June 9, 2007
 Former sailor dreams of saving his old ship BOTHELL - Vern Bouwman has a dream and a Web ... thing to do," said Bouwman, a former Boeing Co. telephone engineer. "Seattle needs a good museum ...  |
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  Senator Patty Murray News. Service for political professionals. Constantly updated news about Washington politics. Former sailor dreams of saving his old ship BOTHELL - Vern Bouwman has a dream and ...
security purposes. He
has already approached U.S. Sen. Patty
Murray, D-Wash.,
hoping she will help put the ...
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 Thursday June
7,
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 Former sailor dreams of saving his old ship BOTHELL - Vern Bouwman has a dream
and a Web site. ... the Navy
scrap heap, bring it to Seattle and convert it to a floating
museum ... to work with civilian crews for the Military Sealift
Command, a civilian operation that supports ...
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  Thursday, 07 June 2007 News Report
for: USA SHIPPING
Former sailor dreams of saving his old ship
MSNBC BOTHELL - Vern Bouwman has a dream and a Web site. He just doesn't know quite how
to make his dream come true. He wants to save a ship from the Navy scrap
heap, bring it to Seattle and
convert it to a floating museum or
some other good use. The ship, the USS Kawishiwi, now floats in a
graveyard for ex-Navy ships at Suisun Bay in the outer reaches of San
Francisco Bay. Why save the Kawishiwi? It was a Navy supply ship, an
oiler, that carried oil,
munitions, food and other supplies
to support the ship...
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Published News Upcoming News Submit a new story HeraldNet: Former sailor dreams of saving his old ship He just doesn't know quite how to make his dream
come true.
He wants to save a ship from the Navy scrap heap, bring it to Seattle and convert it to a floating museum or some other good use. The ship, the USS Kawishiwi, now floats in a graveyard for ex-Navy ships at Suisun Bay in the outer reaches of San Francisco Bay |
 Former sailor dreams of saving his old ship ... BOTHELL - Vern Bouwman has a dream and a Web site. ... the Navy scrap heap, bring it to Seattle and convert it to a floating museum ... research of Elliott Bay or maybe for homeland security purposes. He has already approached U.S. Sen. ... |
 Former sailor dreams of saving his old ship 5 Jun 2007 Vern Bouwman has a dream and a Web site. He doesn't know quite how to make his dream come true. COMMENT? |
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 Former sailor dreams of
saving his old ship |
 U.S. Navy The USS Kawishiwi was a Navy supply ship,
carrying oil, munitions, food and other supplies, from 1955 to 1979.
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BOTHELL - Vern Bouwman has a dream and a Web site.  He
just doesn't know quite how to make his dream come true.He wants to save a ship from the Navy scrap heap, bring it to Seattle and convert it to a floating museum or some other good use. The
ship, the USS Kawishiwi, now floats in a graveyard for
ex-Navy ships at Suisun Bay in the outer reaches of San Francisco Bay. Why save the Kawishiwi? It
was a Navy supply ship, an oiler, that carried oil,
munitions, food and other supplies to support the fleet from 1955 until
its decommissioning in 1979. There are no other oilers saved for museum
purposes. Besides,
Bouwman was one of the ship's original crewmembers,
what maritime people call a plank owner."Lots of ships could be saved for museums," said the Bothell man, 72. "There aren't any tankers saved as a museum anywhere. So, if there is to be one, why not mine?" After
the Navy used the ship, it went to work with civilian
crews for the Military Sealift Command, a civilian operation that
supports the Navy and other maritime services. The Kawishiwi ended its
life at sea in 1994. Named after a river in Minnesota, it is one of six
similar ships the U.S. built. The
Kawishiwi earned some accolades at sea. It was one of a group of Navy ships that in 1970 participated in hauling in Apollo 13, the accident-plagued moon flight capsule after it splashed down in the South Pacific, Bouwman said. It
also supplied the fuel the U.S. used to fly helicopters
during the evacuation of Saigon at the end
of the Vietnam War in 1975.
Afterward, it hauled civilian evacuees to safety from Saigon. Bouwman
is seeking advice, support and any group that might
champion his cause. He went to the Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center at Pier 66 in Seattle, but the nonprofit group has not indicated whether it will support the effort, museum educator Cassandra Sandkam said. On
his Web site, Bouwman points to the USS Turner Joy, which
already has been turned into a museum in Kitsap County, and the
aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, which will soon be decommissioned and
could be moved to Bremerton.The
Web site has a photo of those two ships and the Kawishiwi
steaming together. He thinks it would be fitting to bring the Kawishiwi
to Puget Sound and Seattle. "I
just think it's the right thing to do," said Bouwman, a
former Boeing Co. telephone engineer. "Seattle needs a good museum for
the Navy."The history of supply ships would be part of the exhibit, according to his dream. If
a museum is out of the question, he also suggests the
Kawishiwi be used as a place for homeless veterans to stay, for
research of Elliott Bay or maybe for homeland security purposes. He
has already approached U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.,
hoping she will help put the Kawishiwi on a list for historical
preservation. That would be the first step. Then he needs an
organization to raise money, move and operate the vessel. "I
just think that it would make an appealing museum," he
said. "Everything is possible." Here's the
plan:
Vern Bouwman's Web site, www.memorieshop.com/Seattle/broucher.html, details what he wants to do. Reporter
Jim Haley:
425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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