BALTIMORE GROUP OPENS WEB SITE TO GATHER SUPPORT TO SAVE THE NATION'S 1^ST "SUPER CARRIER AND OPEN THE SHIP TO THE PUBLIC AS A NAVAL MUSEUM.

The world's first "Super Carrier", the USS Forrestal has been stricken from the active ships lists and is now awaiting a determination by the US Navy as to disposition of the Ship.  The USS Forrestal Museum, Inc., a non-profit 503(c)(3) organization, is leading an effort to save the ship from the scrapers and acquire, restore and display the ship in Baltimore Md.  Site negotiations, now underway would position the ship just off Interstate I95, within minutes of Baltimore's famous "Inner Harbor" and Fort McHenry, the home of the Star Spangled Banner.

The group, whose Board of Directors include Rear Admiral John Beling USN (Ret), Captain Edward A. Grunwald USN (Ret.), Commander C. E. "Skip" Burdon USN (Ret.),  and others who served served aboard Forrestal, is confident that they have a  well designed and executable plan to save, restore, and display the ship as a Naval Museum in the city of Baltimore, MD.

A new website at http://www.forrestal.org is now setup to provide information about the project.  The site is loaded with historical information about the Forrestal and the men and women who served aboard her.  You can review the Forrestal Facts section, try your hand at decoding a flag and semaphore message, or listen to actual recordings of messages from Captain John Beling, to the crew during a terrible fire in July 1967 off the coast of Vietnam.  A beautiful Memorial page is a tribute to those who lost their lives that tragic day. There are air wing and squadron patches, along with a deployment history and a free crew registry and search feature. Even though the site has only been up and running since November 97, they've already logged over 4,500 hits.  The site has grown from a few pages to over 100 and is being updated regularly. 

The most important element of the site is a new Project Information Center where those interested in the project and keep up to date on what's happening.  You can get Project background information, answers to some frequently asked questions about the project, a Project Update section which includes official press releases about the status of the project,  or visit a "Picture This" section where you can get a vision of what this group has in store for visitors once the Ship is opened to the public.

If  you're interested in supporting the project with a donation or want to get involved in other ways you can do it right through the website.  A "HOW YOU CAN HELP" menu includes: Newsletter Subscriptions, Individual Donations, Corporate Sponsorships, Memorabilia  Pledges, and a "Spread the Word"  Message feature.

Check out the Website at http://www.forrestal.org for more details.