From the Flight deck of the USS Yorktown one could get some photos of the USS Clamagore, SS-343, a Balao-class (and later GUPPY-class) submarine. She served in the Navy from September 1945 until June 1975, a solid 30 years in service.
Clamagore is the last surviving GUPPY class submarine. The sharkfins you can see on the bow were added for the GUPPY III sonar sensor upgrades.
Looking back from the sensors on the bow to the stern, she's certainly seen better days.
The USS Clamagore as you can see is looking pretty darn rough.
Due to Covid, the sub was sadly not open to visitors.
I would have gladly signed a waiver to be able to get on board and see her, but that was not an option.
As a result, I will probably never have the opportunity to tour the inside of Clamagore.
This will likely be the last year for anyone to see the Clamagore above the waves, as she is now scheduled to be taken out and sunk as an artificial reef sometime later this year.
I'm not sure if this will be the first US designated National Historic Landmark to be deliberately sunk or not. Once sunk, does that make it a National Historic Seamark?
Once she is sunk, there will be no more surviving GUPPY class submarines left above the waves.
2 comments:
Over here, in Muskegon, we have the USS Silversides, a GATO class WWII submarine. It is docked right on a channel between Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake. When Covid19 is not an issue they have allowed boy scouts groups to camp overnight, and recently have begun to allow everyone to camp overnight on her.
A number of years ago, perhaps right after the turn of the century ( Gotta love saying that), there was a contest called Submarines on the Air, or something like that. I was involved with our local radio club at the time, and spent several hours making and recording contacts to allow other operators to log our station for points towards both winning the contest, and also to help them fill up their personal collection of military contacts made.
It was one of the most rewarding days of radio operating I had ever been involved with. And it was even more fun that a field day, which the men that helped me to become a ham took me to.
They have a very nice museum near the submarine now, and parking is decent, unless they are extremely busy, like at the high point in summer, when you might have to park a block away, and walk a short walk, in a very safe, almost exclusive, but old area. The area is beautiful, with a walkway that many fishermen often use to catch whatever is in season. On our waterfront there is also an LST, from WWII, a landing craft with a bow that drops down to allow the men and vehicles to leave the end of the ship, and come ashore. It is impressive just how big that ship is. The city has people who show films on the side of that ship during summer nights, weather permitting.
PigPen51- I've been to USS Silversides and enjoyed that submarine profusely. I need to get back there and check it and the LST out again. Very cool that you actually got to do radio work relating to the sub.
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