Minneapolis Parks to get historic bell, wheel back from Minnetonka HS
The bell and wheel were stolen years ago and were discovered last year at Minnetonka High School.
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May 6, 2021
The bell from the USS Minneapolis, one of the most decorated U.S. Naval Ships in World War II.
The wheel from the USS Minnesota, presented to the Minneapolis parks department in the 1930s.
The bell and wheel, which the American Legion gifted to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) in 1928 and 1932, respectively, were displayed at the Navy Memorial on the northeast corner of Bde Maka Ska for decades.
By SUSAN DU | Star Tribune | Published: March 15, 2021 MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Tribune News Service) A past commander of the American Legion Minneapolis Post blames a couple of rogue members for making off with a ship s bell and wheel that ended up in Minnetonka High School, while the schools superintendent say they ll only take orders from the U.S. Navy to give them back. Meanwhile, the Navy wants nothing do with the custody dispute between Minneapolis and Minnetonka over the military artifacts. Last week, the Star Tribune reported about the wheel and bell that had gone missing from Navy Rock a sailor memorial at Bde Maka Ska. A now defunct American Legion post obtained the items from the Navy nearly 100 years ago and conferred them upon the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for a public memorial. At some point, the wheel and bell disappeared and resurfaced at Minnetonka High School.