USS Orleck Naval Museum is a WWII-era destroyer (DD886) that entered the US Navy fleet in 1945 and now serves as a museum ship in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Built in 1945 by Consolidated Steel Shipbuilding in Orange, Texas, the USS ORLECK DD886 was launched into the Sabine River on 12 May 1945, and entered duty on 15 September. She served proudly in Korea and Vietnam, earning many prestigious awards and citations for participation in battle and service to her country, including four battle stars earned during the Korean Conflict. She was decommissioned in 1982, transferred to the Turkish government, renamed the TCG YUCETEPE, and served the Turkish Navy in the Persian Gulf in 1991. Turkey donated the ship to the Southeast Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation (SETWMHF) in 1999 to serve as a museum ship. She returned to her original berth in Orange by tow 11 August 2000 where she served as a museum ship until Hurricane Rita resulted in the loss of her berth.
The USSONM, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 corporation (Federal Tax ID 90-0507764) established in 2009, towed the ship from Orange, Texas, to Lake Charles 19-20 May 2010. SETWMFH transferred the ORLECK to USSONM by act of donation on 22 June 2010, and volunteers are preparing her for the April 2011 opening at her temporary berth on the Calcasieu River at 604 North Enterprise Blvd. Local businesses and industries have provided much needed in-kind services and material (parking lot material, paint, sheet metal, dozers, etc.), allowing our volunteers to make significant progress in getting the ship ready for visitors.
The USS ORLECK DD886 is indeed a National treasure. With your help and support we will accomplish our mission of remembering and honoring those who served to secure our freedoms, historical preservation of the USS ORLECK and US Navy legacies, and educating adults and children alike through interpretive, social, and recreational programs.
To establish the destroyer known as USS Orleck DD886, docked at Lake Charles, Louisiana, as a lasting memorial to honor the men and women of our nation’s Armed Forces; to preserve the history created by the crews who served on the USS Orleck and other U.S. Navy ships; to educate younger generations on the sacrifices made by these individuals to ensure the freedoms we enjoy today through educational, historical, and interpretive programs and experiences for adults and children of all ages; and to establish a first class tourist attraction, and educational and recreational resource for visitors from throughout the United States and other countries.
