09/06/2024
An update on the ship from OHPS via Admiral Reilly:
Dear HALYBURTON Shipmates,
Not sure where the time between our January 2024 update and this one has gone -- happy summer vacation time to everyone!
I have not reached out these past months frankly because the Oliver Hazard Perry Shipyard (OHPS) is still awaiting a reply from NAVSEA’s Inactive Ships Office (SEA-21I) organization regarding their Ship Donation Program Phase II Application supplemental submission they provided back in late October 2023.
SEA-21I understandably is very busy these days and their workload is increasing as evidenced by the navy’s FY25 Presidential Budget (FY25 PRESBUD) Operations and Maintenance, Navy (OMN) submission covering their portfolio (first attachment). In that budget exhibit you will see that the navy is requesting a program increase that takes their annual budget from $302M up to over $1B, reflecting the expected increase in workload associated with the navy’s ship decommissioning plans. Sadly, those include the mooring of four decommissioned LCS warships in Philadelphia where HALYBURTON is kept.
This increased staffing demand signal may be one of many reasons why SEA-21I has needed so much time to staff OHPS’ latest application submission. That said, probably the main reason behind SEA-21I’s delay has to do with OHPS’ request that they be provided Phase II conditional approval that would allow OHPS to proceed with their program whose schedule that falls well outside of the navy’s existing ship donation program application requirements. We do, however, expect news soon.
In other developments, OHPS continues to keep the city of Erie and its residents informed through a communications strategy that includes regular local media coverage. Part of this effort included Erie News Now’s Mike Ruzzi travelling to North Carolina earlier this year to interview our shipmate, Porter Halyburton. Mike profiled Porter’s story in an exclusive half hour show this past Memorial Day:
https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/50840142/vietnam-pow-the-focus-of-memorial-day-special
Vietnam P.O.W. The Focus of Memorial Day Special - Erie News Now | WICU and WSEE in Erie, PA
Another tidbit to pass on that falls into the “we could not make this up if we tried” category has to do with the April 6, 2024, total eclipse. Erie’s location had the city falling inside of the primary path of the eclipse, referred to as the “path of totality.” As you can imagine, thousands flocked to the city as the cost of hotel rooms tripled.
The Secretary of the Navy’s Chief of Staff Mr. Christopher Diaz was one of many visitors to Erie for the eclipse, joining a local veteran there who is a friend of his. Mr. Diaz had an opportunity to learn more about Erie and its maritime heritage. His local acquaintance had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Diaz about OHPS who found him well informed about the effort to bring FFG-40 to the city. Mr. Diaz’s SES bio is attached and his time in the navy includes serving as a Navy Corpsman, another good coincidence given FFG-40’s namesake.
We are also happy to report that another FFG-40 crewmember, Andrew Barrett, recently contacted OHPS through its website to inquire about the project. Andrew resides in HALYBURTON’s former home port of Charleston, SC where he serves as the volunteer coordinator for the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum that some of us may have visited when we served aboard FFG-40 in the “Low Country.”
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum - Charleston Harbor, SC - Patriots Point
Rob has connected with Andrew who has offered to share his experiences running Patriots Point’s volunteer organization, its procedures, and processes with OHPS. His invaluable insights can go a long way in helping OHPS with establishing and ramping up its volunteer workforce, a key factor in the success of any naval ship museum.
Finally, we want to congratulation HALYBURTON’s third Commanding Officer Lou Giannotti on his recent retirement. Lou’s service to the navy spans five decades, both on active duty and on the faculty of the Naval Academy. Lou’s dedication to duty was recently profiled in the latest issue of the Naval Academy’s SHIPMATE alumni magazine (third attachment).
As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments and we will get out the word as soon as we hear from OHPS that they have any news from SEA-21I to pass on.
All the best, Rob
Rob Reilly
The USS Halyburton was named after a family relative.
U.S.S. Halyburton Bi-Annual Reunion information, photos, and remembrances (also known as sea stories) . Email: [email protected]
