Topic starter
11/11/2011 11:36 pm
On this Veteran's Day, when we pay tribute to those who have served our country, past and present, I am sharing this image of the Steamer ADMIRAL, taken on July 16, 1941. Note the soldiers watching the big (and still very new) excursion steamer glide by. None of them had an inkling that the attack on Pearl Harbor was looming barely five months later -- and I wonder how many of them paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Speaking of the ADMIRAL: In this week's election, the incumbent mayor of Jeffersonville was defeated and his successor has decreed that NO investment will be made in the former wharf barge for the ADMIRAL -- which was purchased to replace the current RIVERSTAGE entertainment barge along the Jeffersonville waterfront. The mayor elect said he will save the city $800,000 by repairing the hull of the current barge.
12/11/2011 12:57 am
Homeless wharfboat
So what happens to the ADMIRAL's wharfboat now?
12/11/2011 7:47 pm
Is that the one that has been advertised for sale in the back of the Waterways Journal? I may be wrong, but I thought it looked familiar
Topic starter
13/11/2011 12:37 am
ADMIRAL Wharf Barge
Chris: Yes, I do seem to recall seeing the ADMIRAL wharf barge advertised in The Waterways Journal. If memory serves me correctly, the barge was constructed in the 1980's when the ADMIRAL was owned by Six Flags and was a short lived entertainment center. One feature aboard the barge was The Birdland Theater, featuring large mechanical birds.
When the barge was purchased by the city of Jeffersonville last year, an article in the local paper reported that IF the "new" barge proved to be unsuitable, it likely would be sold for scrap. The barge was towed to the area several months ago and was, for a short time, moored at Jeffboat. We can't see it from the museum due to the various tall structures impeding our view of the river, but I'm told the barge has been moved to a site upriver to await its fate.
13/11/2011 7:40 pm
Here is another 1941 photo of soldiers from the University of Wisconsin collection. It really makes you stop and think about who these gentlemen were and what became of them.