Mail Call: USS Saint Paul crew seeks a memorial

The USS Saint Paul Association has initiated a fundraising campaign to establish a commemorative memorial in the state of Minnesota to honor the ship and the men who served on her.  The association is currently in the application process with the Capital Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB) and hopes to achieve final approval for the project at the end of 2025.

The USS Saint Paul Association is sending letters to the post commanders of all Minnesota American Legion posts providing information on the fundraising campaign and requesting financial and letter support for the USS Saint Paul Commemorative Memorial. The process of memorializing the USS Saint Paul involves a period of public review of the proposal. We hope that American Legion members will join the (1,200 active association members) in encouraging state authorities to move forward with this memorial.

The USS Saint Paul was a storied ship earning 18 battle stars and firing the last rounds on the home islands of Japan ending World War II. She also fired the final rounds of the Korean War on July 27, 1953, and engaged in a record five deployments in the Vietnam War. She holds the record for the most ordnance rounds (182,000) fired in combat fired by any naval vessel in the world.

From the time of the ship’s christening in 1944 by the mayor’s wife through its decommissioning in 1971 with a native Minnesotan as commanding officer, there has been a continuum of veterans (several hundred being from Minnesota including three commanding officers) who proudly represented the city of Saint Paul and the great state of Minnesota.

Post commanders are encouraged to review the information being sent by the USS Saint Paul Association Inc. and consider a donation to support the project. The USS Saint Paul Association is a 501(c)(19) nonprofit organization.

John Franz

vice president

USS Saint Paul Association