[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 23, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E718-E719]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE U.S. SUBMARINE VETERANS INC., THE NAVAL SUBMARINE LEAGUE, 
               AND THE SUBMARINE VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES E. ROGAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 23, 1997

  Mr. ROGAN. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of our men and women who tirelessly 
serve our country in the Armed Forces, please join me in offering 
tribute to the Navy's silent warriors, those who have qualified to 
serve for over 200 years as Navy submariners. In honor of the U.S. 
Submarine Veterans Inc., the Naval Submarine League, and the Submarine 
Veterans of World War II, let us be reminded just how much we owe our 
submariners.
  As early as the Revolutionary War, America's ports were guarded by 
naval submarines. In their earliest inception, a young inventor named 
David Bushnell designed America's first operational submarine. During 
the War for Independence, Bushnell piloted his craft toward the 
destruction of British men-of-war. This early work of a patriotic 
pioneer paved the way toward an innovative and potentially lethal form 
of naval warfare.
  As the Navy grew into the 20th century, the role of the submarine 
became only more vital. By the late 1800's, the U.S. Navy adopted its 
first official submersible vessel, the Holland. As the world grew 
closer to entering World War I, submarine technology was further 
improved.
  By the dawn of the Great War, the Navy had 34 submarines in the 
fleet. One of the Submarine Services' earliest standouts was a young 
officer named Chester Nimitz. The future admiral would gain fame by 
commanding the U.S. Pacific Fleet in the Pacific during World War II.
  On the morning of December 7, 1941, all of America was awakened by 
the shock waves reverberating from the Japanese surprise attack on 
Pearl Harbor. While the surface fleet was largely destroyed, the 
submarine fleet remained safely at sea, and soon would render a brutal 
counterattack on Japanese-flagged vessels.
  As the industrial machine in the States steadily labored toward 
repairing our battered surface fleet, America's submarines set out

[[Page E719]]

like a phalanx to destroy Japanese naval operations. Admiral Nimitz 
defiantly proclaimed:

       It was the great submarine force that I looked to carry the 
     load until our great industrial activity could produce the 
     weapons we so sorely needed to carry the war to the enemy. It 
     is to the everlasting honor and glory of our submarine 
     personnel that they never failed us in our days of great 
     peril.

  By the end of World War II, American submariners had decimated the 
Japanese fleet. Over 1,000 Japanese ships were destroyed in the Pacific 
theater alone. However, destruction was not the only role submariners 
would play during the war. Ships assigned to the submarine lifeguard 
league rescued hundreds of downed Navy and Army Air Corps flyers from 
the sea. In all, over 500 flyers owed their rescue to the Navy's 
submariners, prompting one sailor to proclaim, ``* * * they never 
failed us in our days of great peril, and we as a nation are forever 
grateful.''
  As World War II drew to a close, and the cold war dawned, the role of 
the submarines and their crews became only more invaluable. With the 
introduction of the nuclear powered fleet, submariners would be pushed 
to even greater extremes as men and ships were sent on extended 
missions well beyond what was imaginable only 10 years prior.
  Nuclear subs carried the most lethal deterrent known to mankind--
nuclear missiles. With their ability to launch from indeterminable 
locations without warning, the United States proved its preeminence as 
a naval power and maintained peace and relative stability around the 
world.
  Triumph was not without tragedy and early nuclear submariners paid 
the ultimate price. In 1963, the submarine Thresher sank with nearly 
130 crewmen aboard. Again in 1968 the Scorpion went down with 99 
crewmen aboard. These tragic losses, however proved to open new doors 
for American submariners. The deep submergence rescue vehicle program 
was born out of tragedy and now sailors of all nations can be quickly 
rescued in the event of tragedy. The tragic losses are sad but gallant 
extensions of the traditions of duty, professional competence, and 
self-sacrifice which has always been the hallmark of submariners.
  As we enter a new millennia and an era of changing world order, we 
must be ever mindful of the sacrifices made by our men and women who 
silently served as submariners. Throughout our history, the role of 
submariners and their crews have time and time again been put of the 
test and performed flawlessly. Each day we remember troops, airmen, and 
sailors--men and women alike--who paid the ultimate price for our 
continuing freedom. As we look back, let us not forget our submariners, 
active crews and veterans alike. Let us not forget the sacrifices paid 
by our submariners. In tribute to their valor, we offer our admiration, 
respect, and praise.

                          ____________________