PALACIOS - After years of seeing fishermen go out to sea, and some not come back, a former Palacios shrimper is honoring all fishermen with a 12-ton statue of Jesus Christ.

"What better way to remember those that we have lost at sea and those who are going out to sea than to bless them?" said Tuyen Vu, the former shrimper and now store owner.

For now, the 15-foot-tall granite statue, called "King of God," sits outside his store, Gulf Bay Marine Supply Store on Main Street.

It took six months for the order to be filled and have it shipped whole from Vietnam.

Soon, the statue will move about half of a mile down the road to the end of the Bayside RV Park, near Turning Basin No. 4. It will overlook the Palacios Harbor and Tres Palacios Bay.

"We looked for an ideal location and we found the best spot to be near the park," said David Aparicio, owner of Bayside RV Park and Vu's longtime friend.

The location is a high spot and the angle the statue will stand will allow all fishermen leaving and returning to see the statue, Aparicio said.

It also offers a view of West Matagorda Bay, where the largest fleet of shrimp boats on the Texas Gulf Coast are docked.

The statue is expected to be moved to its permanent location once they get approval from the Matagorda County Navigation District, from whom they are leasing the location. This could take two to three months.

For about 20 years, Vu has wanted to honor fishermen and shrimpers who have died, as well as those who are still making a living from the sea. He also wanted to honor their families.

"I see a lot of fishermen and they buy supplies from me. Knowing they are going out to work, I wanted a statue to look over them. This is how I will honor them," he said.

No one event sparked his quest to make the dream a reality now. He said the time was just right to do it.

"I was a shrimper for many years and spent many seasons catching shrimp with my brother and cousins," he said.

Then one day, about 20 years ago, he caught a human skull in his net.

"My brother and my cousin, they picked the shrimp and when they saw the skull, they thought it was a skull of an animal. I was a little scared and hesitant," he said.

After determining it was a human skull, he carefully placed it in a box and called authorities to report it.

"I became sad because I knew that there was a family out there missing their loved one," he said. "I wanted the police to get it and find the family and bring him home," he said.

The thought of the pain his family would have if he was lost at sea was so great, he said, he thought of the statue.

Now a store owner who sells fishing equipment and gear, he sees his fellow fishermen every day and thinks of their safety when they go out to sea.

"We can shake the hand of people, but what can we do for those that are lost at sea?" he asked.

He brought up the idea for the statue to friends and they all liked the idea, he said.

"God has blessed us fishermen who make a living in the sea," Aparicio said. "We want to do this to praise God and let people know that he put that resource out there for us to harvest shrimp and make a living."

Volunteers have offered to move the statue to its permanent spot. An 18-wheeler will be used to make the move.

Once the statue is in place, it will stand 30 feet high. It will sit on a 15-foot-tall concrete base.

Surrounding the statue will be park benches for people to sit, Aparicio said.

"I feel everyone should be remembered and not forgotten," Vu said.