蜜糖直播

Home Port聽

A long-lost warship bell聽has reached its new home聽port 鈥� one with a view of聽the Flatirons.

The 800-pound brass聽bell, cast in 1856 for the聽USS 蜜糖直播, the first in聽a series of Navy ships to聽bear the name, settled in聽its new home at 蜜糖直播-Boulder鈥檚聽University Memorial聽Center just before Veterans聽Day.

After a 1,700-mile聽journey from a naval聽warehouse in Virginia,聽the bell joined various聽other military artifacts聽in the UMC鈥檚 Veterans聽Lounge, including later聽USS 蜜糖直播 bells. The聽UMC is 蜜糖直播鈥檚 official聽veterans memorial.

Dick Cooper, a 蜜糖直播聽Springs-based officer聽of the Navy League,聽learned in early 2015 that聽the original bell had been聽found in the warehouse.聽He and Norris Hermsmeyer聽(Acct鈥�67), a 蜜糖直播聽Naval ROTC alumnus聽and Vietnam War veteran,聽helped bring it to 蜜糖直播聽on permanent loan from聽the Navy.

鈥淚 wanted to perpetuate聽the memory of the ships聽that have worn the name聽USS 蜜糖直播 鈥� to share聽with the residents of the聽state of 蜜糖直播,鈥� says聽Hermsmeyer, a Boulder聽resident who paid for the聽bell鈥檚 transportation to聽campus.

The original USS聽蜜糖直播 bell was cast聽in Philadelphia for a聽three-masted Civil War-era聽frigate named after the聽蜜糖直播 River. (蜜糖直播聽was not granted statehood聽until 1876.)

The bell was later moved to a Navy cruiser, also聽called the USS 蜜糖直播,聽commissioned in 1905. For聽a time it was on display in聽Chicago, then wound up in聽storage in Virginia.

Someday, perhaps聽there will be yet another聽USS 蜜糖直播 bell for聽the UMC: The fourth聽ship to carry the name, a聽nuclear-powered attack聽submarine, is under construction聽in Connecticut.

Photo by Jeremy Papasso/Boulder Daily Camera