The U.S. Navy has declined the Phase II application of the USS Halyburton to the Oliver Hazard Perry Shipyard. 

The Oliver Hazard Perry Shipyard Naval & Maritime Museum project and the Erie Western Port Authority had been working on securing a deal since 2019. 

The U.S. Navy listed several reasons for the decision including additional funding on hand, the first 5 tears of operating expenditures and a long term lease with the Port Authority. According to the Navy, these were several of the items they wanted to see more concrete information about. 

This ends the nearly 6 year long journey to bring an Oliver Perry Class Frigate to Erie. 

"This is a sad day for the Oliver Hazard Perry Shipyard and the many Navy veterans that served on the Perry Class Frigates. For the past five years our efforts to bring the USS Halyburton to Erie have been rigorous and diligent. We have exhausted all available avenues with the Navy and now we have brought the project to an end," said Dr. Joe Pfadt, CEO of the Oliver Hazard Perry Shipyard. 

The Oliver Hazard Perry Shipyard Project application was the first to make it this far in a new Navy donation process. 

Currently, there are no other known plans on the part of the Navy to release a Perry Class Frigate for historic display anywhere else in the country. 

Pfadt hoped Erie's link to Admiral Perry and William D. Halyburton, along with Erie's U.S. Naval history would help make the case. 

The USS Halyburton will most likely be reduced to scrap used as a target ship and sunk by the Navy.