• 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

June 2020 Meeting

Josten Tripphavong Brian Farnsworth

With the lifting on meeting restrictions Columbus Base was able to hold our June meeting at the Hilliard Amvets (Map). Brian Farnsworth and Josten Tripphavong were introduced, Brian is a former member who just relocated to the columbus area and this is the first meeting Josten has been able to attend. Photos from this Meeting are in the Flickr Album

SubVet News - #2020-034 Convention canceled

Shipmates,

The Board of Directors and the Convention Committee members held a teleconference meeting today, Friday, 15 May to determine whether or not to hold the 2020 National Convention scheduled for Tucson, Az.
This POC Bulletin contains the combined comments from that meeting from National Senior Vice Commander Jon Jaques, National Election Master Tom Conlon and National Awards Chairman Bill Scott.

 To all USSVI shipmates:

In light of the current national pandemic emergency, the USSVI board of directors has voted to cancel the 2020 National Convention in Tuscon.  This convention will be rescheduled for August 2023.
The BOD felt a number of uncontrollable circumstances made having the convention not in the best interest of the organization.
If you are due a refund for your convention registration, please give the convention committee time to issue checks and get those refunds in the mail.