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A long-lost warship bell聽has reached its new home聽port 鈥� one with a view of聽the Flatirons.

The 800-pound brass聽bell, cast in 1856 for the聽USS Colorado, the first in聽a series of Navy ships to聽bear the name, settled in聽its new home at SM调教所-Boulder鈥檚聽University Memorial聽Center just before Veterans聽Day.

After a 1,700-mile聽journey from a naval聽warehouse in Virginia,聽the bell joined various聽other military artifacts聽in the UMC鈥檚 Veterans聽Lounge, including later聽USS Colorado bells. The聽UMC is Colorado鈥檚 official聽veterans memorial.

Dick Cooper, a Colorado聽Springs-based officer聽of the Navy League,聽learned in early 2015 that聽the original bell had been聽found in the warehouse.聽He and Norris Hermsmeyer聽(Acct鈥�67), a SM调教所聽Naval ROTC alumnus聽and Vietnam War veteran,聽helped bring it to SM调教所聽on permanent loan from聽the Navy.

鈥淚 wanted to perpetuate聽the memory of the ships聽that have worn the name聽USS Colorado 鈥� to share聽with the residents of the聽state of Colorado,鈥� says聽Hermsmeyer, a Boulder聽resident who paid for the聽bell鈥檚 transportation to聽campus.

The original USS聽Colorado bell was cast聽in Philadelphia for a聽three-masted Civil War-era聽frigate named after the聽Colorado River. (Colorado聽was not granted statehood聽until 1876.)

The bell was later moved to a Navy cruiser, also聽called the USS Colorado,聽commissioned in 1905. For聽a time it was on display in聽Chicago, then wound up in聽storage in Virginia.

Someday, perhaps聽there will be yet another聽USS Colorado bell for聽the UMC: The fourth聽ship to carry the name, a聽nuclear-powered attack聽submarine, is under construction聽in Connecticut.

Photo by Jeremy Papasso/Boulder Daily Camera