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When most people visit a museum, they walk through history. But aboard the USS Edson, you’re walking inside it. In this episode, Navy veteran and lifelong Bay City resident Bill Randall takes us deep into the hull of a Vietnam-era destroyer—now a floating museum—and deeper still into the heart of what it means to serve, remember, and preserve.
From scavenging radar systems through old-school bartering (“we traded a torpedo for it”) to turning the ship into Michigan’s most haunted Halloween attraction, Bill and his dwindling crew of volunteers have spent over a decade keeping this legend alive—one paintbrush stroke, one ghost story, one overnight scout trip at a time.
More than a warship, the USS Edson is now a living monument, a place where memory, education, and community collide—moored just off the Saginaw River.
Links:
USS Edson Website: https://svnsm.com/
USS Edson Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ussedsonmuseum
USS Edson: From Vietnam to Bay City
A Floating Memory Anchored in Michigan
The Destroyer That Refused to Die
Long before she became a haunted house, a wedding venue, and a scout sleepover camp, the USS Edson was a warship.
Forged in Bath, Maine in 1958 and deployed through the thick of the Vietnam War, the Edson completed ten combat tours before being decommissioned in 1988. She served 30 years across oceans, through storms and chaos, manned by young sailors—most just 19 years old—who called her home, battleground, and sanctuary.
But death for ships, like death for people, isn’t always the end.
Because some ships are too proud to sink into memory.
Bay City’s Unlikely Anchor
She could’ve been scrap metal. And nearly was.
After spending 13 years in New York as part of the Intrepid Air & Space Museum, the Edson was mothballed—parked in Philadelphia, rusting quietly in the cold, forgotten by time.
That’s when a group of Michigan veterans and naval enthusiasts made a call that would change Bay City forever. Led by the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum, and powered by spaghetti dinners, personal donations, and six-figure fundraising, they bought her, towed her for weeks up the St. Lawrence Seaway, and docked her beside the Saginaw River.
A $750,000 gamble—and a dream brought to life.
Meet the Keeper of the USS Edson
Bill Randall didn’t serve on the Edson, but he might as well have.
A Navy vet from Bay City, Bill joined the service in 1974 to “see the world through a porthole.” What he found was a deep respect for discipline, teamwork, and the grind of life aboard a ship that never stopped moving.
Today, he’s one of six volunteers keeping the Edson afloat—not in water, but in spirit.
“I wouldn’t give it up for a million bucks,” Bill says. “She smells just like every ship I served on. Same grease. Same paint. Same everything.”
Restoring a Legend, One Bolt at a Time
When the Edson arrived, she was in bad shape. Years in the weather had taken their toll. But for Bill and the original crew of 35 volunteers, it wasn’t just restoration—it was resurrection.
They hunted for parts across the country, even bartering with other ships.
“One time,” Bill laughs, “we traded a torpedo for a radar system.”
They built, painted, welded, and wired. They made their own replacement parts or fought for scraps in Philadelphia’s navy yard—a warship’s version of Black Friday.
It was gritty. It was exhausting. And it was worth it. Now it’s the #1 Rated Thing to do in Bay City.
Haunted Steel and Human Stories
The USS Edson isn’t just a museum—it’s a community space, an educational platform, and yes… one of the most haunted places in Michigan.
They’ve hosted weddings, business retreats, high school graduation parties, and overnights for scouts and Sea Cadets. They’ve staged fire drills at 3 a.m., filled the halls with fog machines, and trained future sailors in the art of urgency.
But it’s the Halloween season that truly transforms her.
“We scared the ship out of people,” Bill jokes. The haunted ship attraction, complete with live actors and laser lights, is TripAdvisor’s #1 thing to do in Bay City—a terrifying, thrilling dive into the supernatural.
Even in the off-season, guests report whispers, footsteps, and unseen hands tapping their shoulders.
Is she haunted?
Bill never confirms. He just smiles.
A Living Classroom
Most museums are quiet places. The Edson is alive.
From sound-powered telephones still connected between rooms, to a working galley and a fully operational machine shop, the ship invites guests to not just see history—but to touch it, hear it, and smell it.
“We let the scouts sleep in the crew quarters,” says Bill. “We want them to feel what life was like when this thing was moving at 36 knots through combat zones.”
And when you walk the decks with Bill, it’s not hard to imagine it: 270 men running to general quarters, steel boots ringing down ladders, the hum of engines burning 47 gallons of fuel per mile.
A Ship Worth Fighting For
Keeping the Edson alive isn’t easy. Volunteers are aging out. Parts are impossible to find. The elements are unforgiving.
“She takes a big bite,” Bill says. “Especially in the budget.”
But every year, thousands of visitors come. They walk her narrow halls. They pin their hometowns on the world map in the gift shop. They stay overnight, whispering stories of footsteps in the dark.
And every once in a while, someone who served aboard her comes home again.
They walk slowly, touching bulkheads. They cry. They laugh. They remember.
Plan Your Visit
Want to experience the USS Edson for yourself?
Whether you’re coming for the history, the ghosts, or the chance to sleep in a real Navy bunk, this floating time machine is waiting for you in Bangor Township, just outside Bay City, Michigan.
🎫 Learn more at Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum
📍 Or plug “USS Edson” into Google Maps and follow the road to history.
