USS RAZORBACK SS 394 75th Anniversary Celebration Event YOU ARE INVITED to EXPERIENCE ONE SPECIAL EVENT COB Sam Spayde wants you to join the group of 5 TJC members in visiting the USS Razorback 75th Anniversary celebration. Location is in North Little Rock, Arkansas on April 2 and 3 this year. When was the last time you slept onboard a diesel sub? There is a good chance to sleep aboard the Razorback on the night of 2 April. (At no cost for us) Both Sam and our District One Cmdr. Ed Irwin agree this is one great way to encourage communication and activity attendance among the District One Bases. Sam is the TJC contact man for this event, can answer any questions you may have. There are a couple of wives attending, Sam has information on local hotels. (Sorry ladies, sleeping on the boat is for grumpy old sailors only!) Sam can be contacted at 573-496-9981 or [email protected] Please let Sam know if you will be attending as soon as possible. USS RAZORBACK’S 75TH BIRTHDAY Our beloved USS Razorback turns 75 this year! She was commissioned on 03 April 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Henry Frederick Dillman Davis with Lieutenant Commander Albert M. Bontier in command. She was in Tokyo Bay during the surrender of Japan. Mr. H.F.D. Davis oversaw construction of the Razorback, among other boats as the Shipyard Manager at Portsmouth where she was build. Below are a few words from Stan Davis, their grandson. “People believed that his H.F.D. initials stood for “Hell-Fire and Damnation” Davis rather than “Henry Frederick Dillman” Davis. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1908 and got a master’s degree from Columbia while working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In the late 1920s he, Hazel, my dad and uncle were living in Shanghai while HFD oversaw construction of gunboats for Chang Kai-shek! In the early 1930s he was in DC at BuShips. In the later 1930s, he was Plans Officer at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard focused among other things on flying boats, especially perfecting the famous Catalina PBY. In 1940 he took over the Industrial Department at Portsmouth.” Join us April 3rd, 2019 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the USS Razorbacks’ commissioning. The ceremony will take place from 12:00-12:45 pm, and is free and open to the public. Our keynote speaker is Retired Vice Admiral Kenneth Floyd. We will also be hearing a few words written by Stan Davis, whose grandfather was the shipyard manager where she was built. In addition to Ret. Vice Admiral Floyd, Charlie Duveen will tell the story of his father being rescued by the USS Razorback in World War II! We will have a private reception that evening from 6:30pm-8:30pm. The Razorback Base and any sailors attending the reunion and/or ceremony, as well as their families’, are invited. We will be serving heavy hor d’oeauvres and providing a donation bar with beer and wine. Call 501-371-8320 or e-mail Camille Smith at [email protected] with any questions! USS RAZORBACK’S HISTORY Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 9 September 1943, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME.; Launched, 27 January 1944; Commissioned USS Razorback (SS-394), 3 April 1944; She was one of twelve United States submarines present in Tokyo Bay during the Surrender Ceremony on 2 September 1945. In August 1952, Razorback decommissioned to undergo Guppy IIA modifications. Re-commissioned in January 1954, she underwent shakedown and post overhaul training at New London, CT. On 24 May 1954, Razorback reported for duty at San Diego, CA. Under terms of the Security Assistance Program, she again Decommissioned on 30 November 1970 at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, CA; struck from the Naval Vessel Registry and was transferred (sale) to the Republic of Turkey. Concurrently, the ex-Razorback was commissioned as TGC Muratreis (S-336) of the Turkish Navy. In 1974, Muratreis (S- 336) departed the Golcuk Navy Yard, Turkey under combat conditions as a participant in the "Cyprus Peace Operations". Decommissioned from the Turkish Navy on 8 August 2001, she was laid up at Golcuk awaiting final disposition. Through the efforts of various veteran and civic organizations, the veteran submarine was purchased from the Turkish Government for the scrap price of $37,500. After receiving seaworthiness overhaul at a shipyard in Tuzla, Turkey, the ex- Razorback again put to sea (under tow) on 5 May 2004. After departure, she made port calls in Gibraltar and Key West, FL and arrived at her final berth at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, North Little Rock, AR on 16 July 2004. Since July 2005, ex-Razorback/ex-Muratreis has been open to the public. Razorback received five battle stars for World War II service, and four stars for Vietnam service. Researched by CTRC Donald J. Wagner, USN (Ret.) & Yves Hubert for NavSource. Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced 1,526 t., Submerged 2,391 t.; Length 311' 9"; Beam 27' 3"; Draft 15' 3"; Speed, Surfaced 20.25 kts, Submerged 8.75 kts; Cruising Range, 11,000 miles surfaced at 10 kts; Submerged Endurance, 48 hours at 2 kts; Operating Depth, 400 ft; Complement 6 Officers 60 Enlisted; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 5"/25 deck gun, one single 40mm gun mount, one single 20mm gun mount, two .50 cal. machine guns; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear, four Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines, 5,400 HP, Fuel Capacity, 116,000 gal., four Elliot Motor Co. electric main motors with 2,740 shp, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers. .