Thank God for our Freedom

Thank God for our military men and women and to God most of all for presenting us with the freedom to celebrate this day and everyday.

Fate of Submarine Clamagore

Fate Of Submarine Clamagore To Be Decided

By Warren L. Wise, Charleston (SC) Post & Courier

MOUNT Pleasant -- For more than 30 years, the submarine Clamagore has served as a tourist attraction at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum.
But the last surviving vessel of its type may soon go underwater one last time.

“She needs a lot of work,” said Mac Burdette, executive director of Patriots Point. “The ballasts are paper thin and the hull is in better shape, but we don’t have the money to fix it.”
He estimates the cost to repair the 1945- commissioned submarine at $5 million to $6 million, money the state agency doesn’t have and most likely won’t come from the state since Patriots Point still owes more than $8 million on the last ship the state saved from sinking into Charleston Harbor.
That leaves two options, Burdette said Friday.
One is to see what has to be done for it to become an artificial reef off Florida, he said. The other is to see if anyone else wants it.
Asked if there was any consideration for a third option about repairing it, Burdette said, “I can’t see us going to the General Assembly and asking for money. There are other more important areas to spend that money.”
The state loaned Patriots Point $9.2 million in 2009 to repair the destroyer Laffey, which sprouted so many leaks it was close to sinking in the harbor before it was hauled up the Cooper River for refurbishment that same year.
Shiny as new, it returned to Patriots Point in January and took over the Clamagore’s berth parallel to the World War II-era aircraft carrier Yorktown.
The 322-foot-long submarine was moved to the south end of the carrier in January and has been off limits to visitors since then. Once a new gangway is installed, it should reopen by Fourth of July festivities, Burdette said.Unlike the Laffey and Yorktown, the Clamagore never saw combat. But Burdette said visitors enjoy going inside the submarine to imagine what the living conditions were like in the cramped quarters.

The Clamagore, named for a fish, called Charleston its home base until 1959 and came to Patriots Point in 1981 as a museum piece. It was decommissioned in 1975 and is the nation’s last remaining GUPPY type III diesel-powered submarine. GUPPY stands for Greater Underwater Propulsion Program.
Word of its possible demise brought sadness to former Sailors of the ship.

“It pains us to think it is going to be towed away and maybe made into a reef,” said George Bass, treasurer and past president of the USS Clamagore SS343 Veterans Association. “We would hate to see it go.”
The group, which once boasted several hundred members, meets every other year in Mount Pleasant for its reunions. Last year 102 attended.

Bass, 85, of Salisbury, N.C., served on the submarine from 1948 to 1957 and is keenly aware of the Clamagore’s state of disrepair.“It’s in terrible condition,” he said.He also knows that Patriots Point doesn’t have the money to repair it. He has asked congressmen and senators, even media mogul Ted Turner and other well-heeled businessmen for the money, to no avail.“They all say Patriots Point took it and they should take care of it, but they will never get the funds,” he said. “They will have a hard time paying off the loan on the Laffey.”

Bass believes they are now fighting a losing battle.“I guess they will tow it out and make a reef out of it,” he said with resignation.

“That would be sad,” fellow Clamagore veteran Michael Burk, 62, of Ohio said. “As everybody gets old, though, I don’t know who is going to take it.”

Burdette said the board will decide on the Clamagore’s fate in about three months, but it could take up to a year for it to move, especially if it becomes a reef.

The sub still has batteries and possibly some fuel that would have to be removed, Bass said.
“It would have to be cleaned up,” the former submarine electrician said.

The Patriots Point board also approved the agency’s $9.6 million spending plan for the new fiscal year starting July 1, including $425,000 for advertising, an increase of $250,000 over the current outlay.

Submarine Tenders

I know that many of us have served aboard a Submarine Tender sometime during our Navy time.

Here is a new website dedicated to Submarine Tenders. I thought you might find it interesting.
It is linked from our Sea Fox websites.

All the best. Geo.

http://tendertale.com

USS Sea Fox Norman M. Cobb

SVWWII past member #03799 (Oregon)

Norman M. Cobb of Redmond passed away on May 8. He was born July 5, 1925 in Portland. Growing up in the Westmoreland neighborhood, attending Llewellyn Grade School and Washington High School. Upon graduating early from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in February 1943. He saw action in the Pacific, initially on the battleship USS Washington and later on the submarine USS Tilefish. Discharged in 1946, he returned home and enrolled at Oregon State and then transferred to Lewis and Clark College where he received his business degree. In 1950, Norman married Halcyone Taylor of Portland and was subsequently recalled to active duty as a naval officer during the Korean War. He served on the USS Tiru and USS Sea Fox submarines. He culminated his military career as a Commander in the Navy Reserve in 1971. Returning home from the war he started an insurance business in Westmoreland. In 1960, he sold his business and joined Dean Witter as a stockbroker. He retired from Dean Witter in the mid-1980s and moved to Central Oregon with his wife. Norman enjoyed fishing the many lakes and rivers in Central Oregon and was an avid wood worker, having built a home in La Pine. Norman is survived by his wife of 62 years, Halcyone; sister, Miriam Glover of Eagle Creek; two sons, Joseph of Hermiston and Norman "Rick" of Dumfries, Va.; and six grandchildren. A graveside service will be at Willamette National Cemetery at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. Contributions may be made to Partners In Care Hospice, 2075 NE Wyatt Ct., Bend, OR 97701. Published in The Oregonian on May 13, 2012

The songs are by Tommy Cox - too bad that more weren't used

This 15 min video will bring back a lot of memories for the diesel boat sailors.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F9ThfoLH6c&feature=youtu.be

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Happy Birthday, U.S. Submarine Force! Celebrating 112 Years of Undersea Dominance By Lt. Hayley Sims, Commander, Submarine Force, Atlantic Public Affairs NORFOLK, Va. – On April 11, 1900, the submarine force was born when the U.S. Navy bought the submersible Holland VI from John Holland. Since that historic day, undersea warfighters and submarines have used fortitude and creativity to sustain their superiority beneath the sea and develop the force into the indispensable asset that patrols world-wide today. As submariners celebrate their birthday around the world this month, they will honor the heroes on eternal patrol and those who have served past and present. Rear Adm. Frank Caldwell, Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet, understands the value of submariners. “For 112 years, the broad military advantages created by undersea concealment have resulted in a wide range of undersea platforms and missions that have enhanced our national security,” said Rear Adm. Caldwell. “Throughout history, what has remained constant is the bold character of submariners.”Throughout the last eleven decades, submariners have advanced through four generations. The first generation produced fleet boats with the speed, endurance, weapons and payload that would make the submarine a warfighting platform. The second generation, defined by World War II heroes, made a decisive difference in the war and dominated the seas which set high standards of performance. The third generation of undersea warfare during the Cold War was defined by the advent of nuclear power – in weapons and propulsion. This advanced technologyprevented a nuclear world war and secured the nation’s interests. The current generation of submariners, Generation IV, is being defined by the increase of long-range precision sensors and weapons. Today’s submariners stay ahead of these threats and work hard to preserve their superiority in the undersea environment with the help of the “Design for Undersea Warfare” a guiding document which articulates how undersea warfighters provide “Ready Forces, Effective Employment, and Future Forces.” Vice Adm. John M. Richardson, Commander, Submarine Forces, recognizes the hard, outstanding work of submariners and their families. “I am incredibly proud of each and every member of the undersea warfare team, including our families who sacrifice along with us,” said Vice Adm. Richardson. “Just as earlier generations did before us, we fourth generation undersea warriors will be ready to surge to any crisis – first to arrive and last to leave. Let it always be a comforting reassurance to our friends and the worst nightmare for our enemies to know that the U.S. Submarine Force is on the job.” Today’s submarine force consists of 53 attack, 14 ballistic-missile and four guided-missile submarines that enable the Navy and the nation to win wars, deter wars, defeat terrorists, and ease disasters. Happy birthday U.S. Submarine Force and congratulations on 112 years of rich success running silent through history and running deep into the future.