• 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

Samuel M. Templeton departs on Eternal Patrol

Tempeton thumbI'm sad and surprised to inform you of the passing of our Columbus Base shipmate Sam Templeton. Sad, because we've lost another shipmate. Surprised, because Sam passed on 23 January 2018 and we weren't aware!
Sam served in the Navy from 1955 to 1961, leaving as MM1(SS). He qualified in 1956 aboard USS Trutta SS-421, and also served on USS Skate SSN-578 in 1957 and USS Halibut SSN/SSGN-587 from 1959 to 1961. Sam was a Life Member of both USSVI (joining in 2001) and Columbus Base (joining in 2005), and also a member of Cod Base in Cleveland. Sam was inducted into the Holland Club in 2006.

John T. Leers Jr departs on Eternal Patrol

John Leers It's with a truly heavy heart that I inform you that our shipmate John Leers departed on Eternal Patrol.

John Leers 91, of Reynoldsburg, passed away October 3 2018. John was a Member of St. Pius X church; retired from the Navy after 30 years of service YNCS SS). After retirement from the Navy, John became a Naval Science instructor in the Navy Junior ROTC program at Franklin Heights High School. He retired after 22 Years of service. John is a life member of the United States Submarine Veterans, both the local Columbus Base and the national organization where he is a member of USSVI Holland Club. He was preceded in death by his wife Lorraine.

Donald Crinkey departs on Eternal Patrol

Donald Crinkey It's with a truly heavy heart that I inform you that our shipmate Don Crinkey departed on Eternal Patrol.

If you didn't attend our monthly base meetings or some of our dinners, you probably didn't know our shipmate Don Crinkey. He RARELY missed a monthly base meeting, coming from Springfield with his good friend and shipmate Bob Frier . In his words, he “loved the brotherhood and camaraderie of the submarine service and being with the Columbus Base shipmates”.