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/exhibit...clamagore.html

RIP, 343...

TG

[AVGWarhawk]

They are simply out of money. Sad tale really.

[razark]

[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.

[Akula4745]

Very sad news indeed...

[Admiral8Q]

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

[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...

[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! 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

[snakeyez]

Originally Posted by 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...

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]

Originally Posted by Admiral8Q

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