Anchored in History: A 2020 Birthday Adventure Aboard the U.S.S. Edson

The year was 2020, when the world was in the grips of a sudden and tumultuous turn of events, due to a new virus spreading. People were ordered to stay home, whole sections of stores were taped off as non-essential, arrows lined the floors of aisles to direct the shoppers' direction for social distancing. Highways normally bustling with activity were eerily empty for months, even billboards going blank due to businesses no longer seeing the need for such advertising. Schools switched from in-person training to virtual. Unprepared, students were failing and parents were unemployed. Masks and lack of toilet paper became the norm. We had entered a real life dystopian environment.

Gone were the days of crowds in movie theaters, malls, bowling alleys, and other entertainment venues. Even playgrounds were deserted, so quiet that all you could hear was the lone swing gently stirring from the wind and the creak of the chains they hung on. Birthday parties were reduced to family and friends driving by the recipient home and yeeting gifts out the car window. Having been accustomed to bowling alleys, nerf wars, laser tag, bumper cars and arcades with a crowd of my friends and family, my approaching birthday this year looked bleak.

However, we were able to discover a local attraction that was still allowing attendance, despite all the restrictions. A massive, beautiful hunk of steel docked with a maze of an interior, chock full of maritime history, less than 15 miles from my home. Entering the ship, listening to the slight groan of the hull in the soft lapping waters of the bay while crossing the gangway, I felt like this was my place. So much history here! 

Dubbed the “Grey Ghost of the Vietnamese Coast,” I had entered the U.S.S. Edson, a naval destroyer with a unique history and a national historic landmark, nearly in my backyard! I was taken back to all the history I had devoured over the years, seeing the living quarters that were occupied for 30 years. I was able to sit at the captain's table, lie in the beds of the soldiers' quarters, review the navigation maps, and stand at the highest point of the bow. In my mind's eye, I could feel the salty spray on my face that the soldiers of history must have felt. Navigating the narrow passageways and stairs through each level, I took it all in like a sponge. From the main deck, to the bridge, living quarters, armament, and the engine rooms, I was in my glory!

The crew preserving this ship also put on a fantastic annual haunted experience the whole month of October, promising to scare the "ship" out of you. We had to return later that evening to experience this, and it certainly did not disappoint! 

A great source of inspiration for my writing, I have now made this an annual tradition for my birthday. I learn more every time. It is my pleasure to endorse and share with you this gem local to my home, and I encourage anyone able to add it to your bucket list!