An Act to provide for the restoration and maintenance of the United States ship Constitution, and to authorize the disposition of the United States ship Constellation, United States ship Hartford, United States ship Olympia, and United States ship Oregon and for other purposes
PL 83-523 (H.R.8247), enacted 07/23/1954

68 S T A T . 1 
PUBLIC LAW 523-JULY 23, 1954 
527 
address of a person in such State upon whom process issued by or under 
the authority of any court having jurisdiction of the subject matter 
may be served in any proceeding at law or equity brought against such 
carrier. 
Such designation may from time to time be changed by like 
writing similarly filed. In the event such carrier fails to file such 
designation, service may be made upon any agent of such motor 
carrier within such State." 
Approved July 22, 1954. 
Public Law 523 
CHAPTER 565 
AN ACT 
To provide for the restoration and maintenance of the United States ship Con-
stitution and to authorize the disposition of the United States ship Constellation, 
United States ship Hartford, United States ship Olympia, and United States 
ship Oregon, and for other purposes. 
July 23, 1954 
[H. R. 8247] 
U. S. S. Constel-
lation. 
T r a n s f e r to 
B a l t i m o r e , Md., 
etc. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the Secretary 
u^|*s'^*coMtitu-
of the Navy is authorized to repair, equip, and restore the United States tion. ' 
ship Constitution, as far as may be practicable, to her original condi- 
Restoration, 
tion, but not for active service, and thereafter to maintain the United 
States ship Constitution at Boston, Massachusetts. 
SEC. 2. The Secretary of the Navy is authorized— 
(a) to make minimum repairs to the United States ship Con-
stellation so as to enable that vessel to be safely transported, by 
towing or otherwise, from its present berth to the harbor of 
Baltimore, Maryland; 
(b) to transport, by towing or otherwise, the United States ship 
Constellation from its present berth to the harbor of Baltimore, 
Maryland; and 
(c) to transfer by gift the United States ship Constellation to 
the State of Maryland, the city of Baltimore, or to a corporation 
or association located in Baltimore whose charter or articles of 
agreement denies it the right to operate for profit, for restoration 
as a public memorial at Baltimore, Maryland. 
SEC. 3. The Secretary of the Navy is authorized— 
(a) to make minimum repairs to the United States ship Hart-
ford so as to enable that vessel to be safely transported, by towing Mobile"/Aia.) etV 
or otherwise, from its present berth to the liarbor of Mobile, 
Alabama; 
(b) to transport, by towing or otherwise, the United States ship 
Hartford, from its present berth to the harbor of Mobile, Alabama; 
and 
(c) to transfer by gift the United States ship Hartford to the 
State of Alabama, the city of Mobile, or to a corporation or 
association located in Mobile whose charter or articles of agree-
ment denies it the right to operate for profit, for restoration as a 
public memorial at Mobile, Alabama. 
SEC 4. The Secretary of the Navy is authorized to make the trans-
fers authorized in subsections 2 (c) and 3 (c) under such terms and 
conditions as he shall prescribe, such terms and conditions to include 
but not be limited to the following: 
(a) Application for transfer hereunder will not be considered 
unless received within one year of the enactment of this Act; 
(b) Each transferee shall take delivery of the vessel within one 
year of enactment of this Act; 
(c) On failure to take delivery within one year of enactment 
U.S.S. Hartford. 
T r a n s f e r 
to 
Terms 
ditions. 
and con-
528 
PUBLIC LAW 523-JULY 23, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
U.S.S. 
Olympia 
and Oregon, 
Donation appli-
cation. 
Transfer. 
Terms and con-
ditions. 
Disapproved do-
nations. 
Disposal. 
Parts' sale, etc. 
Repeal. 
Contribution re • 
turn, etc. 
of this Act, the transferor having been willing and ready to make 
delivery and having offered delivery, the transferee shall lose 
all rights and interest in the vessel; 
(d) Each transferee shall agree to maintain the vessel in a 
condition satisfactory to the Department of the Navy; and 
(e) After delivery, the transferor shall make no further expendi-
tures for maintenance of the vessel transferred. 
SEC. 5. The Secretary of the Navy is directed to retain title and 
custody of, and to maintain the United States ships Olympia and 
Oregon for a period of six months after enactment of this Act, during 
which period any of the several States, Territories, or possessions of 
the United States and political subdivisions, or municipal corporations 
thereof, the District of Columbia, Canal Zone, or corporations or asso-
ciations whose charter or articles of agreement denies them the 
right to operate for profit, may apply for donation of either or both 
of these vessels for restoration as a public memorial or memorials. 
The Secretary is authorized to transfer such vessel or vessels to the 
aforementioned applicants under such terms and conditions as he shall 
prescribe. If within one year from the enactment of this Act any 
transferee has not taken delivery of the vessel or vessels named in 
this section for which his application for donation has been approved, 
the transferor having been willing and ready to make delivery and 
having offered delivery, then said transferee shall lose all rights and 
interest in said vessel or vessels and the Secretary of the Navy may 
dispose of it in the manner he would if the application had not been 
received. 
Each transfer agreement shall include a stipulation that 
the transferee shall maintain the vessel in a condition satisfactory to 
the Navy Department and that no expense shall result to the United 
States as a consequence of such transfer or as a consequence of such 
terms and conditions prescribed by the Secretary of the Navy. 
SEC. 6. Upon expiration of the one year period specified in section 
5 of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy is authorized to dispose of 
each of the vessels specified in section 5 hereof, for which an applica-
tion for donation has not been approved by the Secretary. Any such 
vessel may be disposed of by sale or by scrapping, in the discretion of 
the Secretary. Any parts of historical interest may be removed from 
these ships prior to sale or scrapping and retained by the Department 
of the Navy, or, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Navy, loaned 
or donated to such nonprofit historical or educational institutions as 
he may select. 
SEC. 7. The Secretary of the Navy is further authorized, prior to 
any sale or scrapping oi the United States ships Olympia and Oregon, 
to sell, under such regulations as he may prescribe, such parts or 
pieces of these vessels as may be suitable for use as relics, souvenirs, 
or mementos. Any amounts collected as the result of sales authorized 
by this section shall be deposited and covered into the Treasury as 
miscellaneous receipts. 
SEC. 8. The Act of March 13,1948 (62 Stat. 79), is hereby repealed. 
Amounts received by the Department of the Navy as donations or 
contributions under that Act shall be returned to the donors except that 
in any cases where donations or contributions cannot be returned 
such amounts will be deposited and covered into the Treasury as 
miscellaneous receipts. 
Approved July 23, 1954. 
•Ai-