Luftwaffe bomber attack in the Gulf of Salerno on 9 September 1943. A recipient of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for rescue work during the Casablanca invasion, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his firefighting and flood control efforts to prevent total loss of his ship during the Salerno assault.

Construction and commissioning

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Orleck was laid down by the Consolidated Steel Corporation at Orange, Texas, on 28 November 1944, launched on 12 May 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph Orleck, widow of Lieutenant Orleck, and commissioned on 15 September 1945. Her original cost was US$6,313,000.

Service history

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United States Navy (1945–1982)

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On 14 November 1947, Orleck collided with the submarine USS Bugara (SS-331) while Bugara was making a submerged practice attack against her in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California.[1]

 
Orleck in heavy seas, 1950s.

Orleck operated with the United States Seventh Fleet in support of United Nations forces during the Korean War.

Orleck underwent an extensive FRAM I overhaul in 1962.

On 7 June 1965, Orleck assisted in the recovery of the Gemini IV space capsule.

During the Vietnam War, Orleck served as plane guard for aircraft carriers on "Yankee Station" in the Gulf of Tonkin, participated in "Operation Sea Dragon", patrolled on search and rescue duties, and carried out naval gunfire support missions.

Orleck was decommissioned on 1 October 1982 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 6 August 1987.

Turkish Navy (1982–2000)

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Orleck was transferred to Turkey for service in the Turkish Navy. She was renamed TCG Yücetepe (D 345) in Turkish service.

Museum ship (since 2000)

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On 12 August 2000, the Turkish government transferred Yücetepe to the Southeast Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation at Orange, Texas, for use as a memorial and museum under her old name, USS Orleck.

When Hurricane Rita struck the Texas coast in September 2005, Orleck was severely damaged. After repairs, Orleck was ready to return to her pier at Ochiltree-Inman Park; however, the City of Orange refused to allow her to return. Orleck was temporarily relocated to Levingston Island, then moored north of Orange Harbor Island.

On 6 May 2009, the Lake Charles, Louisiana, City Council voted in favor of an ordinance authorizing the city to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with USS Orleck. On 20 May 2010 it moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana. The grand opening in Lake Charles occurred on 10 April 2011. In 2019, the ship was either going to be moved, sunk, or scrapped; however, the museum remained operational.

In 2019, following the failure of the USS Adams Association and the Jacksonville Naval Museum to acquire the USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) as a museum ship in Jacksonville, Florida, it was proposed to acquire Orleck and move her to the proposed berth that was obtained for the Charles F. Adams. The USS Adams Association studied Orleck and deemed that she would survive the tow from Lake Charles to Jacksonville.

 
Museum ship USS Orleck aground after Hurricane Rita in 2005.

On 30 August 2019, the Jacksonville Naval Museum announced that the transfer of Orleck to Jacksonville has been approved and are waiting on finalizing plans with the Jacksonville city council.[2]

In February 2020, the move to Jacksonville was confirmed. She would remain open in Lake Charles until 1 March 2020, before closing in preparation for an inspection by the US Coast Guard for towing to dry dock in Texas for repairs before making the tow to Jacksonville.[3]

The tow to Jacksonville was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. She broke loose from her mooring in the Calcasieu River during Hurricane Laura, drifting a mile down stream before drifting aground with some damage.[4]

In August 2021, the Jacksonville City Council unanimously approved the ship to be moored in downtown Jacksonville.[5]

In December 2021, she was towed from Lake Charles, Louisiana to Port Arthur, Texas to be drydocked.[6] Over the next few weeks she was deemed to be in much better shape than expected and restoration work was done which extended the ship's life by 15 years.[7]

On 11 January 2022, ownership was officially transferred to the museum association in preparation for its tow and set-up in Jacksonville.

With restoration work completed, she passed all inspections by the US Coast Guard, on 17 March 2022, she left Port Arthur, Texas under tow to Jacksonville.[8]

She arrived in Jacksonville on 26 March 2022[9] and officially opened on 5 October 2022.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Bugara (SS-331) 1943-1971". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Jacksonville Naval Museum on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022.[user-generated source]
  3. ^ "Historic ship to be part of naval museum". Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  4. ^ Joseph, Ashley (2 October 2020). "USS Orleck battered but not broken by Hurricane Laura, director explains future plans for the ship". KALB-TV. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  5. ^ Mendenhall, Mike (10 August 2021). "City Council approves agreement for USS Orleck museum". Jacksonville Daily Record. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021.
  6. ^ "USS Orleck enters dry dock at Port Arthur". 21 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Hope floats: USS Orleck passes test, nearly ready for trip to Jacksonville to become museum ship".
  8. ^ "USS Orleck departs Texas, begins voyage to Jacksonville". 18 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Photos: Scenes from the arrival of the Navy Destroyer USS Orleck in Jacksonville".
  10. ^ Farrar, Aaron (5 October 2022). "USS Orleck opens in Jacksonville". News4JAX. WJXT Television 4. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
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