OT: RIP USS Clamagore SS-343

[timmyg00]

excerpt from an email received from my USSVI shipmates:

It is with great sadness that I have to report that the USS CLAMAGORE SS 343, the last FRAM 3 GUPPY, will be removed from Patriot Point and sold for
> scrap metal.
>
> The Point has not received any of the federal funds they were promised, and so to cut costs, the Destroyer USS LAFFEY, which recently underwent 9.2
> million dollars in repairs will be sold to another city, and the Clamagore, which requires 3 million dollars in repairs will be sold for junk.The news does not appear to have made it onto the website yet: http://www.patriotspoint.org/exhibits/fleet/clamagore.html

RIP, 343...

TG

[AVGWarhawk]

They are simply out of money. Sad tale really.

[razark]

:nope:

[Armistead]

If true, how sad. I go there often. Twice I donated crews to help go upkeep the Yorktown there and did some work on the Clag several years ago.

It doe's need some major work, lifted and sandblasted/painted. Hard to believe they would scrap it being with the group of ships. Think it would still bring more money for tours than scrap.

I'll have to call my buddy down there and find out.

[timmyg00]

They are turning history into razor blades.

[WarlordATF]

Thats really a shame. Another piece of history is going to be sent to the scrap pile. There really isn't that many subs left and many classes of subs are nothing more than old photos now.

I don't know of any S-Class,Salmon,Sargo or Tambor boats remaining and the only way i know of to see a Porpoise/Shark Class is to dive on the USS Tarpon wreck.

It would be nice if the USS Clamagore broke free and sank while under tow like the Tarpon and became another Submarine that refused to be scrapped!

[MrYenko]

While I hate to see old boats broken up, perhaps more sobering is the possible fate of the USS Olympia, in Philadelphia. A ship with national historical significance, is being considered for use as an artifical reef. :nope:

[Akula4745]

Very sad news indeed...

[Admiral8Q]

It's sad, but without the money to preserve them, it makes sense.:cry:

[rein1705]

I live near Tulsa Oklahoma and the Batfish SS-310 isint far away in Miscogee (spelling?) anyway you should see her.... sad looking. A glorious Balao class that has 3 sub kills to her name sitting on land looking tired and miskept...:cry:

[snakeyez]

The official word out now is that Patriots Point is not seeking to scrap the Clamagore just yet. However, the situation there is serious. Hopefully a solid plan will emerge very soon.

[Fish40]

What a shame!:cry: This sub appears to be the only boat with the "Guppy" overhaul still in existence. A piece of lost history for sure. I wonder if the people in SC tried to contact the Intrepid museum here in NY. Would be a nice addition:yep:

[snakeyez]

I live near Tulsa Oklahoma and the Batfish SS-310 isint far away in Miscogee (spelling?) anyway you should see her.... sad looking. A glorious Balao class that has 3 sub kills to her name sitting on land looking tired and miskept...:cry:

The Batfish, like nearly all other museum submarines, relies completely upon profit made off of gift shop and entry fees and the hard work of volunteers.

The Batfish holds frequent volunteer work days/weekends and they would love to have more help. Check out SUBMARINEMUSEUMS.ORG for more info.

[timmyg00]

It's sad, but without the money to preserve them, it makes sense.I'm afraid it makes no sense to me. I'll avoid all of the reasons it makes sense for the US Government to cough up the cash for this - such a discussion belongs in a different forum! But consider -

Would you knock down the Statue of Liberty and sell her copper and steel for scrap because you "ran out of money"?

would you knock down the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial and sell their marble and granite because you "ran out of money"? Kitchen and bathroom contractors would love that, history be damned.

Should Italy knock down the Colosseum in Rome if it becomes "too expensive" to preserve her?

I know that the significance of a single ship does not always stand up to the historic and cultural significance of the aforementioned items, but this is the last ship of her kind on display, the last Guppy III conversion of a WWII-era fleet submarine. For that fact alone, she is a unique ship that should be preserved.

Sorry, I am rather passionate about this topic, and saying that "it makes sense" to sh!tcan a historical artifact for dubious financial reasons does not sit well with me.

TG

[timmyg00]

News of the Clamagore's demise is somewhat premature... They need to stop messing with my head.

TG

[Lionfish298]

News of the USS Clamagore's demise has hit me pretty hard, I must say. I'm quite upset to hear about this. My girlfriend and I just visited her back in April, I believe, and it was really a good trip.

Does anyone have any kind of a time frame on when she'll be scrapped? Have they already stopped allowing people down in her for tours? I'd kind of like to make one last trip to say goodbye if possible.

[Lionfish298]

Hey guys, I was doing some reading and found this:

http://messdeck.com/Forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=18683&PN=9

If you read pages 8 and 9, you'll see that the Clamagore is not, in fact, going to be scrapped any time soon. Most of these posts are coming from around 28 June, so it's recent. It looks like Patriot's Point is still trying to save her.

[timmyg00]

Yeah i got taken in by some "sky is falling" rumors. I should know from my time on the boat that rumors are not to be believed.

I do, however, stand by my previous points.

Hey Lionfish, have you ever been to the, uh, Lionfish? :O:

TG

[Lionfish298]

Yes I have! I was up at Battleship Cove two summers back. She wasn't in as good shape as the Bowfin is, or as the Cod is rumoured to be, but it was a fun trip. I really want to go back. It usually takes me a few trips to one of the old ships/boats to really start getting to know them.

[rein1705]

The Batfish, like nearly all other museum submarines, relies completely upon profit made off of gift shop and entry fees and the hard work of volunteers.

The Batfish holds frequent volunteer work days/weekends and they would love to have more help. Check out SUBMARINEMUSEUMS.ORG for more info.


I'm going to give a serious effort to volunteer there on my time off. I wonder if they'd let somebody volunteer to pay for paint? Wonder what that would cost? :hmmm:
I know my buddys would help out and I'd love to paint her. Is that a WW2 conning tower on her or post war? and what the heck became of her guns and outer doors? ... Gosh so many things need to be done.

[Admiral8Q]

I'm afraid it makes no sense to me. I'll avoid all of the reasons it makes sense for the US Government to cough up the cash for this - such a discussion belongs in a different forum! But consider -

Would you knock down the Statue of Liberty and sell her copper and steel for scrap because you "ran out of money"?

would you knock down the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial and sell their marble and granite because you "ran out of money"? Kitchen and bathroom contractors would love that, history be damned.

Should Italy knock down the Colosseum in Rome if it becomes "too expensive" to preserve her?

I know that the significance of a single ship does not always stand up to the historic and cultural significance of the aforementioned items, but this is the last ship of her kind on display, the last Guppy III conversion of a WWII-era fleet submarine. For that fact alone, she is a unique ship that should be preserved.

Sorry, I am rather passionate about this topic, and saying that "it makes sense" to sh!tcan a historical artifact for dubious financial reasons does not sit well with me.

TG
I understand your point exactly. I'm passionate about preserving historical ships, subs, planes, tanks, uniforms, equipment, etc... What I meant by "it makes sense" is that overall the government and majority of the people don't really understand or care about it's significance. It's sad to lose those pieces of history for ever. :cry: (<--That's why I put the crying smiley)

The problem is, you can ask anyone if they've ever heard of the statue of liberty, and most people even know what it stands for. Ask most people if they have heard of a Guppy III conversion of a WWII-era fleet submarine, I'm sure you'll have a difficult time finding someone that even knows what significance submarines had in WWII. That is the problem.:nope:

[snakeyez]

I'm going to give a serious effort to volunteer there on my time off. I wonder if they'd let somebody volunteer to pay for paint? Wonder what that would cost? :hmmm:
I know my buddys would help out and I'd love to paint her. Is that a WW2 conning tower on her or post war? and what the heck became of her guns and outer doors? ... Gosh so many things need to be done.

I can't answer your questions, but take a look here:

http://www.submarinemuseums.org/forum/index.php?board=14.0

Many of the Batfish guys, including Rick (the guy who runs the place) can point you in the right direction.

I do know that the next scheduled work day is July 17, 2010. They will be focusing on working on the decking.