The sad case of the Uss John Rogers

We had some high hopes back in the summer of '06. High hopes that the last available, almost fully intact WWII FLETCHER class DD, the USS JOHN ROGERS could make it home and become a museum.

[jay]

Unfortunely the Mexican government gave the Rogers to orginiztion called OES who never had the money or means to make museum out of her. Read July 15,2008 New York Times article on OES They have $800.000 lien against them for sending towboat to mexico to tow the Rogers but never paid the tow company so they left the Rogers in Mexico also the mexican government is going after them for million dollars for docking fees and other bills.

[Keith LaDue USS Hornet]

People who care deeply about US naval History should be outraged about these kind of actions.
Let us all try to save this ship before it befalls the same fate as the USS Cabot.
The Hornet was sold for scrap but caring individuals fought hard and we saved our ship.
Pherhaps another naval ship museum could take the John Rogers in?

[jay]

Keith, The Hornet was giving to people who were commited to make a museum out of her the Rogers was giving to ward brewer and his BTC group who did not have the means or any idea how to make ship museum work. Check out some of there past blogs from may 2005 where they claimed to own the Uss Crescent City docked at Vallejo and were preparing to tow it. They never owned the ship and its still in Vallejo.

[Sean Quigley]

I worked with Ward and OES on the John Rodgers and other project all your point are true the Man is full of B.S. at one time he told us that he was just waiting on an executive order from Pres.Bush to be funded by the government also during 06 when we went down to Mexico for the initial work on the JR he told us an outright lie that he had a 500,000,000 credit line with on of the larger banks in the US...ha what a tool a retired Admiral offerd to save the ship and get Ward out of debt IF the ship were brought to Detroit....he flat refused said he would prefer to see the ship scrapped before anyone else saved her...Stating she was the lynch pin to his OES scheme and with out her it would all go down the tubes....guess what it still went down the tubes AND the ship will most likley get scrapped anyway...damn shame...if you would like some more info on the kind of BS the guy was spreading e-mail me at [e-mail] I have saved all the e-mails I had pertaining to the JR/OES project and he try's really hard to paint a rosey pic with jobs for all and a happy ending...oh well

[jay]

Good post Sean,He been B.S. people for long time maybe 4 years from claiming to own the Uss Crescent City to his other claim that he was going rebuild escort carrier from old tanker. the people he conned into following him are just as bad and I noticed they call him the admiral what was his military service? I sent messages to his web site but they are quickly removed by his pals. I believe the Rogers will be scrapped beacause of the $800,000 lien plus the money he owns the mexicans for the con job he pulled on them. Only hope is if they remove the lien on Rogers and place it on the individual where it belongs.