A 1958 Forrest Sherman-class destroyer — the 'Grey Ghost of the Vietnamese Coast' — now permanently moored in Bay City, where a caretaker who died aboard in 1999 is still reported to move tools and appear on security cameras
1900 N Water St, Bay City, MI 48708
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Museum admission fee; seasonal haunted attraction ticketed separately — see website
Access
Limited Access
Active naval vessel; steep ladders, narrow passageways, low overhead — physically demanding, not wheelchair accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1958 · Vietnam War naval gunfire support operations · Grey Ghost of the Vietnamese Coast designation · Forrest Sherman-class destroyer preservation · Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum anchor exhibit
USS Edson was laid down at Bath Iron Works in Maine and commissioned on November 7, 1958, as one of the Forrest Sherman-class destroyers — the U.S. Navy's first post-World War II destroyer design. The ship displaced roughly 2,800 tons and carried an armament of three 5-inch guns along with anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons.
The Edson's Vietnam War service defined its reputation. Operating in gunfire support missions along the Vietnamese coast, the ship's speed, precision, and the spectral appearance of a gray warship materializing in coastal fog earned it the unofficial designation 'Grey Ghost of the Vietnamese Coast' among the forces it supported. The ship completed multiple deployments before returning to homeport operations.
Decommissioned in 1988 after thirty years of service, the Edson was transferred to Bay City, Michigan, where a local preservation group had advocated for a museum ship. It has been moored on the Saginaw River at the foot of the city's waterfront since 1989 and serves as the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum's primary artifact. Paul Spampanato was employed as the ship's caretaker for years before dying of a heart attack aboard the vessel on Thanksgiving Day, 1999.
Sources
Paul Spampanato spent years as the Edson's caretaker — knowing the ship's compartments, passages, and mechanical systems as well as any living person. He died of a heart attack aboard on Thanksgiving Day, 1999, alone on the vessel that had become his charge. The death was not dramatic in any theatrical sense, but it was singular: a man dying in service to a preserved warship on the country's most domestic holiday.
In the years following Spampanato's death, the reports began accumulating. Tools left in specific locations would be found elsewhere. Doors in the ship's lower decks, latched against the prevailing current of the Saginaw River, would close when no one was in the area. Most notably, the ship's security camera system — installed to monitor the vessel overnight — captured imagery that investigators and crew could not attribute to any person present on the ship. The figure in the footage has been described as consistent with a male adult moving through passageways the cameras were positioned to cover.
Paranormal investigators have documented the Edson's reputation through multiple visit reports, and the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum has made peace with the reputation by licensing it: The Edson Incident is a ticketed October haunted attraction that uses the ship's confined spaces, darkness, and documented history as its primary assets. The attraction runs in the same compartments where Spampanato's post-death accounts originated.
Notable Entities
Tour the Edson's gun mounts, combat information center, crew quarters, engine room, and other compartments with interpretive signage covering the ship's Vietnam-era service history and its nickname 'Grey Ghost of the Vietnamese Coast.'
October haunted attraction operating aboard the ship, exploiting the vessel's confined passageways, darkness, and paranormal reputation. Tickets required; see edsonincident.com for dates and booking.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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