• USS Barb (SS-220)
    The last two war patrols conducted by Barb (SS-220) are deserving of special mention. Under Commander E. B. Fluckey she commenced her 11th patrol 19 December 1944. The patrol was conducted in the Formosa Straits and East China Sea off the east coast of China, from Shanghai to Kam Kit. During this patrol, which lasted until 15 February 1945, Barb sank four Japanese merchant ships and numerous enemy small craft. On 22-23 January Barb, displaying the ultimate in skill and daring, penetrated Namkwan Harbor on the China coast and wrought havoc upon a convoy of some 30 enemy ships at anchor. Riding dangerously in shallow waters, Barb launched her torpedoes into the enemy group and then retired at high speed on the surface in a full hour's run through uncharted, heavily mined, and rock-obstructed waters. In recognition of this outstanding patrol, Commander Fluckey was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and Barb received the Presidential Unit Citation.
    Commander E. B. Fluckey
  • Hunley
    H.L. Hunley a small, hand-powered submarine, was privately built at Mobile, Alabama, in 1863, based on plans furnished by Horace Lawson Hunley, James R. McClintock and Baxter Watson. She began a series of attempts to attack United States Navy ships on blockade duty off Charleston. On 17 February 1864, these efforts were successful. H.L. Hunley approached the steam sloop of war USS Housatonic and detonated a spar torpedo against her side. The Federal ship sank rapidly, becoming the first warship to be lost to a submarine's attack.
    Hunley
  • Intelligent Whale
    Intelligent Whale was one of a number of submarines built during the Civil War. She was hand-propelled, and steered by horizontal and vertical rudders. Wooden doors on the bottom allowed a diver to exit with a mine. She was purchased by the U.S. Navy in 1869, and brought to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for testing. In September 1872, in her only official Navy test, Intelligent Whale flooded. The crew escaped, but the Navy's interest in her ceased. Intelligent Whale was an early experiment in a field now of great importance.
    Intelligent Whale
  • Plunger
    Submarine Plunger on a slipway circa the late 1890s, possibly while under construction at the Columbian Iron Works, Baltimore, Maryland. Plunger was built under an 1895 Navy contract with the Holland Torpedo Boat Company but was not accepted for Naval service. Note her triple propeller shafts. This halftone reproduction was published in the "Journal of the American Society of Naval Engineers", May 1938.
    Plunger
  • The Fenian Ram
    The Fenian Ram is the second experimental submarine built by Irish-born inventor and educator John P. Holland. It was financed by the Fenian Brotherhood, an Irish revolutionary movement in the United States that sought Ireland's independence from British rule. It carried a crew of three, and made frequent dives in New York Harbor. It led Holland to perfect four other experimental craft that eventually resulted in his Holland submarine of 1898, which was adopted by the U.S. Navy and commissioned as SS-1. Fenian Ram was placed in Paterson's West Side Park in 1928 as a monument to the inventor. In 1980, it was moved inside the Paterson Museum where today it serves as a reminder of the ingenuity of the "father of the modern submarine."
    The Fenian Ram
by Dr. Radut

Shipmate John "Woody" Woodmansee departs on Eternal Patrol

Woody WoodmanseeWith a truly heavy heart I inform you that our Columbus Base shipmate John "Woody" Woodmansee, 87, departed on Eternal Patrol Thursday September 10, 2024.
 
Woody joined the Navy in 1955. He qualified in submarines on USS Hardhead SS-365 in 1956. As an ET3, he worked in the RADAR and SONAR Division. In 1958, Woody was transferred to Windsor Locks, Connecticut, where he attended Nuclear Power School and served as an instructor until 1961.

July Meeting

The July 4th Upper Arlington Parade was a success with 15 shipmates participating photos are posted. The July Meeting was held on 13 July with 23 members and guest present. The August 3rd Meeting will also be the Columbus Base Picnic and will be held at the American Legion Post 239 in Worthington Ohio. Other upcoming events are:

  • August 24 Wings of Flight, Wheels of Yesteryear (Licking County Airport), November 3rd Veterans Parade Delaware Ohio.
  • November (unknown date) Columbus Ohio Veterans Parade
  • November (unknown date) Logan Ohio Veterans Day Parade.

Photos and Minutes of the meeting are posted on the base's website.

June Meeting

Columbus Base held it's monthly meeting on June 1st. There were twenty-one members,three guests and one prospective member Glen Gardner, who qualified in 1989 aboard USS Hyman G. Rickover SSN-709 attending. Our next event will be the July 4th Upper Arlington Parade followed by the Monthly meeting on July 13th at  the American Legion Leasure-Blackston Post 239 in Worthington. NOTE this is the Second Saturday due to the July 4th holiday weekend. Photos and Minutes are posted.

2024 Memorial Day Parade

Columbus Base marched with our Float in the Worthington Memorial day parade on Monday 27, May 2024. The following members represented the base in the parade: Tim Barker, Dave Hamel, Brian Farnsworth with Mother, Dave OCarrol, Bill McCorkle, Walt Fleak, Scott Steele & Grandaughters Jose and Lucy, Dave Creekmore, Jim Steck with Wife & Granddaughter, and John Wegman. Photos were taken by John and are available for viewing on the website photo page.