British submariners to unveil memorial statueBy Prentiss Findlay (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Sunday, May 11, 2008
MOUNT PLEASANT — The British are coming! Not the Revolutionary War sort as in the Boston Tea Party or Bunker Hill. These are the cold warriors of the Royal Navy Submarine Fleet. Retired Royal Navy Admiral James Perowne, president of the Royal Navy Submariner's Association. Admiral Frank Grenier, Royal Navy distinguished submariner. They and other colleagues, including some of their American counterparts, will gather at the Patriots Point Cold War Submarine Memorial at 2 p.m. Friday to unveil a sculpture memorializing Royal Navy submariners. Grenier created the memorial. It is made of hand-engraved blue glass set into a stainless steel frame. The glass, in Navy colors, was chosen to stand out in an open landscape. The engraving shows a flow of dolphins that link up the different sizes of blue panels. The older-class diesel Royal Navy submarines that took part in the Cold War are pictured at the top. The later-class nuclear submarines at the bottom of the sculpture acknowledge the newer subs' deeper diving depths. The engraving was done with a handheld electric drill and diamond burs. It took more than six months to complete. United States Navy Admiral Al Baciocco of Mount Pleasant was a driving force behind creation of the Royal Navy Submarine Fleet Memorial. The Cold War Submarine Memorial at Patriots Point includes a full-sized replica of a Benjamin Franklin Class Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine. The exhibit is a tribute to those who served on submarines during the Cold War from 1947-1989. Reach Prentiss Findlay at pfindlay@postandcourier.com or 937-5711 |
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Comments
This article has 3 comment(s)
Posted by Harpo on May 11, 2008 at 3:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Our comrades in arms, these were some gutsy bubbleheads,
let me tell you. I watched brit boats coming up the
Firth of Forth with only the sail sticking out of the
water and guys up in the doghouse .. with only about
150 feet of water under them .. at a standard bell!
They didn't shy away from anything!
Posted by auger on May 11, 2008 at 6:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am so pleased to learn that they will be joining the memorial site. The Royal Navy submarine force played a key role during the cold war era and continues to do so today.
I was fortunate enough to take part in the first multi-national rendezvous at the geographic North Pole in 1987. The ships were the USS Sea Devil, USS Billfish, and HMS Superb. I met several members of the Superb crew that day and am honored to have had the opportunity.
This addition to the memorial will be magnificent.
Posted by Thomas1776 on May 11, 2008 at 7 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Awesome!