Memorial sought for USS St. Paul

ST. PAUL — The USS St. Paul Association plans to hold its final reunion in St. Paul in 2027. But its remaining members and associated family want to have more than a reunion. They hope to dedicate a memorial, too.

President Roger Brown said he anticipates 150 people coming, and, at the end, they will disband the organization.

“We are going out on our terms instead of fading away, which means creating a memorial for the ship,” he said.

Brown said he is in discussions with Randall Dietrich, director of the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum, who spoke at the association’s 2025 reunion in September in Tucson, Ariz.

At first, the leaders of the St. Paul Association sought a memorial on the Capitol grounds, but that takes more time and effort than having one at the new 32-acre Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum, Vice President John Franz said.

Design work is under way, with hopes for construction to commence in late 2026.

What the USS St. Paul Association hopes to do is raise funds, Franz said. They have a goal of $250,000, and they are 19 percent of the way.

To donate, make a check out to USS St. Paul Association and mail it to P.O. Box 929, Greenville, OH, 45331. (That’s where Database Manager Ashley Garland resides. Her phone is 937-459-4444.)

To donate online, visit usssaintpaulca73.org. More contact information is there, too.

The USS St. Paul was a Baltimore-class cruiser commissioned Feb. 17, 1945, and decommissioned April 30, 1971. It saw action in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The ship was used in the filming of the 1965 movie “In Harm’s Way” starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Patricia Neal.

The ship’s bell is at St. Paul City Hall. The anchor is at Harriet Island.