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A 6-foot-tall, 2,000-pound gray-blue anchor with wrap-around black chain mounted outside the former Naval Reserve Station at 2226 Green Bay St. was reported stolen Saturday.
Tom Sweeney, chairman of the Naval Reserve Center Memorial Oversight Commit-tee, which owns the anchor, said the anchor was stolen sometime between Dec. 31, 2007, and Wednesday, according to police reports.
A committee member asked where the anchor went, said Sweeney, a city councilman whose district includes the station.
“And I said, ‘What do you mean where’s the anchor?’” he said.
Sweeney, who served four years active duty in the Navy and 21 years in the reserves, went to look. Sure enough, the anchor was gone. He inquired at the fire department, which is nearby and uses the station for training exercises. Firefighters knew nothing. Neither did neighbors. And he asked the city, to make sure workers hadn’t removed it without telling anyone. No leads.
Sweeney said the anchor weighs less than the 2,000 pounds described in the police report. It could be moved by three or four “heavy duty” people because it was anchored on a ledge about two-feet off the ground and could be slid into the back of a pickup truck, he said.
Suspects include anyone looking to trade in the ferrous metal anchor for cash, Sweeney said, but no area scrap yards have reported anyone bringing in the anchor.
The anchor was never assigned to a ship and is not an official navy anchor, Sweeney said. The anchor had sat outside the building since it was commissioned in 1949.
The U.S. Navy ceased operations at the center May 25, 2007, and the facility was turned over to the city Dec. 31.
The anchor would have been part of a planned memorial on the site, Sweeney said.
Anyone with information about the theft should call the La Crosse Police Department at (608) 785-5962. Callers also can remain anonymous by using the La Crosse Area Crime Stoppers line at (608) 784-8477 or 1-800-947-3577. Crime Stoppers callers can be eligible for rewards of up to $1,000.
Anne Jungen can be reached at ajungen@lacrossetribune.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
