A new battle over an old warship erupted in full force Wednesday evening when organization advocates and citizens gathered at a public hearing to discuss the USS Des Moines, a heavy cruiser that served in the Cold War, possibly coming to Milwaukee.

The hearing, held by the Lakefront Advisory Commission, attracted a crowd exceeding the Downtown Transit Center's maximum capacity.

Dick Caswell, president of the USS Des Moines Historic Naval Ship Project, said the ship would be used as a site for a museum, for reunions and memorial services and for dockside "cruises" for children.

"I think (the USS Des Moines) would be very successful in Milwaukee," Caswell said in an interview earlier Wednesday.

Caswell, who served on the USS Des Moines in 1957, said the ship would be placed a half mile northeast of the Milwaukee Art Museum. The ship's 76-foot width would be facing the museum. Its 716.5-foot length would be next to Veteran's Park.

"She generally will not block the views unless you're standing next to the ship and looking at the lake," Caswell said.

Caswell said the ship would cost $18.5 million, privately raised, to bring here.

"It's a lot of money, but it will bring a lot of money to Milwaukee," Caswell said.

He said the ship would make $19 million in its first year if it brought in 150,000 visitors.

But some fear the ship's arrival would wreak havoc on Milwaukee's lakefront.

"It'd be a big eyesore, it'd be a maintenance nightmare and it'd be a financial sinkhole," according to Charles Kamps, president of Preserve Our Parks, who spoke on behalf of the Save Our Lakefront Coalition.

Kamps said comparable ships have lost money. The USS Salem, sister ship to the USS Des Moines, lost $237,000 in Quincy, Mass., in 2003.

Caswell said in an earlier interview that the failure of the USS Salem could be attributed to its location and poor marketing. He said the USS Cobia in Manitowoc had 56,000 visitors last year, in a town with a population of 44,000.

But Kamps said in order to make money the ship would need to host events such as cocktail parties and wedding receptions.

"It's not a memorial to have a party boat," Kamps said.

In addition to blocking views of the lakefront, the ship would also bring harmful contaminants into Lake Michigan, according to Lynn Broaddus, the executive director of Friends of Milwaukee's Rvers.

Potential contaminants include asbestos, lead and PCBs, Broaddus said.

In addition, she said dredging, disturbing the lake's sediment, would drag up dormant contaminants into the water, and the ship would alter wind patterns.

Joseph Lombardi, president of Ocean Technical Services, said the EPA and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources would test the ship before the public was allowed access.

"There will be no impact environmentally to the lake," Lombardi said. He also said that most of the ship's profile would not be seen.

But some, like John Lunz, president of Veterans for an Open Lakefront, said financial obstacles would sink the project.

"I don't believe it will be financially viable," Lunz said. He said the USS Salem expected 90,000 visitors for the 1995 opening year and got 15,000.

"If it weren't for government grants and or donations, these ships would all sink," Lunz said.

The Lakefront Development Commission will discuss the issue further on Feb. 9.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Jan. 20 2005.