• 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

2020 May Meeting Cancelled

We will NOT have a meeting on Saturday May 2nd.... neither at the Legion Hall nor online.
Legion #239 is unsure whether they will be ready and able to open the hall by that time... especially considering that the Governor won't even publish his plan and requirements until Monday 4/27, a mere 5 days before our scheduled meeting date.
 
Now that the Worthington Memorial Day Parade has been cancelled, there are only 2 activities on the base docket for the near future... placing flags on veterans' graves for Memorial Day, and our Columbus Base June 6th meeting. News for these events, as well as anything else, will be shared by email.
Clutch

Worthington Memorial Day Parade

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to inform you that the May 25th Worthington Memorial Day Parade has been cancelled for this year 2020. We are looking at possible dates in the future. We are hopeful but realistic that large gatherings of people with no entrance or exit gate in which to screen them are probably out of the question for some time to come. We are, however, planning on a virtual ceremony on May 25th that would be posted on our Facebook page and other outlets yet to be named to honor our veterans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Please monitor our website, www.alohio239.org for further information.

April 4th Submarine Birthday Dinner and Tolling Ceremony

Well shipmates, it doesn't appear that things are going to improve anytime soon. And waiting a few more days for the inevitable is useless. Therefore, we are CANCELLING the April 4th Submarine Birthday Dinner and Tolling of the Bell.
 
Federal and state governments, likely soon to be followed by locals, are recommending against meetings of large groups of people (currently 10 or more). It would not be a surprise if they lowered that number, or mandated cancellation of all meetings regardless of number. They've already closed bars and restaurants to on-site service, and I suspect the restrictions will be passed to fraternal and veteran organizations soon... which would force us to cancel anyway.

Jim Tolson departs on Eternal Patrol

JimTolson

It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that our Columbus Base shipmate and friend Jim Tolson departed on Eternal Patrol this morning.

Jim joined the United States Navy in 1967. He qualified in 1971 aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt SSBN-600, and also served aboard the submarine tender USS Sperry AS-12. Jim spent his Naval career as an Electronics Technician, advancing to the rating of ET1(SS) before being discharged in 1976.