U.S.S. Orleck - Lake Charles, LA (Gray Ghost on the Vietnam Coast)

604 N Enterprise Blvd.

Lake Charles, LA 70601

30.24625,-93.205583

www.orleck.org  

In addition to the previously mentioned U.S.S. Kidd, Louisiana is also home to another historic battleship that has seen its share of battle and has been permanently decommissioned. This beauty docks on the banks of the Calcasieu River in Lake Charles. The U.S.S. Orleck (DD-886), a destroyer battleship, traveled the world’s oceans for fifty four years of active duty.
        The Orleck was first commissioned to the U.S. Navy on September 15, 1945. The Orleck is a three hundred and ninety foot battleship that served in Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War. She won four battle stars for service during the Korean Conflict and was "Top Gun" of the seventh Fleet in Vietnam.
         She is most well-known for not only being a member, but the founding sister, of the famed Train Busters Club of Korea. This unique naval club was a group that focused on the destruction of trains which ran the deadly gauntlet in the Taeback Mountain range. The Trainbusters Club saw its beginnings in July 1952 when the Orleck destroyed two trains during a two week period. The commander of Task Force 95, recognizing a morale booster when he saw one, declared Orleck the “train-busting champion” and issued a challenge to the rest of the American task group to beat that score. When it was all said and done, a total of twenty-eight trains had been destroyed, yet it is said the number was unofficially much larger than that. Her actions garnered her unique nickname, the “Gray Ghost on the Vietnam Coast.”

         Her final United States port was in Tacoma, Washington, where she was a vital part of the Naval Reserve Forces. Over the years, she was decorated many times and the men of the ship developed a

Lt. Joseph Orleck

pride and loyalty to her and her namesake, Lieutenant Joseph Orleck. She was decommissioned and transferred to the Turkish Navy on October 1, 1982 where she operated as TCG YUCETEPE D 345 for sixteen additional years.
         On April 1, 1998, the final decommissioning ceremony was held for the U.S.S. Orleck. The ship then returned to its birthplace in Orange, Texas, on August 11, 2000, and was opened to the public as a museum for several years. The U.S.S. Orleck is now docked in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The U.S.S. Orleck Association diligently worked to restore the ship so it was able to re-open to the public as a museum and a national historic monument.

Several of the massive anti-aircraft guns

         During its active run, there were two known deaths on the ship that may attest to the claims of paranormal activity. A maintenance worker was overcome by paint fumes in a paint closet and died while on the job. Another man was fatally injured by a rotating gun turret that struck him.
There have been several stories of unexplainable events from people who have spent time on the ship
over the years. Some have reported hearing footsteps in the hallways of the ship when no one was there, disembodied voices when no one else is around and occasional loud sounds that could not be accredited to the normal creaks and groans of the ship.
          Our team was unable to obtain any paranormal evidence during our one investigation conducted at the Orleck. However, this does not discredit the numerous claims of strange accounts by visitors and staff, which still occur to this very day. We look forward to making a return visit to this majestic "Grey Ghost".