Report Title:

Battleship Missouri Memorial; Appropriation

 

Description:

Appropriates funds for a grant for the Battleship Missouri memorial for repairs and restoration work.

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

3381

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR A GRANT TO THE uSS MISSOURI MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION, INC., for repairs and restoration of the battleship missouri.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc., is a section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that will celebrate its tenth anniversary on June 21, 2008.  As the establisher and operator of the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the Association's mission is to create and maintain a fitting memorial to the people and historic events reflecting the nation's legacy of duty, honor, strength, resolve, and sacrifice.  The Association has not heretofore received government funding.  Support has been made possible from the generosity of private donations from visitors, memberships, private grants, and other donors.

     The ex-USS Missouri (BB-63), first launched by the United States Navy in 1944, is the United States' last battleship, best known as the site of the formal end of World War II.  Maintenance of the Battleship Missouri Memorial is perpetual and must meet the maintenance protocols for navy vessels.  The Association relies upon a dedicated staff and a legion of 55,000 volunteers to refurbish and maintain the Memorial.

     A naval expert in 2007 found that the Battleship Missouri must be dry-docked for major industrial-level maintenance work.  The underwater hull paint has significantly deteriorated, causing the hull to freely corrode.  Failure to expeditiously protect and preserve the underwater hull would lead to compromise of watertight integrity and leakage, among other deleterious consequences to the continuing care of this national treasure.

     The maintenance would include sandblasting the hull to bare metal, inspection and repair of any significant defect, priming and painting of the underwater hull, sandblasting elements of the mast and superstructure, inspection and repair of defects, priming and painting of that portion of the superstructure, inspection of internal tanks and voids, repair and preservation, and the like.  Once this work is done, it is anticipated that no further industrial maintenance work will be necessary for several decades.

     The Association anticipates that portions of the required work will be done at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, which will save significant costs compared with towing the Missouri elsewhere.  Furthermore, doing the work at Pearl Harbor will highlight the capabilities of Pearl Harbor and the greater Hawaii community to care for a national icon and internationally recognized symbol of peace.       The Battleship Missouri Memorial is an economic engine for Hawaii's visitor industry, being situated in the same Pearl Harbor Historic Sites complex which includes the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, Pacific Aviation Museum – Pearl Harbor, and USS Oklahoma Memorial.  The Battleship Missouri Memorial is a living, interactive educational tool that breathes life into history texts.  Since the Memorial opened in 1999, it has hosted more than 160,000 students in group activities.  Through its oral history project, the Memorial has recorded well over one hundred hours of original video interviews with veterans of World War II, Korean War, and Desert Storm.  Its collections department safeguards more than 1,935 items, ranging from original wartime photographs to apparel to one‑of-a-kind artifacts.

     The Battleship Missouri Memorial also hosts the Hawaii-based Battleship Missouri Sea Cadet Division, which develops positive qualities in youth such as patriotism, courage, self‑reliance, confidence, and pride in our nation.

     The legislature finds that the State's financial support of the Memorial is extremely important to demonstrate to potential mainland funding sources the State's strong backing of the preservation of the Memorial.  Additionally, state funds are necessary for the dry-docking repair and restoration of the Battleship Missouri, which will supplement private fundraising efforts.

     The purpose of this Act is to make an appropriation for a grant to the USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc., for industrial-level maintenance work on the Battleship Missouri.

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for a grant under chapter 42F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to the USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc., for industrial-level maintenance work on the Battleship Missouri.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of defense for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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