[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14168]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                 CELEBRATING THE SUBMARINE USS ``DRUM''

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRADLEY BYRNE

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 14, 2016

  Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Submarine USS 
Drum for its service to our nation during World War II and subsequent 
years following the war.
  The Submarine USS Drum (SS-228) was laid down on September 11, 1940, 
at the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Naval Shipyard, where her construction 
took just eight months. She was launched on May 12, 1941. The USS Drum 
arrived at Pearl Harbor in 1942, and she was the first new submarine to 
arrive at the base since the day of infamy, December 7, 1941. Upon her 
arrival to the Pacific Ocean, the USS Drum fought gallantly, earning 
twelve Battle Stars over an illustrious four-year career during World 
War II. Before the end of the war, the USS Drum sank 15 vessels with a 
total tonnage of 80,580.
  Following World War II, the USS Drum was decommissioned. She was then 
deployed as a reserve training submarine on the Potomac River in 
Washington, DC. After a long deployment, the USS Drum was set to be 
retired and scrapped in 1968.
  In 1969, the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park wisely added the 
USS Drum. The Memorial Park was created in Mobile, Alabama in 1965 in 
order to honor all Alabamians, living and dead, who have worn the 
uniform of all branches of the United States Armed Forces in defense of 
our country. Since the USS Drum's inclusion to the Park, she has become 
an internationally known attraction. Additionally, she has been 
acknowledged as the oldest surviving World War II submarine in 
existence. The USS Drum was also declared a National Historic Landmark 
in 1986.
  On behalf of Alabama's First Congressional District, I would like to 
encourage everyone to join me in celebrating the Submarine USS Drum on 
its 75th anniversary of being commissioned into the United States Navy 
on November 19, 1941.

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