The USS Aries Hydrofoil Memorial was organized exclusively for educational purposes. Work has now begun to allow the Memorial to function as both an active memorial & museum. Its purpose is to preserve the only remaining Patrol Hydrofoil Missile (PHM) ship in the world. The USS Aries PHM-5 was one of a fleet of six Pegasus Class U.S. Navy hydrofoil ships, 4 of the PHM’s have been scrapped and one (Gemini) has been converted into a private yacht.
In order to preserve this amazing one-of-a-kind vessel and its technology, pay tribute to its significant contributions in fighting international drug traffic, and to provide a unique educational, "hands-on" learning experience, the Memorial will:
Secure a dock where repairs, maintenance and eventual tours can be preformed. All officers, directors and members of the memorial will be involved in the effort to operate the memorial.
Engage in fundraising to support the foregoing activities. All members and directors of the Memorial will be actively involved in fundraising to begin immediately upon the Memorial's formation.
Raise private funds to cover the cost of setting up tours, shipboard modifications needed to accommodate visitors, routine maintenance and upkeep and administrative costs.
Develop long range plans to sustain use of the USS Aries Hydrofoil Memorial, Inc. as a memorial.
Host a reunion of former crewmembers in order to gather information and history of the fleet ships. Contact with several former officers and crewmembers of the PHM fleet indicates a great deal of interest and enthusiasm for the preservation of the ship. There is an enormous amount of pride in having served on these vessels.
Foster the growth of marine vehicle technology by making the ship available to schools and other organizations as an educational and/or research vessel.
Serve as a museum to house the PHM and other hydrofoil memorabilia such as records, film, books, articles, photos and other artifacts.
