HOUMA - This Veterans Day marks a historic achievement for the USS Kidd: the ship is finally back in the water. 

For the past 14 months, the USS Kidd sat in drydock at Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors.

In November, USS Kidd Veterans Museum Executive Director Parks Stephenson said the once-in-a-generation overhaul saw completion at the shipyard. 

"It was really a coincidence that our contract with the shipyard was scheduled to end on November 11 and that she would actually go back into the water on November 11," Stephenson said. 

A veteran himself, Stephenson served in the US Navy for 20 years. 

"The ship going into the water today on a day that was designed to honor the sacrifices of the veterans, which our museum also does, I mean that’s our whole reason for existence in Baton Rouge, to honor our veterans. Could you ask for a more perfect day?" he asked. 

The rudder, hull, and dazzle camouflage paint job are just a few of the many repairs the Kidd received in Houma. Stephenson said it cost about $16 million over two contracts to complete the work.

The money for the big repairs came from the state, but Stephenson said some detail work on the Kidd will have to be done by staff.

"Like painting of some spaces, getting racks and sleeping beds put back into the ship and everything.”

He added that the USS Kidd Veterans Museum is accepting donations to cover those costs. He said that since the ship left Baton Rouge, the museum saw a 93% decrease in revenue. 

Even with the downturn, Stephenson says he's hopeful for the future. 

“Just the significance of the two bald eagles circling over the ship, and we brought her out of the dock today. As an ex-sailor, I believe in good omens like that. It’s enough to give me heart that the Kidd's going to come back to Baton Rouge.”

Officials say the Kidd will come home in the spring, likely in May, but possibly as early as February.