USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr DD 850

USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr DD 850 Dedicated to the fellowship of Destroyer sailors and interested parties along with supporting the pre Kennedy Jr.

This site is for those interested in the US Navy Gearing class Destroyer, USS Joseph P. and the men and ships of the US Navy which she represents.

General restoration undertaken this week aboard JOEY P.CIC Status Boards got new bulbs, we ordered replica CO2 Foam cans...
09/04/2026

General restoration undertaken this week aboard JOEY P.

CIC Status Boards got new bulbs, we ordered replica CO2 Foam cans for our empty racks (now need to be painted red with labels), and we finally installed the missing Alarm buzzer on the front of the ASROC Shack after finding an image of it in a crewmembers 1970 photo.

ASROC/Torpedo Magazine prep, cleaning, and priming starts tomorrow. We hope to have the magazine painted out by the end of next week.

Thanks to the crew and donors!

Saving USS Brownson DD-868.By now many know that we work to preserve the history of our sister ships and all destroyers....
09/02/2026

Saving USS Brownson DD-868.

By now many know that we work to preserve the history of our sister ships and all destroyers. This past week, USS Brownson crewmember Joe Sanders sent us a grouping of historic items from DD-868. This included a Battle E Award from 1974, a US flag flown during their 1974 Mediterranean cruise, the "Dont Tread on Me" flag flown in port on the forecastle during the 1976 bicentennial year, and a small bell used outside the bridge.

These historic items will join the collection of the Admiral Arleigh Burke National Destroyer Memorial and Museum still being completed on KENNEDY.

Of interest, our DASH exhibit contains an original helicopter rotor test set from USS Brownson DD-868 and is on display in our restored DASH hangar.

We love protecting and preserving Destroyer history!

Greg Inzenga and Alex Vaughan spent a lot of time putting more sealer around the FWD Expansion joint and also reviewing ...
09/02/2026

Greg Inzenga and Alex Vaughan spent a lot of time putting more sealer around the FWD Expansion joint and also reviewing the condition of the deck around No 1 Stack. These areas need constant review and care due to water leaks when the ships were active and it is even more important when a museum.

The work continues...

08/31/2026

Preserving The Fleet: Summer 2026 Restoration Update for destroyer, USS JOSEPH P. KENNEDY JR. DD-850

Volunteer Paul Scalabroni provides a Summer update on the multiple projects ongoing on Gearing Class Destroyer, USS JOSEPH P. KENNEDY JR. DD-850. In this episode, Paul discusses ongoing fantail restoration, boat winch, expansion joint covers, and the DASH Drone hangar restoration. We also get a quick peek at the upcoming ASROC Magazine project.

We had five volunteers aboard JOEY P 850 on Saturday. Mike Botelho, Paul Scalabroni, Alex Vaughan, Greg Inzenga, and Ri...
08/30/2026

We had five volunteers aboard JOEY P 850 on Saturday. Mike Botelho, Paul Scalabroni, Alex Vaughan, Greg Inzenga, and Rich Angelini spent most of the day on the 01 deck as you will see in our posts this week.

The priority was to remove all equipment and trash that could easily be moved out of the ASROC magazine as we ready it for painting in September. Paul and Alex got the welder out that TCS purchased for 850 decades ago and that will be heading ashore for now.

Runs to other stowage locations and the dumpster were frequent trips for the crew. All major items to go back are in temporary stowage in the Aft section of the DASH Hangar.

We found original signage, stenciling, and historic items still intact in this space that has changed little since becoming a museum... it was never really opened as a main exhibit.

Cleaning, prepping, and main space painting are coming up next!

Behind the locked door: Our restoration philosophy on KENNEDY is to restore all our historic spaces, not just the ones t...
08/30/2026

Behind the locked door:

Our restoration philosophy on KENNEDY is to restore all our historic spaces, not just the ones that can be seen from the visitor tour routes.

This is the Secure Teletype Room to the starboard and in the back of Radio Central. The UGC-6, UGC-25, and other correct teletypes machines are all intact in this space along with the black out curtain on the original track.

In 2001, this space was empty. Our volunteers are passionate about history.

This past week, Fire Control Technician 2/c Tracy Garner of USS Floyd B. Parks DD-884 drove all the way from Kentucky wi...
08/28/2026

This past week, Fire Control Technician 2/c Tracy Garner of USS Floyd B. Parks DD-884 drove all the way from Kentucky with this outstanding model he built himself of DD-884. Along with the ship model that lights both the interior and exterior of the ship, he built this great display case.

The case itself depicts the story of DD-884s gun fire support missions off Vietnam including her last in the early 1970s. The commissioning pennant flown over USS Floyd B. Parks on her last WESTPAC along with photographs, patches, and other material make this an outstanding display.

As part of our Admiral Arleigh Burke National Destroyer Museum, this is now on display in our Naval and Maritime Education Center building.

While our volunteer crewmembers were providing tours to the 300 plus Destroyer veterans and their families, restoration ...
08/27/2026

While our volunteer crewmembers were providing tours to the 300 plus Destroyer veterans and their families, restoration work was also underway.

Rich Angelini installed the Black-out curtains in the windows of the ASROC Control Station and put vintage plan of the day/1966 Navy poster paperwork in the Mess Decks bulletin board.

Chris DiChiara gave the Pilot House brass a great polishing!

The blackout curtains are from USS Charles F. Adams DDG-2 and are larger than JOEY P's originals. However, we chose not to cut or fit them as they are historic to DDG2 in their own right. They were hung in place to provide the overall look.

As a National Historic Landmark, we enjoy maintaining the history of the ships that contribute to JOEY P's overall restoration.

Thanks to our crew for all their efforts!

We were honored to welcome over 300 veterans and their families today during the 2026 Tin Can Sailors National Conventio...
08/25/2026

We were honored to welcome over 300 veterans and their families today during the 2026 Tin Can Sailors National Convention. 50 years ago in 1976, Tin Can Sailors was formed aboard USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr DD-850. Our crewmembers were so engrossed in providing tours and access to JOEY P's compartments that we did not take many photos.

However, it was great to welcome all of them including ship Associations: USS Floyd B. Parks DD884, USS Wiltsie DD716, USS Mullany, USS Cone DD866, USS Robert L. Wilson DD-847, USS Brinkley Bass DD887, and so many more.

If you are not a member of the Tin Can Sailor Association, we highly recommend joining at http://destroyers.org !

Welcome Home destroyer Veterans!

Chris DiChiara and Mike Botelho were going at the winch frame with needle guns, grinders, and a welder. Rebuilding this...
08/24/2026

Chris DiChiara and Mike Botelho were going at the winch frame with needle guns, grinders, and a welder. Rebuilding this boat winch is alot of tedious work but well worth it to protect it for the future.

More prep work and two-part epoxy primer are in its future!

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Fall River, MA
02720

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