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USS Bennington Memorial

This memorial is dedicated to the memory of the 103 Navy shipmates, Marines, Airmen and one civilian who paid
the ultimate sacrifice for their country on 26 May 1954, when the USS Bennington CVA-20 blew-up off the coast of
Rhode Island (port-catapult explosion). 

Joseph Pires (USS Bennington ship historian), along with Bill Collins of Middletown, RI, Coley McGowan of Duxbury,
MA, and Graham Casserly of Fairfax, VA proposed this monument at one of the annual reunions of the USS
Bennington Association.  The over-all project took approximately 18 months to complete.  They had to work with the
Navy Department and the Parks Commission in Rhode Island for approval of the site specific.  The completed
memorial presentation was televised locally with approximately 900 former shipmates, friends and family
members attending.  Below are several pictures of this beautiful memorial.

Unfortunately, vandals defaced the memorial,  scroll down for before and after pictures of how it was repaired.
 

Mr. Joseph Pires (below) contacted us about scratches that vandals had caused (see photos below).

Scratching the background finish is a common form of memorial vandalism.  Mr. Pires was able to repair it
(Click here for more detailed information).  Below are before and after pictures:

"As stated in an earlier email, I was most surprised when I saw the final outcome.  Thanks to all the information you emailed me, the project turned out perfect.  It appears as though it was never tampered with.  The membership of the USS Bennington Association is most grateful for your assistance with this matter." 
--JK Pires

Click here for more detailed information how the problem was corrected.

Official USS Bennington Web Site

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