<font color="red"><b>WE WON THIS BATTLE, BUT A TOUGH WAR REMAINS TO BE WON!</b></font id="red">

<b>Adams will remain on "Donation Hold" per CNO Admiral Mullen, until March 31, 2008. However, by that date we must have an application filed with NAVSEA or Adams will be history.
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We were advised April 17 in a call from NAVSEA that they had a memo from Admiral Mullen (CNO) stating the Adams is to remain on donation hold until March 31, 2008. <b>In addition we were advised Adams was removed from the Strip Ship List before the event took place. </b>

CNO Admiral Mullen, requested a response from us and wanted to know "Why we feel the USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2 should be put back on Donation Hold." We sent our response Sat. April 14 to Admiral Paul Tobin, (Ret). Historic Naval Ships, to personally take it to Admiral Mullen. His response was immediate. He agrees with us and sent a memo to NAVSEA April 17 agreeing to keep Adams on hold.

Over the last several weeks we have had a good response from many ACVA Members who sent Faxes and letters to the CNO, their Congressman and Senators asking they help change the NAVSEA decision to remove Adams from donation hold. A number of those Congressman and Senators contacted the CNO and NAVSEA with calls, letters and inquiries. Some asked the Navy to review why they made this decision or asked that the Adams be held for the ACVA to have more time to locate a city to become a museum ship. We provided sample letters which allowed everyone to revise and fax, email or send their own letters quickly.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who has written letters, sent emails and faxes, made phone calls and said a prayer or two to help ACVA make this happen. We also sent individual letters of thanks to the several Admirals who personally went to the CNO on our behalf.

Now we must work harder to find a location to berth Adams as a museum ship, and raise the necessary funds, looking toward the day when we put the first NEW PAINT on her deck and hull.

We've been advised the biggest issue of concern by NAVSEA and perhaps the CNO is the somewhat unknown current condition of the Adams. <font color="red"><b>Is it still in good enough shape to become a museum ship? </b></font id="red">

We advised the CNO the ACVA was considering retaining a Marine Engineer to go aboard and perform a complete material condition survey, at ACVA expense. We contacted the Marine Engineer we used previously, who is a Marine Engineer NAVSEA holds in high regard. He will agree to perform the survey inspection, for a flat fee of $7100. He says he could probably be ready to conduct the survey quickly. He will need two days minimum on the ship to perform the survey and a minimum of 4 days to work up the results and submit reports to the ACVA and NAVSEA. A survey inspection will answer many questions and provide documentation for the CNO, NAVSEA, ACVA, and potential berth sites to officially know if the ship is still in good enough shape to become a museum ship. The survey report will also serve as initial data for a Donation Application.

ACVA knows we must begin a major fundraising campaign. <b>We currently only have about $5000 in our bank account and we need a quick $2000 to cover the material condition survey. In the longer term, over the next 6 months we feel we need approximately $100,000 to cover the fees to provide an application. In the longer term a total of $5-7 million will be needed to be raised. </b>

The ACVA needs everyone to donate as much as they can and send it quickly for our initial needs. For those who have not yet become an ACVA Plankowner, if you send $25 or more we will assign you ACVA Plankowner status with your own ACVA Plankowner Number. For everyone else you will have our thanks. All donations are tax deductible and 100% goes to acquire the Adams. No one on the ACVA board is paid nor gets expenses.

<b><font color="red">Checks can be made out to "ACVA"</b></font id="red">

Please rush them to:
<b><font color="red">Dave Myerly
5 Bush Road
Denville, New Jersey 07834</b></font id="red">

We are following up on the two locations who submitted "Letters Of Interest" to NAVSEA before the Feb. 7 meeting where NAVSEA decided to remove Adams from Donation Hold, (Gloucester City, NJ and Pineville, LA). In addition we are still talking with other individuals who advised us they are working within their local governments to put together proposals to consider the Adams for their areas, in Toledo, OH, Muscle Shoals, AL, Jacksonville, FL, and several others who are not far along in discussion.

We feel we have a good chance to "SAVE THE ADAMS," but only with your continued support. We only have 11 months to accomplish a huge task - please throw your support behind this effort!

Dave Myerly
ACVA Executive Secretary

ACAV NEWSLETTER

To All ACAV Members, Former Shipmates and Friends, I hope all of you know by now that the former USS ADAMS DDG-2 has been returned to Donation Hold Status at the direction of the CNO, Admiral Mullen a former ADAMS Class Commanding Officer. On April 25 I received a letter from Vice Admiral M. P. Fitzgerald, Director Navy Staff for the CNO, confirming this decision. We now have until March 31,
2008 to find a home for ADAMS and submit an Application for Donation to NAVSEA.
So what to we do now?
Our City Search Team of retired Captains Jim Aldrich (DCA/MPA on DDG-11,
67-70) and Bob Branco (MPA on DDG-
23 68-69, XO on DDG-20 77-79, CO on DDG-2 83-85) are currently investigating the possible berthing of ADAMS in the Jacksonville/Mayport area of Florida. ADAMS was home ported in Mayport for twenty three (23) years. Other members of our ACVA Board are making the rounds once again of existing museums as back up locations. Anyone with connections to any museum that you believe might be interested in adding ADAMS should contact me by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 623-849-9526. ACVA will follow up on all leads. We are still working with some of the cities that we have previously worked with, to see if they can commit to a berth and funding.
Comprehensive Survey Team to visit ADAMS On the morning of May 7, ACVA submitted an Official Request to NAVSEA so that on Monday May 21, marine surveyor Joe Lombardi can conduct a re-survey of ADAMS in order to update the one he conducted a few years ago. Thanks to previous Donations this update has been made possible. Information from the update will help us in our talks with those people we are asking to offer ADAMS a berth.
Not only did ACVA file a Formal Request with NAVSEA to allow Joe Lombardi's resurvey but also to allow a team from ACVA to go aboard ADAMS on May 22, for what we are calling a Comprehensive Working Survey. We have also asked for two extra days on ADAMS, May 23-24 if necessary to complete our work.
Bob Branco took a volunteer list I put together in 2004-2005, made new phone calls and came up with a revised list of volunteers that will be divide into six (6) teams of 2-4 persons each to cover as many spaces on Adams as team size and time permit. Bob has come up with a standard survey form so we can document missing or broken items in each space and the overall condition of that space. The team consists of seven (7) former Enlisted, two (2) former Warrant Officers and four (4) former Officers (all 06). NAVSEA placed a limit on the size of our team at fifteen (15) and if Joe Lombardi joins us, we will be just under that limit. There is one additional member that is being talked to about his availability. Looks like I finally get to be part of a Zone Inspection Team.
This team plans to take many photos, lots of Video and then take a minimum of two (2) weeks to compile a report and post photos to the ACVA and/or ADAMS web sites.
Moving Ahead After the Survey Work
At a special meeting the night of May 7, the ACVA Board passed two very important motions. The first was to, "Begin efforts to raise $100,000 within four (4) months in order to begin work on a Donation Application."
The second was to, "Develop a strategy to address the need to have $5-7 million in the bank by March 31, 2008."
Having the Donation Application written and filed with NAVSEA will use up almost 75% of the money we propose to raise under motion number # 1. Much of this money will need to be raised from former ADAMS Class Sailors. The money raised under motion # 2 will need to be raised from Corporate Donations and from the Public in and around the area where ADAMS will have her final berth.
A Long and Difficult Passage Lies Ahead
The course we have charted will be a long and difficult and thru uncharted waters for most of us. Other groups have made it and ACVA will do its best to keep all of us on track.
Our ACVA Board has an urgent need to acquire two new members Board Members. First we must acquire Professional Legal Assistance (Pro Bono if possible). Having a former ADAMS Class Sailor in this position would be nice but not mandatory. Perhaps there is a son or daughter of a former ADAMS Class crew member or even a grandson or granddaughter willing to lend us their counsel.
Our second need is for someone with a background in finance to come aboard as Treasurer for ACVA. Our current Treasurer has been trying to retire for the past several months so we need to find him a replacement as soon as possible.
A CPA would be ideal for this position.
Final Comments on the future of ACVA and ADAMS No one said it would be easy and no one said it would be quick. Some on our board have worked with other groups to try and find a home not only for ADAMS but other ADAMS Class ships and come up short. I don't want to see us end up short again. I hope that with the help of all those who ever walked across the Quarter Deck of an ADAMS Class ship and called her home for even a short time we will be successful.
Donations to help make this dream come true can be sent to our ACVA secretary Dave Myerly at the following address.
Dave Myerly
5 Bush Road
Denville, NJ, 07834-2906
Dave can also assist you in becoming an ACVA Member and becoming a Plank Owner. Dave can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Questions and comments can be sent to me at the email or phone number in paragraph # 2 or mailed to me at the following address.
Tom Crosser
8520 West Clarendon
Phoenix, AZ, 85037-2723
With the help of our ADAMS Class Shipmates we can and will be successful.
Tom Crosser
President, ADAMS Class Veterans Association, Inc.