USS Clamagore and Museum
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The USS Clamagore was built in 1945 for the United States Navy and was a Balao-class submarine. The submarine got its name from the blue parrotfish that is found along the Atlantic Ocean. The Clamagore was built too late to be commissioned during WWII so it was saved and served thirty years during the Cold War. It is the only GUPPY III submarine that is preserved in the United States currently. GUPPY stands for Great Underwater Propulsion Program. After the USS Clamagore served thirty years in the Navy, it was decommissioned on June 12, 1975.
Images
A model of the USS Clamagore.
USS Clamagore in motion.
USS Clamagore resting in water.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The USS Clamagore was built in 1945 by the Electric Boat Company. Built for the United States Navy, it was launched on February 1945 but was not commissioned until June 28, 1945 with the commander for the submarine being S.C. Loomis Jr. The USS Clamagore weighed 1,975 tons and was 322 feet in length. The submarine was first assigned to Key West in September of 1945 where she remained doing various voyages until December 1947. In 1947 USS Clamagore went under construction to become a GUPPY II where they added a snorkel to it to improve underwater function. Once operations were finished the submarine returned to Key West in August of 1948 and remained their for the next eight years doing voyages to the Caribbean and Mediterranean periodically.
After the USS Clamagore's time in the Key West it was asked to partake in NATO in 1957 in the North Atlantic where she made visits to Portsmouth, England, and Newfoundland. By 1959 the submarine had a new home port in Charleston and did various jobs there until April 5, 1960 when she sailed and joined the 6th fleet in the Mediterranean for a tour of duty. In July she returned to her port in Charleston and remained on the east coast the rest of the year. Due to all her missions, she was upgraded to GUPPY III in 1962 where they added a 15 foot hull extension to the control room and three shark-fin sensors to the deck. After this renovation she went to New London to do various jobs but was brought back to the United States in 1975 where she was decommissioned in June. The submarine was added to the National Historic Landmarks on June 29, 1989. The USS Clamagore now resides in Charleston, South Carolina in the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum.
Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum is home to many submarines and memorials such as the USS Yorktown and the Cold War Memorial. The museum tickets vary in prices from free to twenty dollars depending on age. You can tour the museum freely or pay for an education program where the tour guides go more in depth with the history. The museum offers overnight camping to further you education of the submarines, and a cafeteria/dining area for hungry guests. The museum is open throughout the year from 9am-6:30pm and various times on holidays. With all the submarines and memorials that are here, the museum is a must see!
The USS Clamagore served thirty years in the United States Navy, which is a reason for its preservation at the museum. Recently in 2012 the museum has talked about what to do with the submarine because its a cost burden to the museum to sustain her afloat in South Carolina. The submarine protected our country for many years and should be able to lay at rest and be honored for years to come. The museum is very accessible for all disabilities and video tours of the submarines are available to see if accessibility suits guests.
After the USS Clamagore's time in the Key West it was asked to partake in NATO in 1957 in the North Atlantic where she made visits to Portsmouth, England, and Newfoundland. By 1959 the submarine had a new home port in Charleston and did various jobs there until April 5, 1960 when she sailed and joined the 6th fleet in the Mediterranean for a tour of duty. In July she returned to her port in Charleston and remained on the east coast the rest of the year. Due to all her missions, she was upgraded to GUPPY III in 1962 where they added a 15 foot hull extension to the control room and three shark-fin sensors to the deck. After this renovation she went to New London to do various jobs but was brought back to the United States in 1975 where she was decommissioned in June. The submarine was added to the National Historic Landmarks on June 29, 1989. The USS Clamagore now resides in Charleston, South Carolina in the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum.
Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum is home to many submarines and memorials such as the USS Yorktown and the Cold War Memorial. The museum tickets vary in prices from free to twenty dollars depending on age. You can tour the museum freely or pay for an education program where the tour guides go more in depth with the history. The museum offers overnight camping to further you education of the submarines, and a cafeteria/dining area for hungry guests. The museum is open throughout the year from 9am-6:30pm and various times on holidays. With all the submarines and memorials that are here, the museum is a must see!
The USS Clamagore served thirty years in the United States Navy, which is a reason for its preservation at the museum. Recently in 2012 the museum has talked about what to do with the submarine because its a cost burden to the museum to sustain her afloat in South Carolina. The submarine protected our country for many years and should be able to lay at rest and be honored for years to come. The museum is very accessible for all disabilities and video tours of the submarines are available to see if accessibility suits guests.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Clamagore_(SS-343)