One of the North Little Rock blogs mentioned recently that the city was considering adding a destroyer — apparently the Orleck above — to Commodore Hays’ envisioned riverfront armada of junky barges, a  derelict tug and other worn-out naval parts. A Democrat-Gazette article today confirmed that the issue is being discussed.

Let me say this about that. If Orange, Texas wants to get rid of the vessel, North Little Rock wants no part of it. Orange is not a garden spot. What’s not good enough for Orange is best viewed skeptically. I grew up 30 miles away. One of the pleasures of my youth was cruising over to Orange on the Intracoastal Canal and boating through the vast Navy mothball fleet anchored there. Sort of like exploring a floating junkyard. Stacking still more rusting hardware on the NLR riverbank is a ticket for untold future expenses and is the riverine equivalent of putting cars up on blocks in your front yard. Think hard about this, NLR. Hire some telephone dispatchers first so the firemen and cops can get back on the streets. Then, buy some more scows.

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