United States Submarine Veterans of Northern California

Board of Directors - Torpedo Activity Report

West End of the Marina Blvd., at the Bay

San Leandro, CA

Report #JBC001 - 11/07/2006:

As many of you may be aware, the Torpedo, a part of the Lost Boats Memorial, located on the Oakland-San Francisco Bay, at the Marina, in San Leandro, CA, has become extremely deteriorated, due to its close proximity to nature’s elements of the Bay, over the years. It was decided, by the Lost Boat Memorial Board of Directors, that a relatively high degree of liability has also developed due to rusty holes in the body and tail sections, which were potentially an “open invitation” to visiting-children to investigate.

Thanks to one of our highly respected members, Mr. Leonard “Lenny” Stefanelli, who volunteered to have the torpedo repaired, at one of his bay area associates repair facilities. On Wednesday, 09/06/2006, Clyde “Cash” Best called to ask me if I would be available to oversee and coordinate the removal of the torpedo on Thursday, 09/07/2006, because he already had airline tickets to leave for the Little Rock, AR, USSVI National Convention, the morning of 09/07/2006. Fortunately he had also secured the services of a tow truck company, to lift the torpedo from its cradle. I was also asked to review and determine a method of removing the steel safety straps, which secured the torpedo in place, in its cradle.

On 09/06/2006, my wife Goldia, and I, went up to the Marina to preview the situation and to provide Lenny with preliminary information on removal of the straps. Lenny and I decided to merely “grind-off” the rounded tops of the four bolts, early the following morning, before the arrival of the other involved persons and equipment. We also arranged for a rental grinder to be picked up Thursday, 09/07/2006, morning, on Goldia and my way to the Marina, and we also took our portable One-KW generator, for power.

Everything went as planned, except that the grinder, fortunately had its switch stuck in the ON condition. So we were able to use it, by unplugging it when not in-use. After finishing, when we returned it, there was no charge for the grinder itself, only for the consumed components, a grinding/cutting wheel and a Lead-Test Kit. The bolt-heads were removed prior to the arrival of Lenny and his associate, with the SUV & trailer, and shortly thereafter the giant, semi-truck sized tow-truck arrived. After gently removing the torpedo, and moving it to the driveway, it was strapped onto the trailer and was soon on its way to the repair shop.

The memorial certainly looked “naked” without the torpedo, and unfortunately there was no simple way to attach some sort of a durable “sign”, indicating that it had been taken-away for refurbishing. Thus, we received a report of one unaware fellow-submariner, who visited the Memorial Site, and actually called the police department, who apparently didn’t respond.

During the interim period, several repair and preparation activities were also accomplished by Cash Best, namely, removal of the old bolts, of which we had ground-off the heads, to remove the safety straps. He also used an epoxy based material to secure new inserts, for use by the new bolts. Several cracks had developed in various locations of the concrete cradles, which he was able to repair, and he got a first coat of paint on the cradles, prior to having to leave the area due to a personal family matter. One additional outstanding remaining item is the type of bolts to be used to secure the torpedo without being vulnerable to vandalism. When we are finished, the resultant bolt-heads must be rounded, in such a manner, to prevent their easy removal with common tools. Perhaps a one-way type, which can be tightened only, but not loosened and we hope to locate something in stainless steel, or some type of corrosive-resistant material.

As of this writing, we do not have a firm date for the return of the torpedo, because it is being refurbished as spare-time allows, and at no charge, thus as soon as a planned date of replacement is known, we shall advise all concerned, either by base newsletters and media and/or by E-Mail and telephone for those without E-Mail facilities.

In addition to the above account of the removal of this torpedo, an additional part of the history and possible disposition follows:

During November, 2005, a refurbished, modified, Mark-14 torpedo was delivered by Lenny, and associates, to the Cuttlefish Base, in the Redding, CA area, where it was anticipated (and planned) to have been installed as a new “Lost Boat” or “other appropriate” Memorial, at a new, Federally Constructed, and CA State Maintained Veteran’s Cemetery, at Igo, CA, a very short distance out of Redding, which after the above preparation had been made, was apparently denied due, in part, to the potential conflict of other military services who might also want to construct other memorials, at the cemetery. The obviously very-disappointed Cuttlefish Base personnel then apparently exhausted their possible alternatives and resources, without success, to find another location for the torpedo, and associated Memorial. Recently, 11/03/2006, I returned a telephone call from Lenny, who indicated that the Cuttlefish Base personnel are prepared to release the Mk-14 torpedo to us, for its permanent use at the Lost Boat Memorial, at the San Leandro Marina. He plans to go up to Redding sometime shortly after he retrieves his trailer, after its current use for the 11/11/2006, San Jose, CA Veteran’s Day Parade, where it is transporting the Dolphin Base’s float called

“USS Pampanito - SS383 - Conning Tower”.

As soon as that torpedo is back in the area, we shall schedule a time to install it at San Leandro; then a schedule can be established for the Memorial Re-Dedication Ceremony.

Disposition of the torpedo undergoing repair from the San Leandro Marina, will be determined at a later date. One possibility presently underway is being followed up by Joe Cox, USSVWWII, and the Wahoo Base in the Central Valley. He is currently checking with the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery, near Santa Nella, CA, where they recently installed an extensive Submarine Veterans Lost Boat Tree Memorial and, if by chance that location doesn’t work-out; he has in addition, a second possibility, a new Tree Memorial being planned for sometime in 2007, at a Community College in the Los Banos, CA area.

Lenny also mentioned that he can store the newly refurbished torpedo, when it is finished, for a period of time, without any problem. So that timing should not be a problem.

In addition, there are a couple of more possibilities, which we can explore, if necessary; one in the Vallejo, CA-Mare Island area, and another in a Veterans Cemetery, I believe, in the Chico, CA area.

If anyone has suggestions, comments or questions please don’t hesitate to contact me, or any of the other members of Board of Directors of the Lost Boats Memorial at the San Leandro Marina.

Other Board Members are (alphabetically by last name):

1) Best, Clyde “Cash”; 4) Hart, Rhett;

2) Burton, John “Reb”; 5) Massey, Paul;

3) Carpenter, James “Jim”; 6) Vincent, William “Bill”;

Respectfully submitted by,

James “Brad” Canutt – Phone: (510) 887-8111 or