July 4, 2014 – It was not that long ago that submarines passed through the Chicago River on their way to war. During World War II, submarines built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, would travel 170 miles south on Lake Michigan to Chicago, enter the main branch of the Chicago River, turn onto the south branch, and take the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal to Lockport, Illinois. From there, it was off to the Mississippi River, New Orleans, and places much less friendly. A group of submarine veterans is now raising money to build a memorial to this connection to history and place it on the Chicago Riverwalk. “It’s about the history of this area that has become lost,” says Frank J. Voznak, Jr., the project’s manager. “There are just not a lot of people aware that…submarines passed through the city of Chicago on their way to war. And some of them were lost in combat with all hands.” Of 28 submarines built in Manitowac, four were lost in combat. The site they are proposing is just east of the Columbus Drive Bridge. The memorial would represent a submarine bulkhead and even be coated with the same type of marine-grade paint used on submarines. It would include a watertight door salvaged from the USS Trout, which was launched in 1951. The memorial would rest on a circular base 33 feet in diameter, representing the diameter of subs built in Manitowac. Fundraising for the past year, the group has $12,000 so far, toward a goal of $250,000. They have one corporate sponsor, Exelon Generation. “You can see that we have a long road ahead of us, and we’re hoping that the city continues to keep this location available to us as it is the perfect site to highlight the historical aspect of the memorial.” With just $200,000 raised, says Voznak, they could begin construction, which would then take about six months to complete.
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