A battleship is being built in Brighton

By Belen Ward

A lifesized replica of World War II-era battleship USS Colorado that's taking shape on the banks of Brighton's Mann-Nyholt Lake will never see naval service, but it's already received honors from the U.S. Navy.

Several U.S. Navy officers joined veterans and Adams County officials for the official "mast stepping" ceremony for the replica battleship, destined to debut by Memorial Day 2023 as the county's new Veterans Memorial.

"The Navy is excited about it because they want to use it as a recruitment tool, bring potential recruits, maybe bring out veterans to do physical therapy, weddings, military weddings, or commissioning of officers or chiefs, or retirements. We are going to have the USS Colorado's bell the same one on the submarine, " said Adam County Commissioner Charles "Chaz" Tedesco, a retired Navy Veteran.

Crews are continuing to build the Veterans Memorial at the Riverdale Regional Park, on the shore of Mann-Nyholt Lake. It's meant to honor past, present, and future veterans for their sacrifices to defend our country, Tedesco said.

The mast stepping ceremony was celebrated on Dec. 7,  which is the Remembrance Day of Pearl Harbor. Veterans and community members placed mementos in a box that were placed inside the battleship's mast.

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This story is from Colorado Community Media. CBS News Colorado is a newsgathering partner with CCM, a network of two dozen newspapers and online publications serving eight metro-area counties on the Front Range.