USS Ponchatoula Memorial

The USS Ponchatoula story began in 1942 with the mountains of scrap metal collected by Ponchatoula, La.'s schoolchildren to support America’s efforts in World War II. The story returned to Ponchatoula in 2015 as proud former crewmembers of the ship acquired scrap-metal artifacts recovered during its dismantling and offered them to the city. The city responded by authorizing the USS Ponchatoula Memorial to be established on the grounds of the Collinswood Museum to honor the decorated Navy warship. The memorial includes a 1/7th replica of the AO-148's fantail, including the stern flagstaff, capsain, two bits and a search light. The Shipmates Association acquired one of the ship's anchors with a section of chain, and the memorial was updated with the anchor, another set of bits, a new Tori Gate at the entrance and a Memorial Brick walkway. The memorial was rededicated on March 31, 2022. The Collinswood Museum displays various smaller artifacts, such as the ship's helm wheel, captains' chair, and a notebook containing information about USS Ponchatoula AOG-28 recorded by crewmembers in World War II. AO-148's ship's bell and christening bottle are on display at the Ponchatoula City Hall, approximately 2 blocks away.