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The USS KIDD (DD-661) is the six-hundred sixty-first Fletcher-class destroyer built by the United States Navy.  Launched in February 1943, the Kidd served for over twenty years and was decommissioned on June 19, 1964.  Years later, a search was conducted for a museum ship for the Baton Rouge area.  After a long process, the KIDD was donated by the Navy and she arrived in Baton Rouge on May 23, 1982.  She opened to the public for the first time on August 27, 1983.

Today, USS KIDD has been restored to her August 1945 configuration and she is one of the most authentic and accurate restorations in the Historic Fleet. Of the three preserved Fletcher-class destroyers, she is the only destroyer remaining in her World War II appearance and is now on exhibit in her wartime camouflage paint, "Measure 22."

The USS KIDD is the home of W5KID, the amateur radio station operated and supported by the members of the Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club.  The club station is normally staffed on most military-related holidays.

DD-661 Specifications ( Navel Vessel Register)

2008 Schedule of Special Events for the USS Kidd, DD-661

The Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club and the USS Kidd Amateur Radio Club will hold four special event days on the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge, LA for 2008. All events will be daylong and conducted from the ship’s ham station W5KID