The Loop District in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
World War II Submarine Veterans Memorial
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 10, 2024
1. World War II Submarine Veterans Memorial Marker, Side One
[Front side, facing west:]
28 submarines built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin passed this spot on their way to war after Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941
Dedicated to all U.S. Navy submariners past, present and future who defend our nation in peace and in war.
[Rear side, facing east:]
Submarines built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin during World War II
USS Peto (SS-265) USS Pogy (SS-266) USS Pompon (SS-267) USS Puffer (SS-268) USS Rasher (SS-269) USS Raton (SS-270) USS Ray (SS-271) USS Redfin (SS-272) *USS Robalo (SS-273) USS Rock (SS-274) *USS Golet (SS-361) USS Guavina (SS-362) USS Guitarro (SS-363) USS Hammerhead (SS-364) USS Hardhead (SS-365) USS Hawkbill (SS-366) USS Icefish (SS-367) USS Jallao (SS-368) *USS Kete (SS-369) USS Kraken (SS-370) *USS Lagarto (SS-371) USS Lamprey (SS-372) USS Lizardfish (SS-373) USS Loggerhead (SS-374) USS Macabi (SS-375) USS Mapiro (SS-376) USS Menhaden (SS-377) USS Mero (SS-378)
*Lost in combat
Erected 2019 by Crash Dive Base; USS Chicago Base.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: War, World II • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Still On Patrol series list.
Location. 41° 53.279′ N, 87° 37.079′ W. Memorial is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in The Loop District. It is on Chicago Riverwalk 0.1 miles east of Michigan Avenue. The marker is on the Chicago Riverwalk, about 200 yards east of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago IL 60601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Chicago Submarine Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Honorable Joanne H. Alter (within shouting distance of this marker); Chicago's Early Settlers (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Firefighter Walter Watroba (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chicago River 2000 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chicago Riverwalk 2000 (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Great Chicago Fire (approx. 0.2 miles away); South Branch of the Chicago River 2000 (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
More about this memorial. This marker was erected in 2019; a few years later, another marker was added a few steps away, near the river, explaining the meaning of the memorial with some background on the submarines' passage through Chicago.
Regarding World War II Submarine Veterans Memorial. Four of the ships referenced on the memorial
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 10, 2024
2. World War II Submarine Veterans Memorial Marker, Side Two
The U.S.S. Robalo was built in 1942 and commissioned in September 1943. The Robalo and her 60 men went missing on its third patrol in the summer of 1944. It left Fremantle, Australia, on Jun 22 en route for the South China Sea. On July 2, the Robalo was reported to have spotted a Japanese battleship just east of Borneo. No further contact was ever made with the submarine, and she was presumed lost.
The U.S.S. Golet, funded by war bonds purchased by people from the Shreveport, Louisiana, area, was commissioned on November 1, 1943. On her second patrol, which began May 28, 1944, the Golet departed Midway Island to patrol off of Japan, but was never heard from again; Japanese records found post-war indicate she was shot down by the Japanese on June 14. A memorial to the Golet is in Metairie, Louisiana.
The U.S.S. Kete was built in 1943 and commissioned in July 1944. The Kete went missing off the Ryukyu Islands in March 1945, while on its second patrol with 87 men aboard. The cause of her sinking remains a mystery, although there is some speculation that it was shot down by another Japanese
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 10, 2024
3. World War II Submarine Veterans Memorial
Behind the memorial is a separate marker that looks at the making of the memorial and the history behind it.
The U.S.S. Lagarto went on its first mission in October 1944. She was sunk by a Japanese minelayer in the Gulf of Siam on May 4, 1945; all 88 men aboard died.
Also see . . .
1. Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company (Wikipedia). (Submitted on September 11, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. Chicago Scenic Studios: World War II Submarine Veterans Memorial. A look at the memorial from its designer (Submitted on September 11, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 10, 2024
4. World War II Submarine Veterans Memorial
The door in the memorial is a real artifact from a sub, the U.S.S. Trout (SS-566). However, the Trout was neither made in Manitowoc nor during World War II. Built in Groton, Connecticut, the ship launched in 1951 and was named after another Trout (SS-202), which made 11 missions before going missing near the Philippines in February 1944. This later Trout served missions in the Mediterranean before becoming part of the Pacific fleet in the 1970s. In 1977, the ship was decommissioned and overhauled, and, in late 1978, transferred to the Iranian Imperial Navy. However, the ship was abandoned by its Iranian crew after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. In 1992, after years of disuse, the submarine was returned to U.S. possession and used for sometime in underwater training and testing. After failed attempts to donate the submarine to a museum, she was scrapped in 2009.
Courtesy of Library of Congress; Ann Rosener, photographer, circa 1942
5. Manitowoc Shipyard
Caption from the Library of Congress: "As the shift changes, workers pour out of the shipyards at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where submarines are built on a twenty-four-hour day, seven-day week basis."
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 10, 2024
6. World War II Submarine Veterans Memorial
Credits. This page was last revised on September 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 241 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 11, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
