WESTLAKE, La. (AP) – The executive director of the museum ship USS Orleck says he and casino representatives are working on a plan to dock the destroyer next to the Isle of Capri Casino in Westlake

The plan is to sublease land between the casino hotel and the Interstate 10 bridge from the casino, Ron Williams told the American Press.

“It’s not just talk,” he said.

Once the lease is signed, Williams said, Orleck officials will begin raising money to pay for dockside facilities. Mark Boudreaux, president and CEO of the Orleck Naval Museum, said in January that those facilities could cost $300,000 to $500,000.

“The ship is 390 feet long,” Williams said. “The dock area will be a little wider and longer than the ship itself, but we don’t need a huge footprint on the shore.”

Williams said the new location will be more visible and, he hopes, will attract more visitors. He said they are working on an arrangement with the Naval Reserve Center in Shreveport to bring reservists in every month to work on the ship.

The Orleck, a Gearing-class destroyer, was built in Orange, Texas. It was commissioned too late for World War II action but served the Navy from September 1945 until 1982.

The ship later was sold to Turkey, where it served until 2000.

The Southeast Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation in Orange obtained the ship for conversion to a museum. After Hurricane Rita damaged the vessel in 2005, Orange officials denied a request to permanently berth the vessel on the Sabine River.

The Lake Charles City Council approved the ship’s temporary move to Lake Charles in 2009. It was towed up the Calcasieu River to its current dock in May 2010.

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Information from: American Press, http://www.americanpress.com

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AP-WF-02-12-13 1129GMT

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