Historical Society Hosts Evening about WWII Submarines

Join the Lemont Historical Society on April 5, 2016 at 7 p.m. at Lemont's VFW Hall, 15780 New Avenue, for an in-depth look at World War II submarines made in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and shipped down the Sanitary & Ship Canal and through Lemont from Lake Michigan to the Illinois River, then down the Mississippi to New Orleans. In 1940, the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company was commissioned by the U.S. Navy to construct submarines. The company, who had never built a submarine before, completed the first sub 228 days ahead of schedule. A total of 28 submarines were constructed at a cost of $5 million less than the contract price. All ships saw distinguished service in the Pacific.

Periscopes and radar masks were removed in order to clear bridges on the trip down the canal. Once the subs arrived in Lockport, they were loaded onto a floating dry dock for the remainder of the trip down the Illinois River and then into the Mississippi River to New Orleans. A few Lemont people were lucky to see one or more, which was quite an unusual experience. Jack Ahrens, a Lemont resident and LAHS member will recall for us what he saw.

A group of submariners, mostly Navy veterans, that meets in Chicago will be on hand to explain some of their experiences on submarines. They will be bringing materials and photos for the program.

Lemont's connection doesn't end there. As WWII neared its conclusion, Admiral Rickover connected with scientists and engineers at Argonne National Laboratory to develop a compact nuclear reactor to power the submarine.