About Us

In 1996, Bill and Bob Meinhardt and Eliot James acquired the USS Aries when the entire fleet of PegasusClass hydrofoils had been decommissioned after only 10 years of service due to the downsizing of theUS Navy. Of the six Pegasus Class ships, four were scrapped. One was stripped of her foils down to her hull and then was rebuilt as a private yacht, but it was eventually scrapped also. Only the Aries survived intact as a hydrofoil.

In cooperation with the ship breaking company that scrapped the other ships, the above named individuals were able to spend four months gathering spare parts from Aries’ sister ships. Many of these parts would’ve cost millions to reproduce.

Under her own power with a small voluntary crew of only three and sometimes four, the Aries sailed 2500 miles from the Charleston, South Carolina Navy shipyard south through the Florida Keys where she was recognized as a ship recently stationed out of Key West. She proceeded up the river system to Brunswick, Missouri.

Once in Missouri, restoration of the Aries began and a museum was started to preserve the ship and to foster the growth of hydrofoil technology. The museum obtained their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and was in a probationary period for five years prior to a final review and approval by the Department of Revenue.

The museum acquired the historic Gasconade Boat yard in June 2015 with the hope of relocating all displays to this area. The USS Aries moved from Brunswick, Missouri on the Grand River to Gasconade, Missouri at the confluence of the Gasconade and Missouri rivers under her own power beginning November 22, 2015. It was a three day trip with a number of adventures and beautiful weather.

Our hydrofoil fleet has been growing, and now includes the Aries, three Dynafoils, a Water Spyder, President Nixon’s Volga, a HI-Foil, and the US Naval research ship FRESH-1. We are not focused on static displays, but hydrofoils that fly, while we lack the ACS and LM2500 for the Aries, we have most of our other hydrofoils flying.

With our 501c3 status, we are eligible for the Ship Donation Program that gives us access to the main components we are missing, namely, a decommissioned 75mm cannon, decommissioned Harpoon missiles and an LM2500 turbine engine of which there are many available. 

With the successful transit to our new home port at the Old Government Ship Yard in Gasconade, Missouri, where the Aries is permanently moored, we are making plans to haul the ship and position her within the shipyard with foils extended. This will provide a unique display of just what it was to see the Aries flying above the waves. 

This move will not only ensure the preservation of the Aries by taking her out of harm’s way from floods and continuing hazards of leaving a ship in the water, but make her accessible to visitors.