UPDATE:

Thanks to generous contributions from Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, the Arleigh Burke At Sea Memorial Fund has EXCEEDED their goal for raising funds to create the exhibit.

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The men and women of the Admiral’s Destroyer are dedicated to serving their country with honor, and take great pride in what they do at sea. In support of these Sailors and the Navy’s heritage, we have embarked on a noble project to honor Admiral Arleigh Burke’s legacy.

Over the past months, friends of the ARLEIGH BURKE have been busy locating, photographing, cataloging, and storing hundreds of historically significant artifacts that belonged to Arleigh and Bobbie Burke. With help from the surrounding surface warfare community, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, and professional conservators from the Metropolitan Museum in New York, we have developed a plan to preserve and display these items throughout the ship.

Our endeavor coincides with the congressionally mandated Destroyer Modernization Program. DDGs 51-78 will be upgraded with the combat systems and engineering suites of the Navy’s newest destroyers. This effort will ensure USS ARLEIGH BURKE’S sea service into the 2030s - rebuilt, and ready to fight. These exhibits will be a timeless reminder to the crew of the culture they have inherited.

This educational effort will be executed with the assistance of the Hampton Roads Naval Museum staff. The fund raising effort will be coordinated by the Hampton Roads Naval Historical Foundation. Without the help of people like you we can not afford the project expense and cannot make the vision become a reality.

The crew of ARLEIGH BURKE sacrifices countless hours away from family and friends and your donation to this project will show your continued support for America’s fighting Sailors.

The "at Sea Memorial" is expensive, and to properly prepare, mount, and display these items, we need your help! Please consider making a contribution to support this effort.

The Navy's most famous destroyerman was born in Boulder, Colorado on October 19, 1901. During World War II, Captain Burke commanded Destroyer Squadron 12 in August 1943 and Destroyer Squadron 23 two months later. The latter came to be known as the "Little Beavers," its insignia based on the character from the popular Red Ryder comic strip. In November 1943, he distinguished himself by leading several torpedo attacks, sinking multiple Japanese warships. During the Battle of Cape St. George, in what has been termed a "near perfect tactical action" by military historians, the Little Beavers destroyed three ships of a larger Japanese force and sustained no damage.

In May 1955, while he was only a Two Star Admiral, President Eisenhower nominated Burke to the post of Chief of Naval Operations, bypassing 87 active duty Officers senior to him. He retired in August 1961 after serving an unprecedented three terms as Chief of Naval Operations. Admiral Burke died on January 1st, 1996 at the age of 94. His wife of 72 years, the former Roberta (Bobbie) G. Gorsuch, died less than a year later on the ship's birthday, July 4th, 1997.