The Oliver Hazard Perry Shipyard (OHPS), a non-profit organization headquartered in Erie, PA, has taken a huge step toward its goal of acquiring a modern Navy combat ship and opening it to the public as a museum ship. Phase 1 of preparations, which involved the Navy’s approval of OHPS’s request to apply for a ship, has now been completed, and Phase 2 has commenced: a series of studies on the environmental, engineering, tourism, and economic impact of acquiring the USS Halyburton, a retired Perry-class Guided Missile Frigate. Lt. Sandra Rechis, USN (Ret.), who was the first female officer to serve aboard the Halyburton, now serves as an advisor to the OHPS, and gave her personal account of her experience on the ship and the importance of its future as a museum.

Rechis began her career in the Navy in July of 1991, enlisting after completing high school. Coming from a small town in Washington, Rechis was initially attracted to the Navy due to her desire to travel and “see the world.” After eleven years of enlistment, Rechis became an officer and began her term on the Halyburton in January 2003. Her first role aboard the ship was as Assistant Operations Officer; she later filled various other roles, including Combat Information Center Officer, Damage Control Assistant, and Public Affairs Officer. Rechis’ responsibilities in these positions included “running the day-to-day programs and operations within combat,” monitoring information from electronic equipment, and managing communication with the crew. She acknowledged the high level of importance of her duties as Damage Control Assistant, remarking, “when you’re deployed, you can’t just call the fire department. You are the fire department!”

In her time on the Halyburton, Rechis achieved her goal of traveling the world, deploying to various locations such as Poland, Senegal, the Gibraltar Straits, the Suez Canal, Cuba, the Galapagos Islands, and Ecuador. Her most memorable experience on the ship was transiting the Panama Canal, which she called “absolutely amazing.” But her journey was not without its fair share of challenges: as the first female officer to serve aboard the Halyburton, Rechis initially struggled to integrate with the crew. As she put it, “everybody was very set in their ways. . . there was a lot of getting used to having a female on board with an all-male crew.” However, due to her experiences during enlistment, she was “able to integrate quickly, and the camaraderie quickly grew.” Eventually, many of the sailors began to refer to her endearingly as the “Mom of the ship.”

When Rechis found out two years ago that OHPS was planning to convert the Halyburton to a museum ship for the public, she knew she had to get involved. The Halyburton’s status as a Perry-class frigate gives it a special importance to the history of Erie as well as the history of America’s Navy: the Perry-class frigates, as well as the OHPS, are named in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry, known as the “Hero of Lake Erie” for his leadership in the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie. His bravery solidified the phrase “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” which was inscribed on his battle flag, as an icon of Naval history. Rechis’ personal experience with the Halyburton connects her with this history and makes her role as advisor essential to the preservation of the ship.

Part of her role as advisor is to assist in planning the route that visitors would take while exploring the ship. She explained that each part of the layout and design of the ship is intentional and serves a specific purpose, and it is vital that visitors are able to experience this layout in a way that reveals the rationale behind the engineering decisions. On a museum ship, Rechis explained, “outside visitors can come in and see how we lived, how we ate, and worked, and understand more about the military in general. Having the ship up there in Erie will bring that sense of pride and ownership to Veterans of that ship, or any other ship.”

Rechis emphasized the importance of Halyburton’s future status as the first, and only, modern Navy ship to be converted into a museum. Currently, all Navy museum ships are Vietnam-era or older, with the majority being World War II-era. The Halyburton was first commissioned in 1984 and remained in service until 2014. Rechis believes that it is important for the public to understand how the Navy has evolved over time, and sees the Halyburton as the perfect way to send this message: “to see the evolution from battleships and old aircraft carriers to a modern-day combatant. . . there’s quite a difference.” Although there is a long way to go before the Halyburton takes its place in Erie, Rechis eagerly awaits the day she and other Veterans will once again be able to step aboard their beloved former home.