World War II Floating Museum on Display

      Through the end of the October a display of models of World War II warships is on display at the Katy Depot in downtown Denison. The display is in the same room as the Hall of Heroes..where local veterans are being honored for their service to this country.. but first the warships.

    This is the U.S. Battleship Missouri within a glass case that is about three feet long and eighteen inches high. The detail of the model is extremely exact. Big Mo not only served in World War II but also Korea, Vietnam, and the first Gulf War. The documents ending World War II were signed on the deck of the Missouri in Tokyo Bay in August 1945.

    An above shot of the Japanese carrier Akagi,..one of four Japanese carriers sunk in the battle of Midway... a blow from which Japanese aviation never recovered. Most of the veteran pilots who participated in the raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 were lost in the Midway battle and Japan could never replace them.

    There are about fifteen models of various warships on display and you can inspect them at your leisure. The German battleship Bismarck is one of the models and also the heavy cruiser Shaunhorst, a member of the Bismarck's escort ships. The British battleship Hood is also represented in fine detail. The Hood became the first victim of the Bismarck, and from her crew of over 1500 men, only 3 survived the battle.

      There is a lot of authentic photos from the time period taken on some of the ships represented. Along the wall in the background you can see some of the many photos on the Wall of Honor; this is a special place for veterans from the local area.

     Just a couple from the many on display that caught my eye... This is U.S. Army Sergeant-Major Raymond Polk, who is a veteran of both Korea and Vietnam. The sarge is a two-time recipient of the Bronze Star and also has the Combat Infantryman's Badge.

    World War II 'Ace'...Major David Williams of the U.S. Army Air Force underwent flight training at Perrin Field in Denison before being deployed to England to battle the Nazi Luftwaffe. Williams became a master flying the P-38 Lighting fighter, a twin-engine aircraft with six fifty-caliber machine guns.

    ...And of course there is an abundance of photos of Denison's most famous son... Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.. There are photos of Ike from a young boy all the way to his days as President. He was the Supreme Commander of all Allied forces as they invaded Normandy on June 6, 1944. It would be the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.
    Again, the floating museum of warships will be on display through the end of the month and will be well worth your time...and there is no charge.