USS CAVALLA SS-244

PRESS RELEASES


Houston Chronicle
November 10, 1998

U.S. submarine veterans urge Galveston to maintain memorial


GALVESTON -- World War II submariners and other veterans gathered at Galveston's Seawolf Park on Tuesday to commemorate dead comrades and urge local officials to maintain a longtime naval war memorial.

At the ceremony, Galveston Park Board of Trustees Chairman Ray Lewis said the board, which has managed the submarine USS Cavalla since it was placed on display here in 1971, is reconsidering a proposal to close the naval display because of dwindling revenues and public interest.

Torpedos from the submarine sank the Shokaku, a Japanese aircraft carrier that participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor almost 57 years ago. Veterans maintain that the Cavalla is one of only a few such vessels left in the world.

Led by the group Submarine Veterans of World War II, veterans from around the nation have protested the proposal to close the Cavalla and have begun raising money to help finance badly needed maintenance and restoration work.

Anyone seeking information about the Cavalla can contact Ron Smith at 281-528-0788 or Neal Stevens at 409-297-3216.


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