Conning tower of the USS Parche (SS-384)

 memorial, military, navy, submarine

Serving as a memorial to US Submariners who served from Pearl Harbor during the Second World War is the conning tower of the USS Parche, a Balao Class Submarine in US Navy service from November 1943 through November 1969. A decorated WWII Veteran, the USS Parche made six war patrols earning five battle stars and two Presidential Unit Citations while sinking 31,696 tons of Japanese shipping. Her Captain, Lawson Paterson "Red" Ramage earned the Medal of Honor for his actions in command on the night of July 29th, 1944 after a close-quarter surface engagement with a Japanese convoy off Formosa in which she damaged three and sank four ships before escaping unscathed.

Postwar the Parche was present at Bikini Atoll as a target ship for the "Operation Crossroads" nuclear tests, and survived both the 'Able' and 'Baker' shots. Following decontamination she was laid up at the Mare Island Navy Yard until December 1962 when she reentered service as a Naval Reserve Training Submarine in Oakland, California. Finally deactivated in November 1969, the Parche was sold for scrapping but her conning tower was saved and brought to Pearl Harbor where it remains today.


www.navsource.org/archives/08/08384.htm

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