USS Orleck (DD-886)

USS "Orleck" (DD-886), was a "Gearing"-class destroyer. She was named for Lieutenant Joseph Orleck USN (1906–1943), commanding officer of "Nauset" (AT-89), killed in action when the ship was sunk by German aircraft in the Gulf of Salerno on 9 September 1943 and posthumously awarded the Navy Cross,

"Orleck" was laid down by the Consolidated Steel Corporation at Orange, Texas on 28 November 1944, launched on 12 May 1945 by Mrs. Joseph Orleck, widow of Lieutenant Orleck and commissioned on 15 September 1945.

"Orleck" operated with the Seventh Fleet in support of United Nations Forces during the Korean War, underwent an extensive Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) overhaul in 1962, served as plane guard for carriers on Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf, participated in Sea Dragon operations, patrolled on search and rescue duties and carried out Naval Gunfire Support missions during the conflict in Vietnam, and assisted in the recovery of the Gemini IV space capsule.

"Orleck" was decommissioned on 1 October 1982, transferred to Turkey and renamed TCG "Yücetepe" (D 345) and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 6 August 1987. On 12 August 2000 she was transferred to the Southeast Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation at Orange in Texas by the Turkish government for use as a memorial/museum.

When Hurricane Rita stuck the Texas coast in September 2005, the Orleck was severely damaged. After making the necessary repairs, the Orleck was ready to return to its dock at Ochiltree-Inman Park; however, the City of Orange refused to allow her to be return. The ship was temporarily relocated to Levingston Island, where it awaits a new home. Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum at North Little Rock and a site near downtown Lake Charles, Louisiana are under consideration for the new home.

Original price $6,313,000.

"October 3, 2005 - NOAA"

External links

* [http://www.ussorleck.org/Default.asp USS Orleck DD886] , Southeast Texas War Memorial & Heritage Foundation
* [http://www.hnsa.org/ships/orleck.htm HNSA Ship Page: USS Orleck]
* [http://www.ussorleck.com/phpBB/index.php] USS Orleck Association Forum
* [http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?s=8694706] U.S.S. Orleck Foundation seeks Lake Charles berth
* [http://aimmatnlr.blogspot.com/2008/03/article-about-aimm-and-uss-orleck-in.html] Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum at North Little Rock

Length: 390 feet, 6 inches Beam: 40 feet, 10 inches Draft: 18 feet, 6 inches Displacement: 2,425 tons Armament: Three 5"/38 cal. guns; ten 212" Mk 32 torpedo tubes; depth charges