'Naked Warrior' Statue to Be Installed at Glorietta Bay

CORONADO, CA: A bronze statue commemorating the elite men of the Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams — or UDTs — of World War II will be installed in Glorietta Bay Park, the city of Coronado announced Monday.

The statue, titled “Naked Warrior,” by sculptor J. Seward Johnson Jr., depicts a Navy combat swimmer wearing shorts, fins and a face mask. The piece, which is a gift to the city from the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, also honors all maritime commando units that have provided the same skills and support found in today’s U.S. Navy SEAL teams.

As there is currently is no monument commemorating U.S. Navy SEALs and their unique culture, history and connection to Coronado, the City Council officially accepted the gift at its meeting last Tuesday, according to a news release.

"Coronado strives to place public art throughout Coronado," city officials stated. "Its Cultural Arts Commission recommended approval of the public art piece, which features a UDT swimmer astride a World War II battle obstacle, to the City Council after receiving input from the Parks and Recreation, Historic Resource and Design Review commissions."

A dedication ceremony is planned for Nov. 11 to coincide with Veterans Day.

The city will pay $50,000 for a base for the 6-foot-tall statue, as well as landscaping at the site of installation, which is near the Glorietta Bay Boat Launch Ramp. The installation will include lighting, construction of the base, landscaping and a commemorative plaque. A raised pedestal will raise the statue to a finished height of 10 feet.

Nicknamed “Naked Warriors” for their lack of clothing and equipment, these frogmen would swim into enemy waters from far offshore to reconnoiter heavily defended beaches without weapons or support. They would return with explosives to destroy any natural or man-made obstacles they found that might impede Allied amphibious landings.

The statue is mounted on a two-foot “horned scully,” a type of boat obstacle that was placed on beaches to prevent Allied amphibious landings. Currently, there are two “Naked Warrior” statues, one in Fort Pierce and one in Waimanalo Beach in Hawaii.