JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This weekend, there will be some changes along downtown Jacksonville’s riverfront as two museums make their way downtown.
The USS Orleck is expected to arrive Saturday. The old destroyer will be a naval museum.
The ship began its voyage to the River City last week after spending its preservation period at the Gulf Copper and Manufacturing Corporation in Port Arthur, Texas. To track the progress of the ship as it makes its way to Jacksonville, visit jaxnavalmuseum.org.
🌞Hello there beautiful! How’s that warm Florida sun feel?
— Jacksonville Naval Museum (@JaxNavalMuseum) March 23, 2022
🚢USS Orleck being towed around the Florida Keys to her future home in @CityofJax
📸: Captain Wallace Milham, onboard Tug Elsbeth III.
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.#jaxnavalmuseum #museum #jacksonville #florida #dtjax #cityofjax #ilovejax pic.twitter.com/NFuFJruZqU
Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Fire Museum is now making a slow trek from its old Kids Kampus spot to its new home near the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office headquarters. It is expected to arrive Saturday morning.
When the move is completed, it will be located near its original location in the early 1900s. The cost of the relocation is $1.2 million. It’s being moved to make way for Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s development of a Four Seasons hotel.
The new location will be a park and museum site, but there is much work and cleanup to be done at that site.
Also in the same area, the USS Orleck will eventually be docked. Justin Weakland of the Jacksonville Naval Museum says this has been a long time coming.
“We have been working on this for 12 years. Previously, it was the Adams, but now we got this great historic ship the Orleck. The second most historic ship afloat is coming here to Jacksonville,” Weakland said.
It’ll take a few more months before it’s open to the public. The dock across JSO headquarters is not ready, so the Orleck will be placed somewhere else along the St. Johns River downtown.
“Our goal is to be opened in June for the Bicentennial, so it will be perfect timing for our city,” Weakland said.
The mayor and others are expected to make an announcement concerning the new museums on Friday. That’s when the location where the Orleck will be temporarily docked downtown is expected to be revealed.
Plus, efforts to restore Friendship Fountain on the Southbank to its former glory are underway. The much-delayed, million-dollar repairs are now nearing completion. On Friday night, it’s expected the city will test out the new water show, returning the fountain to its original splendor and adding other new high-tech touches.
The Friendship Fountain upgrades are expected to be completed in several months.