JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The USS Orleck, which moved from the Hyatt Regency downtown to the Shipyards West area earlier this month, has finally been freed from the mud.
When the Orleck first arrived at Shipyards West on April 3 -- after being moved by several tugboats -- there was a delay in getting it docked because the ship’s rudder became stuck in the mud.
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Workers were able to move the massive warship after about 90 minutes, but it wasn’t exactly where they wanted it to be.
More than three weeks later, News4JAX has learned, the Orleck is finally out of the mud and closer to the pier. Electricity has been connected and work has already begun to prepare the warship to be part of its permanent home in the Museum District.
The Orleck had been docked outside the Hyatt Regency downtown for more than a year before it was moved near Bay Street.
News4JAX learned Wednesday that officials hope to have a soft opening for the public, allowing people back on the ship, in mid-May with a grand reopening on Memorial Day.
They have also renamed the pier where the ship is now docked. Instead of Pier 1, it will now be referred to as the Navy Pier.
The city is working on the area as well, improving access to parking and the ship.
The warship was converted to a museum and moved to Jacksonville from Texas at a cost of a little more than $2 million.
When the Orleck first arrived in Jacksonville, it had to dock at a temporary home in front of the Hyatt Regency in March 2022. Since then, more than 35,000 visitors have come to tour the warship museum, making it a downtown fixture.
But the warship was never meant to stay in front of the Hyatt, and the city and the Downtown Investment Authority worked to prepare the infrastructure to dock the ship 0.5 miles away at the Museum District, also known as the Shipyards West, across from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
RELATED: USS Orleck’s move to its new home delayed again
The Jacksonville Fire Museum has already found its way to the Museum District along Bay Street. Last March, crews used a large dolly to carry the entire building from its old spot across from TIAA Bank Field.
The entire area is a part of the city’s bigger plan to revamp Jacksonville’s look.
Last month, the Downtown Investment Authority met to look at some preliminary designs for the space for the district. Currently, those plans call for a food hall along Bay Street, a boardwalk, green space and other additions.
The City Council recently approved a 40-year lease plan for a new facility to house the Museum of Science and History (MOSH) in that area.
It also calls for a pier for the USS Orleck, which is the most decorated post-World War II ship as it fought in the Korean, Vietnam and Cold War periods.
Another possible change has to do with the site of the former Jacksonville Landing. Developers want to add a $2 million speaker and video system at Riverfront Plaza to project movies or videos on the side of the performing arts center.
There are also plans for a new Four Seasons hotel near the Jaguars stadium.