May 3, 2001 To anyone interested in the USS CABOT: As director of the Texas Air Museum, I am writing this in an effort to reach as many people who might have a heartfelt interest in the USS Cabot as possible. The destruction of this historic ship is nearly complete. Scrapping will be completed within the next few weeks. This is sad news to all those who fought long and hard to preserve the Cabot as the last example of her class. In a last minute effort to preserve something of the ship, the Texas Air Museum has acquired the island superstructure, C.I.C., and pilot briefing room of the Cabot for a museum exhibit. This exhibit will serve as the USS Cabot Memorial. Pieces of the island, C.I.C., and pilot briefing room have been moved to our museum headquarters for restoation. Once cleaned and reassembled, the island, C.I.C., and pilot briefing room will be part of an exhibit including 2800 square feet of exhibit spacein which to tell the story of the Iron Woman and her importance in history. This exhibit will likely be housed at our main museum near Rio Hondo, located on the outskirts of Harlingen, which is about 35 miles north of the Port of Brownsville where the Cabot is being scrapped. Although our project may not seem like much when compared to the preservation of an entire ship, it is a major undertaking for a museum of our size. Our base of support is very small, depending on donations and volunteer effort. The success of the USS Cabot Memorial will depend on the help of those who would like to see her story preserved. Please pass a copy of this letter along to anyone you who might be interested in supporting our cause. We are in dire need of financial contributions - we are a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. Donations of artifacts and photographs for the exhibit are also welcomed. Anyone who would like to help out may send contributions to: Texas Air Museum P.O. Box 70 Rio Hondo, TX 78583 Our telephone number is (956) 748-2112 and our fax number is (956) 748-3500. The museum is open seven days a week, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. central time. Thank you for taking time to read through this. Sincerely, John W. Houston Visit the Texas Air Museum Website