Cold War Submarine Memorial

A marker describing the memorial and how it came to be.

Nearby donors marker lists the founders, leaders, guarantors, benefactors, sustainers, patrons, distinguished donors, and friends of the Cold War Submarine Memorial.

This marker lists the ballistic and attack submarines in service during the Cold War.

This marker is a list of Cold War attack submarines that were decommissioned prior to 1970.

This marker is a list of Cold War attack submarines that were in commission from 1971 through 1989.

This marker is a list of Cold War ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) in commission through 1989. The "Forty One for Freedom"
plus 10 Ohio Class SSBNs

They went to sea as a powerful and survivable deterrent force - a unique symbol of dedication, sacrifice, and national will - to preserve our nation and its allies, and to ensure peace and stability throughout the world.

The Cold War Submarine Memorial has been made possible through generous contributions from individual submariners, private citizens, industry and government.

This memorial stands as an enduring tribute to the dedicated men who served in our fleet ballistic missile and attack submarines during the years of the Cold War, to their families, and to those who provided the support that made their missions possible.

This memorial is located at "Station 6." It is a tribute to the officers and men of the Submarine Force who served during the Cold War and have given their lives for their country.

The verse at the bottom is from Leslie Nelson Jennings' "Lost Harbor."

The marker itself reads: In Memorium To those who sacrificed their lives while serving in and supporting our submarine forces during the Cold War.
USS Thresher (SSN 593)
Lost at sea with all hands
April 10, 1963

USS Scorpian (SSN 589)
Lost at sea with all hands
June 2, 1968
There is a port of no return, where ships May ride at anchor for a little space And the, some starless night, the cable slips, Leaving an eddy at the mooring place..... Gulls, veer no longer. Sailor, rest your oar. No tangled wreckage will be washed ashore.

We Come Unseen Heralded by the motto of the British Royal Navy Submarine Service, this stone commemorates the part played by its submarines during the Cold War.
Justifiably described as the Third World War, this conflict followed close on the heels of the bloody conflict of the Second World War, during which the Royal Navy (RN) had suffered one in three submarine casualties, and the US Navy had lost almost one in five submarines. Thus the two submarine navies already shared a proud heritage of sacrifice and extraordinary courage.
The links of history were never stronger than during the Cold War, when we stood shoulder to shoulder against a common threat. From the late 1940s RN diesel driven submarines participated in the earliest, often dangerous and uncomfortable, surveillance operations in the farthest reaches of the North Atlantic against a growing Soviet Navy. The RN joined the nuclear club in the mid 1960s. The fact that its early SSNs were christened with the greatest of ship names from the past (Dreadnought, Valiant, Warspite) indicated that a new era of capital ships had dawned. President John F. Kennedy had transferred Polaris technology to Prime Minister Harold Macmillan under the Nassau Agreement in late 1962, and when HMS Resolution undertook her first deterrent patrol in early 1968, she and her sisters – HMS Renown, Repulse and Revenge – provided the United Kingdom with “the best insurance policy the nation ever had”. The four Resolution Class SSBNs were to undertake 229 unbroken patrols until Repulse decommissioned in 1996. The Swiftsure and Trafalgar classes of attack submarines appeared in the 1970s and 80s, and they continued the excellent record of the Churchill-class before them.
The Cold War was won beneath the waves, out of sight and often out of mind. Future American and British submariners, facing a different threat, will carry forward the proud legacy of underwater cooperation and achievement that has been so firmly built on deep friendship and quiet trust among the submarines of the two nations.

Stealthy and Unseen, our Submarines were our "Eyes and Ears" That Monitored Soviet Maritime Operations in Every Ocean of The World

In Recognition of our attack submarines and The Dedicated and Daring men who served in them during The Cold War

They ensured our submarines could sail with confidence fully ready and on time

A Tribute to the Dedicated men an women - Both Military and Civilian who manned the submarine support infrastructure that allowed our submarines to sail with confidence fully ready and on time

They went to se loaded and capable of initating a nuclear holocaust while charged with the solemn responsibility of preventing one

In recognition of our fleet ballistic missile submarines and the dedicated and gallant men who served in them during The Cold War

In recognition of the strong, dedicated submarine families - wives, children and parents - who selflessly endured long and silent absences while their loved ones were at sea on patrol for extended periods thoughout the Cold War. They may be the unrecognized heroes. Their strength coupled withlove devotion for their husbands, fathers and sons, gave their Sailors the extra edge' needed to perform their mission confident that all was under control at home. Lead by the adoptive mothers of the ship - the wives of the Commanding Officer. Executive Officer and Chief of the Boat, plus the ship's Ombudsman - these women provided the strength and the glue that held the boat's family together. They provided a friend to laugh and have fun with, a hand to hold, and a shoulder to cry on. They supported each other, and included the single Sailors' parents as part of this family. They created close networks to help each other during difficulties and emergencies, and to share the good times. They developed lifelong friends, who stay the course still, offering today's support for those contnuing the traditions of deterrence for peace. They shared meals, movies, beach times, thousands of "pot luck" gatherings, holidays. Submarine Birthday celebrations, costume parties - Submarine wives sharing and caring. They could tell thirty stories in thirty minutes, and still have thousands more to tell. This hearfelt bond among the families of the Submarine Force has prevailed over the years. It was never stronger nor more sincere than among the families of the Submariners who sailed from Charleston, South Carolina, during the Cold War.

In recognition of the strong, dedicated submarine families - wives, children and parents - who selfessly endured long and silent absences while their loved ones were at sea on patrol for extended periods throughout the Cold War

In recognition of the people of South Carolina and the Lowcountry whose strong commitment to freedom and democracy provided unflagging support to the Navy men and women of the Submarine Force throughout the Cold War During the initial years of the Cold War, virtually every strategic ballistic missile in our nation's sea-based deterrent arsenal was assembled and loaded into Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) sumarines at the Naval Weapons Station Charleston. Each of the "Forty-one for Freedom" FBM sumarines, including those of the Pacific Fleet, loaded their first test missiles here; and all but two of the "Forty-One" loaded their strategic missles and sailed on thir initial deterrent patrol from Charleston. Additionally,every British Royal Navy FBM sumarine loaded its strategic missiles in Charleston. Duting the peakyears of the Cold War, as many as 40,000 members of the Submarine Force and their families were part of the grater Charleston community. Known for their superb hospitality. Charlestonians from all walds of life warmly welcomed these submariners and their families into their community, just as they have welcomed the Navy throughout history. Throughout the Cold War, the entire U.S. FBM weapons system was supported worldwide from Charleston with maintenance teams, repair parts, and consumable supplies. In addition, during this period Charleston was the homeport for a large number of first-line nuclear attack submarines. They enjoyed similar high-quality support. Working side by side with the Navy men and women, civilian employees of the Charleston Naval Shipyard. Naval Station. Naval Base. Naval Weapons Station, Naval Supply Center, Polaris Missile Facility Atlantic, Polaris Material Office Atlantic, Naval Electronics Systems Command, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, and the Air Force Base, provided the trusted and reliable support infrastructure that allowed our submariners to sail with confidence and success on long and arduous missions of immense national importance. Clearly, this South Carolina civilian-military team perfomed unique and historic service in a vital national effort that contributed directly to maintainging stability and peace throughout the world.

Dedicated to the people of South Crolina and the lowcountry whose strong commitment to freedom and democracy provided unflagging support to the navy men and women of the submarine force throughout the Cold War

the full-sized replica of a Benjamin Franklin Class Fleet Ballistic Missile submarine, USS LEWIS AND CLARK

with original sail and rudder on display

Royal Navy Submarine Service
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U.S. S. Wahoo           USS Wahoo        
         SS 238                         SS 565
In Honor of Our Shipmates on Eternal Patrol
Sponsored by Former Shipmates of USS Wahoo (SSN 565)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Wahoo_(SS-565)
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