Preserving the Legacy of SSN-698 & CA-130
Join us in developing a monument to the submarine, cruiser, their namesake city and the shipyard that cared for them
A new sign at a grassy area near Naval Base Kitsap’s Charleston Gate is a hint at a major effort in the works.
L toR- City Councilman Michael Goodnow, Mayor Greg Wheeler, Public Works Director Chance Berthiaume, USS Bremerton CO #3 Alan Beam, USS Bremerton CO#10 Jerry Logan, USS Bremerton CO #11 Tom Zwolfer.
We placed the “Future Home of the USS BREMERTON Monument at Navy League Park” sign today at First and Callow in downtown Bremerton on a brisk but sunny day. City of Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler joined us to say a few words about the importance of the city’s relationship with the USS BREMERTONs and the Navy. We also had Councilman Michael Goodnow, and Jim Cline from the Charleston Business District in attendance. Our Committee Chair, Jerry Logan (USS BREMERTON CO #10), welcomed those in attendance, thanked all of our partners on the project to date and gave an update on the project’s status. Thank you to Bremerton Public Works Director Chance Berthiaume and the City of Bremerton Public Works for installing the sign, with a special thanks to Josh who put it up in the rain and wind yesterday. – Tom Zwolfer (USS BREMERTON CO#11).
We are pleased to announce that Karl Jensen, Commander, US Navy Supply Corps (Retired), has joined the BREMERTON Monument team. Karl served as the commissioning supply officer for submarine USS BREMERTON (SSN-698), beginning his distinguished naval service in 1980. Karl’s experience and dedication bring valuable insight and historical perspective to our efforts.
Upon completion of Officer Candidate School, Supply Corps School and the Submarine Officer Basic Course in June 1980, Karl reported to the BREMERTON SSN-698 pre-commissioning unit at Electric Boat Shipyard in Groton, CT, and served onboard through 1982. Major events during Karl’s tour onboard included offload and reload of all provisions and repair parts to repair defective welds in the forward compartment of the ship, hosting Admiral Rickover for Alpha sea trials, the ship’s first deployment to the North Arabian Sea with a port visit to Perth, Western Australia, and transit to her new home port in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. BREMERTON also made its first port visit to Bremerton, Washington, and participated in San Francisco Fleet Week 1982 during Karl’s service onboard.
The BREMERTON Monument team presented a display at theKitsap County Veterans Day celebration in Bremerton. We received our first brick order in honor of a former Cruiser BREMERTON crewmember.
Thomas Matthew “Matt” Ryan passed away on June 18, 2024. A retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, Matt served his first year of commissioned service in USS BREMERTON (CA-130). A 1956 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Ryan served 20 years as a line officer, qualified for command of World War II-era submarines, and earned the Navy Commendation Medal during the Vietnam era. His naval career remained a defining influence throughout his life, later inspiring one of his novels, One Hell of a Shipmate. After retiring from the Navy in 1976, he built a successful career in insurance and public service, including terms as a Kitsap County Commissioner and chairman of the county Republican Party. He was a lifelong learner and community leader and is survived by his wife of 60 years, four sons, and extended family. Matt’s son, Eric, purchased a brick in honor of his father.
We have developed a logo for the USS Bremerton Monument that incorporates and honors the City of Bremerton, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Cruiser USS Bremerton (CA-130). and USS Bremerton (SSN-698).
For more than 40 years, the USS Bremerton navigated the waters of the world, returning to PSNS on occasion to be readied for it’s next mission. Concurrently, the City of Bremerton navigated it’s relationship with PSNS for the benefit of our community and the US Navy. Together, the histories of the USS Bremerton, PSNS, and the City of Bremerton are uniquely intertwined like the flowing waters the USS Bremerton plied.
BREMERTON (April 28, 2018) — Los Angeles-class submarine USS Bremerton (SSN-698), transits the Puget Sound, returning to its namesake city, Bremerton, Washington. The 37-year-old Bremerton, commissioned March 28, 1981, is scheduled to begin the inactivation and decommissioning process at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in July. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Wyatt L. Anthony.
As the local Navy League and the City of Bremerton are working on bringing the sail of the ex-Bremerton submarine to its namesake city, the Kitsap Sun takes a look at other cities that have gotten a sail of a decommissioned submarine from the U.S. Navy and preserved it publicly, or in the works to do so.
It takes years for the Navy to dismantle and recycle nuclear-powered submarines after a sub is decommissioned. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is the only place where the Navy conducts its Ship/Submarine Recycling Program (SRP), the process it uses to dispose of decommissioned nuclear vessels.
Cities and groups around the country have requested the Navy to preserve the sails of the decommissioned subs in namesake cities, like the ongoing effort in Bremerton. Others include Albuquerque, New Mexico; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Corpus Christi, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio and Phoenix, Arizona.
Also, the sails of at least 10 submarines not named after a city are preserved around the nation, including four in Washington State. Two submarines are preserved as a whole. There could be more similar cases in other cities or states. This story — including the map and photos — will be updated once more information is available and confirmed.
USS Bremerton: Navy League proposing city park The discussion to preserve the sail of the USS Bremerton in its namesake city as a monument started around 2020 between the Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council of the Navy League and the city of Bremerton. In May, the president of the local Navy League, Tom Zwolfer, and Mayor Greg Wheeler jointly signed a letter to the Navy, making a preliminary request.
The components requested are the sub’s sail, sail planes, anchor, rudders and stern planes. A possible location to build the monument is a triangular plot of grassy area at First Street and Callow Avenue, near the Naval Base Kitsap’s Charleston gate, tentatively to be named “Navy League Park.”
According to a preliminary design, the anchors of the USS Bremerton cruiser (CA-130) will also be showcased at the monument. The cruiser was commissioned in 1945, struck from the Navy list in 1973, and sold for scrap in 1974, according to the Naval Vessel Register. Its anchors are placed at Hal’s Corner, between Warren Avenue and Sheridan Road in Bremerton.
Commissioned in 1981, the USS Bremerton submarine served the country for 37 years before it was inactivated in 2018 and decommissioned in 2021 at PSNS, according to the Naval Vessel Register.
USS Albuquerque: New Mexico cityplans monument at beach. The City of Albuquerque brought the sail of the USS Albuquerque (SSN-706) home last year. This month, the city announced a draft concept plan to build a USS Albuquerque Memorial at Tingley Beach in Albuquerque. The sail of the sub is now in Pascetti Steel in Albuquerque. The steel company will restore the pieces and prepare for reassembly, according to a statement on September 9. The sail had previously been stored at Kirtland Air Force Base after being transported from Bremerton to its namesake city in New Mexico in January 2023. Restoration of the sail is tentatively scheduled to be completed in September next year, and the engineering and design of the monument and plaza are slated to be conducted between this fall and next spring, according to the project website.
The Los Angeles-class submarine USS Albuquerque arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard from San Diego in 2015 and was decommissioned in 2017 after 33 years of service. The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, with assistance from the Navy League of the United States – New Mexico Council, petitioned the Navy to return the sail to its namesake city.
The latest site plan shows that the sail will be placed on a black concrete foundation in an existing pond at Tingley Beach. Next to the pond are walkways, parking lots, and plazas that show the sub’s service area in the five oceans of the world and two cities, Gorton, Connecticut, where it was commissioned, and Bremerton, where it was decommissioned. The estimated cost of the project is $5.4 million, according to the city statement.
USS Oklahoma City: Riverfront memorial construction could start in 2025
In April 2023, Oklahoma City Council approved a memorandum of understanding with the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority and the USS Oklahoma City Park Association to design and construct a commemorative display featuring nautical items from the USS Oklahoma City submarine (SSN-723) and cruiser (CL-91/CG-5/ CLG-5), according to a statement from the city.
Items to be featured include the sail and diving planes of the sub, and possibly the screw, anchor and ship’s bell from the cruiser. The display will be on the north shore of Wiley Post Park along the Oklahoma River, according to the city.
The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine Oklahoma City was commissioned in 1988 and served the nation for 34 years. The sub arrived in Bremerton for decommissioning in November 2021 and was inactivated and decommissioned in 2022. The Oklahoma City cruiser (CL-91) served from 1944 to 1979.
The sub is currently in Bremerton and the actual delivery of the sail/dive planes is not anticipated until 2028, Debi Martin, Oklahoma City Council chief of staff, told Kitsap Sun. The council will consider a funding request in October, and if that funding is approved, the construction could begin in mid-Spring 2025. Park elements would be constructed with a facsimile of the sail and dive planes, Martin said. The current estimate for the development of the memorial is $2.15 million and the budget doesn’t include the transportation and installation of the sail/dive planes, Martin said.
USS City of Corpus Christi: Texas city plans addition to veterans memorial
In December 2023, the City of Corpus Christi in Texas approved a resolution to authorize a license agreement with the USS City of CC SSN-705 Submarine Memorial, Inc., for the placement and maintenance of the USS City of Corpus Christi submarine sail at Sherrill Veterans Memorial Park, according to a statement from the city. The estimated timeline for procurement of the sail is about 24 months. The nonprofit group will handle the procurement, according to the city statement.
Commissioned in 1983, the City of Corpus Christi is the 18th ship of the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines. The sub arrived in Bremerton in June 2016 and was decommissioned in 2017 with 34 years of service completed. In May, KRIS 6 News, an NBC affiliate in Corpus Christi, reported that the submarine sail arrived at the Coastal Bend from Washington State and was dropped off at a construction company, Bay Ltd., which will refurnish the sail.
USS Cincinnati: Education center planned as part of peace pavilion
At the end of July, the USS Cincinnati Cold War Memorial Peace Pavilion project, which has been in the works for over two decades, broke ground at the Voice of America Metro Park in West Chester, Ohio, according to WYSO Public Radio, NPR’s local news station in southwest Ohio.
The memorial will feature the sail of the Los Angeles-class submarine that will be put on a full-size replica submarine where visitors can walk beneath it. A STEM Education Center is designed to be built next to the rear part of the sub, according to the latest renderings of the memorial provided by the Submarine Cincinnati Memorial Association.
The USS Cincinnati (SSN-693) was commissioned in 1978 and decommissioned in 1996 as part of the reduction in the U.S. military following the end of the Cold War. The boat was scrapped in PSNS in 2012 via the Ship/Submarine Recycling Program. After dismantling, the sub’s sail, forward planes, the upper rudder, and the emergency diesel engine generator arrived in Cincinnati on August 24, 2013, according to the association.
More information about the USS Cincinnati Cold War Memorial Peace Pavilion project is available at https://www.subcincy.org/
USS Phoenix: Cold War monument headed to Arizona
In 2008, the City of Phoenix approved a plan to erect a USS Phoenix (SSN-702) Cold War Monument in Steele Indian School Park. In 2017, the Monument concept or renderings were approved by the City of Phoenix’s Parks and Recreation Board, according to the USS Phoenix (SSN-702) Cold War Monument website.
Commissioned in 1981, the Los-Angeles class fast attack submarine USS Phoenix (SSN-702) had served 17 years before it was decommissioned on July 29, 1998 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and moved to Bremerton.
The sub’s sail and its diving planes and rudder arrived at the Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix in 2016, according to The Arizona Republic. A welcome home and re-christening ceremony was launched at the military reservation that year.
Besides the cities that are still working on building permanent homes for the sail of the decommissioned submarines named after them, some sails of retired subs that are not named after a city can be found in these places around the nation that successfully preserve part of, or the whole of, the submarine.
USS Woodrow Wilson SSBN-624USS Sturgeon SSN-337USS Parche SSN-683
In Washington State, there are four submarine sails, including the sail of the USS Parche (SSN-683) outside the Puget Sound Naval Museum in downtown Bremerton, the sail of the USS Woodrow Wilson (SSBN 624) at Deterrent Park on Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, the sail of the USS Sturgeon (SSN-637) at the Naval Undersea Museum at Keyport, and the sail of the USS Triton V (SSRN-586) at the USS Triton Sail Park in Richland.
In California, the sail of the USS Mariano G. Vallejo (SSNB 658) is preserved at the Mare Island Historical Park in Vallejo. The sub was built on Mare Island.
In Idaho, the sail of the USS Hawkbill (SSN 666) is stationed at the Idaho Science Center in Arco.
In New Mexico, the sail of the USS James K. Polk (SSBN/SSN 645) is placed at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque. The sub was decommissioned at PSNS in 1999, according to the USS James K Polk Veterans Association.
In Texas, the sail of the USS Tautog (SSN 639) is kept at the Galveston Naval Museum in Galveston.
In Florida, the sail of the USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN 636) is displayed in Port Canaveral.
In South Carolina, the sail of the USS Lewis and Clark (SSBN 644) is preserved at the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Mt Pleasant.
In New York City, the USS Growler (SSG-577) submarine is preserved at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The submarine had stayed in PSNS after being decommissioned and before being moved to New York City in 1988, according to Kitsap Sun newspaper in Oct. 07, 1988.
In Connecticut, the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the world’s first nuclear powered submarine, is preserved at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton.
BREMERTON (April 28, 2018) — Los Angeles-class submarine USS Bremerton (SSN-698), transits the Puget Sound, returning to its namesake city, Bremerton, Washington.
BREMERTON — Years after discussions were initiated at the local Navy League about keeping the sail of submarine USS Bremerton (SSN 698) in its namesake cityas a monument, the league has made a request to the Navy and completed a preliminary design of a monument that could recognize the vessel and its history in a new city park.
On May 1, the president of the Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council of the Navy League Tom Zwolfer and Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler jointly signed a letter to the Navy, making a preliminary request that the Navy retain the components of the Los Angeles-class submarine, including its sail, sail planes, anchor, rudders and stern planes, to create a monument. Jerry Logan, retired Navy Captain, the 10th Commanding Officer of USS Bremerton and chairman of The USS Bremerton Sail Memorial Committee, said the group’s request to use some of those pieces of history as a monument will now move to the next step.
“Once we get our design finalized, we will submit the official request to the Navy for those components that we have in mind here,” Logan said.
Preliminary design of the monument has been completed. The Bremerton City Council reviewed and discussed the project on Wednesday, where Logan, Zwolfer, and Alan Beam of the Navy League — all former commanding officers of the USS Bremerton — presented an update of the project.
With Mayor Wheeler’s suggestion, the Navy League is now proposing to build the monument at a triangular plot of grassy area at First Street and Callow Avenue, near the Naval Base Kitsap’s Charleston gate, tentatively to be named “Navy League Park.”
The approximately 42,000 square feet of land is now the Washington State Department of Transportation’s right of way. WSDOT is in the process of transferring the property to the city at no cost, Wheeler said.
“We do not foresee that (cost of any money),” Wheeler said. “If for some remote reason there was a cost, we work through that.”
The proximity to the Charleston Gate would make the monument an entry point into Bremerton that demonstrates the relationship between the city, its people and the military history, Wheeler said, and give residents and visitors “an idea of the importance of the military presence in our history.” He highlighted the design in which the crisscrossing grey sidewalks could be a symbol of such connection.
Logan shared similar thoughts.
“I think of it personally as not just a military monument, but hopefully a bigger bond to the city and the relationship with the Navy, and the role Bremerton, Washington plays in the country,” Logan said. “We want to try to capture not just about two Navy ships. We think it’s about the city of Bremerton, certainly, and everything the city has done to create a good relationship with the Navy.”
BREMERTON (April 28, 2018) — Los Angeles-class submarine USS Bremerton (SSN-698), transits the Puget Sound, returning to its namesake city, Bremerton, Washington.
A sub’s sail plus the cruiser’s anchor
According to the preliminary design, the USS Bremerton monument will showcase the sail of the submarine as well as the anchors of the submarine and the USS Bremerton cruiser (CA-130). The anchor of the cruiser is now placed at Hal’s Corner, between Warren Avenue and Sheridan Road. The cruiser was commissioned in 1945, struck from the Navy list on 1973, and sold for scrap on 1974, according to the Naval Vessel Register.SS
USS Bremerton CA-130 At Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, California, on 21 November 1951. She was recommissioned for Korean War service on 23 November after having been in reserve since April 1948. Official U.S. Navy Photograph
“We picture the two anchors sort of create the entrance to the monument area,” Logan said.
Benches will be placed at the part to allow people to walk on and stay at the monument, Logan said.
Commissioned in 1981, the USS Bremerton submarine served the country for 37 years before it was inactivated in 2018 and decommissioned in 2021 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, according to Naval Vessel Register. The ship is currently in Bremerton, hasn’t been recycled, and it’s unknown when the Navy will cut it up and make the components available, Logan said. The Navy League hasn’t heard back from the Naval Sea Systems Command regarding the request.
If the plan continues, the USS Bremerton sail would be the fourth submarine sail placed in Kitsap County. The others are the sail of USS Parche, laid outside the Puget Sound Navy Museum in downtown Bremerton, the sail of the USS Woodrow Wilson, at Deterrent Park on Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, and the sail of the USS Sturgeon, at the Naval Undersea Museum at Keyport.
The Navy League is fundraising for the monument project and plan to raise approximately $1 million, Logan said. A retired doctor and big supporter of the USS Bremerton, the late Byron Faber, had donated $20,000 to the Navy League as part of his bequest, which stated a desire to use the funding to create a monument for the ship.
Depending on the Navy’s timeline to recycle the submarine and the Navy League’s fundraising progress, construction would likely begin in a two-year timeframe, Logan said.
In cooperation with the city we did an extensive evaluation of potential site locations. It was a important to have the monument easily available, preferably near a city gateway. This site preserves limited park space and develops a potential new park for the city.
