U.S.S. Edson - Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum

I was greeted by Tomoko when arrived at the admission office/gift shop for my visit. She was super knowledgeable and helpful, as I enjoy taking pictures. Some of the ship is off limits, due to liability and safety. Also, a lack of available staff. I wasn't able to go into some of the areas that I really wish I could have, as in deeper into the bowels.I was told that on days when there is extra volunteers and staff on hand, more of the ship is open. Regardless, I had a great time and took nearly 200 pictures. Lots of interesting facts and points of interest. The staff was friendly and helpful. I had to ask one volunteer to move for a few minutes so I could get a good picture. He didn't need to apologize, but he did and quickly moved long enough for me to get pictures. Very interesting ship. The only thing I hated about my visit, was the lack of a spot for good "over all" or scenic pictures. Unless you are on a boat or the bridge, there isn't any unobstructed views of the ship. If you go way down to the end of the boat launch, you can get a quarter view angle of the whole ship from the bow end, starboard side. I drove around and tried the other boat launch, but no luck with a better picture. It might have been possible to walk all the way up to bridge and get a shot of the ship from the port side, about 30ft up but I wasn't going to do that in the rain, even if it was light/misting. The traffic was another issue. Over all, interesting ship with a rich history. Sadly, our government wastes more money on useless ideas or programs, when our historical pieces and Vets deserve better care. Thank you, to all who served, active duty and volunteers. The gift shop is small, I'd like to see it with more items specific to the ship itself. To the staff and volunteers, thank you so much for all you do to preserve this historical machine.