Submarine Memorials UK/USA
Walkway in behind museum leading to
USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
You can walk through the forward section of the boat (most areas behind glass) while listening to descriptions broadcasted to a hand held wand

Walkway in front of museum
with captured Japanese subs
and other static displays
Walkway in front of museum
Trident Missile Tube Display
41 For Freedom Memorial
Sail of USS George Washington (SSBN-598)
Opened in April 2000 to coincide with the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. Submarine Fleet, the proudly named "Deterrent Park" offers a place for learning, quiet contemplation, and a natural location for honoring our shipmates on distinguished occasions.  The park will be at Naval Submarine Base, Bangor, centrally located near Submarine Group NINE headquarters. TRIDENT Training Facility, and the Off-Crew Administration Building.  The centerpiece of the park is full-scale replica of an FBM submarine topside with the USS WOODROW WILSON (SSBN 624) sail and upper rudder.   Additional features is the Forty-One For Freedom Memorial, story boards describing Submarine Force history, and a ceremonial area.  Displays of submarine photos and other memorabilia will be located in the adjacent TRIDENT Training Facility.
Cold War Submarine Memorial Foundation, Charleston, SC
To honor the men of the Cold War Submarine Force and as a reminder of the freedoms these mighty machines protected, the Cold War Submarine Memorial Foundation is a unique and breathtaking memorial. Located at the harbor in Charleston, SC, the memorial serves as an enduring memory of the contributions of the United States Submarines.   The theme of this enduring memorial is to recognize the unique contributions of United States Navy submarines and those who served in them during the Cold War in the cause of world peace and freedom. The Fleet Ballistic Missile (SSBN) submarine has been selected to symbolize these ships because of the unique and singularly successful deterrent role they quietly served during this period. Charleston, South Carolina, is the appropriate site for this memorial since it was from Charleston that more SSBN crews departed in or to their ships for strategic deterrent patrol during the Cold War than from any other port in the United States. In fact, each of the original "Forty-One for Freedom" SSBNs began their inaugural patrol from the Cooper River.
   The memorial is constructed around the actual sail and rudder of the USS LEWIS AND CLARK (SSBN 644). The rest of the superstructure is  Gunnite to the appropriate scale representative of the SSBN hull. Adjacent to the hull is a flagpole in a raised platform with a compass rose inlaid in the deck. The landscaping surrounding the memorial resembles a bow wave that passes over the bow and continues down the side of the boat and into the stern wake.
    The Memorial has been incorporated into the patriotic programs at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum on Charleston harbor, which is home to World War II Aircraft Carrier YORKTOWN the diesel Submarine CLAMAGORE, Destroyer LAFFEY, USCG Cutter INGHAM, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum honoring recipients from 1861 to present.
Submariner Memorial London




















A memorial exists on London's Embankment to commemorate the men lost in Royal Navy Submarines.
The post below gives some background history to its existence and also I have reproduced part of an article by a member of the Submariners association about it.



Victoria Embankment (Thames Side)
Nr Temple Pier (Temple tube)
London

Submariners memorial - Sculptor: F Brook Hitch, Architect: A H Ryan Tenison FRIBA This is a war memorial to the Submariners of both world wars comprising a monumental stepped granite plinth set into the Thames embankment wall, constructed form large rectangular slabs and blocks of granite on which is mounted a large bas-relief sculptural bronze memorial plaque depicting the cross section of the interior of an early submarine surrounded by sea spirits and fish. This central element is surrounded by an architectural framework decorated with further sculptures and sculptural embellishments. To either side of this central bronze plaque are 40 bronze wreath hooks in the form of anchors. An additional plaque was added below the large plaque in 1992 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the unveiling of the original memorial.
Plaque details

At the top of the memorial are the following words:

Erected to the memory of the officers and men of the British Navy who lost their lives serving in submarines 1914 - 1918 and 1939 - 1945.

On the left hand side of the main memorial is a list of submarines lost in the Great War (1914 - 1918), and on the right hand side is a list of submarines lost during the Second World War (1939 - 1945).

The 70th Anniversary plaque reads:

National Submarine War Memorial (1922)
This plaque commemorates the memorial's seventieth anniversary and the contribution by the members of the submariners old comrades, London, in their devotion to the upkeep of this memorial, unveiled by Peter P Rigby C.B.E.
File WORK 20/141 held at The National Archives gives us some background information on this war memorial situated on the Thames side of the Victoria Embankment opposite Temple Gardens in London. Whilst it accredits the architect A H Ryan Tenison F.R.I.B.A. it does not mention the sculptor Frederick Brook Hitch who was born in 1897 and died in 1957.
The memorial was unveiled on the 15th December 1922 and features in the centre a bas-relief showing the interior of a submarine with nereids swimming on either side. On the right and left are statues representing Truth and Justice. On either side of the central bronze plaque are 40 bronze wreath hooks in the form of anchors.
In 1992 an additional plaque was added to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the unveiling of the original memorial.
At the top of the memorial is the inscription:-
"Erected to the memory of the officers and men of the British Navy who lost their lives serving in submarines 1914-1918 and 1939-1945"
On the left hand side is a list of the submarines lost in the 1914-1918 conflict and on the right a list of submarines lost from 1939 to 1945.
The 70th Anniversary plaque reads:
'"National Submarine War Memorial (1922)This plaque commemorates the memorial's seventieth anniversary and the contribution by the members of the submariners old comrades, London, in their devotion to the upkeep of this memorial, unveiled by Peter P.Rigby C.B.E.J.P."'
The following is from In Depth the magazine of the Submariners Association

This is the first of a series of articles covering my involvement with the National Submarine War Memorial. My intention is to serve it up in easily digestible portions as I go through my papers and so I start with the years 1985-1986. ">Having served in the Royal Navy as man and boy from 1944 to 1968, I joined the Metropolitan Police Special Constabulary in 1969 and during the next couple of years I met a PC from the Patrol Group. He was an ex-submariner, who in turn introduced me to Albert Snowdon (ex STO 1st Class); Albert had formed the Middlesex Branch of the SOCA, which met at The Rising Sun in Heston, so I was one of the founder members, circa 1971.
Moving on to 1985, having been up North and back again, I transferred from the Hull (actually my birth place) Branch of SOCA to Bromley Branch and shortly thereafter to London BranchIt must have been July 1985 and I attended our Branch meeting at the Union Jack Club when, unusually, I went to the bar for a pint of beer. Most of the members went straight home (due mainly to age); the 'Bromley set' went to their favourite club in Bromley. Standing at the bar was our President, Rear Admiral Anthony (Gamp) Miers, VC and his oppo was GPC member and Clerk to the House of Lords Committee, Mr George Day BEM. They were in deep conversation so I stood to the end of the bar. Gamp was facing me and called me over, as I ordered my beer, and he said, "Les, have this one on me". Nobody, but nobody, had heard that 'order' in living memory.
The conversation was the 1985 AGM and in particular the question of someone to take over the Hon. Secretary/Treasurer position from George Aveling , who had held the position for 12 years and for the last 5 years had been trying to get someone else to take it on.
As my private life was in disarray, I didn't really need such a responsibility. The truth was that I had never performed Hon. Secretary duties before but it was an opportunity to serve SOCA, so I agreed. I enjoyed my beer and Gamp putting his arm around my shoulders, saying, "Well done Les, you have done us all a favour".
Anyway I was elected Hon. Secretary/Treasurer, there being no other candidates. Unfortunately, my encounter with Gamp and George Day was my last. Both became ill and firstly Rear Admiral Sir Anthony Miers, VC, KBE, CB, DSO died, followed shortly by George Day, another good friend of SOCA. Together, Gamp as National President (which he was prior to becoming President of London SOCA) and George as a leading light of the GPC, had contributed so much to SOCA. Sadly, it was also time for the Rev. Christopher H Benson, our padre and friend for many years, to retire to the West Country.
It was not until I attended the Submarine War Memorial (I had marched there the previous year) and attended the Chrysanthemum dinner on the Saturday that I realised that the Memorial was part and parcel of my duties. I paraded and noted the routine which would be my responsibility alone in 1986 and for a further seven years. Richard, my youngest son then aged five, was with me and when he was older also attended the dinners.
1985 was quiet for me; I was so new to my task. Pat Nash (Chairman), George Aveling, my predecessor, and John Holmes (Bromley) offered their advice and, as we were all ex-seamen, the Parade/Service was a doddle, but needed shaping up. The Dinner was the social event and the Parade/Service a gathering from the country and the world at large to honour our submarine war dead.
Following the death of Gamp, in September 1985 I wrote to Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, GCB, GBE, inviting him to become Branch President. I was unaware at the time that he had just taken over as Chief of the Defence Staff. He had to decline but said, "I am most honoured to have been asked to succeed such a distinguished officer as Admiral Sir Anthony Miers". Sir John's wife, Lady 'Midge' Fieldhouse, was to become a supporter and friend in later years.
1986 was my first full year and a very formative one it turned out to be. The London Residuary Body was sorting out the splitting up of the Greater London Council between various responsible bodies. Our Memorial was originally registered with the London County Council in 1922 on payment of the sum of two guineas paid as stamp duty. Up until the demise of the Greater London Council (GLC) in 1986, no one but no one had cared for it or even recognised it. I believe that London SOCA may have asked the GLC in the late 1970s to clean the edifice or, at least, allow volunteers to take soap and water to it. There is no record of this happening, but I can confirm that no local authority had maintained the Memorial.
So I contacted English Heritage and the MaritimeMuseum, but to no avail. Then, on 16 January 1986, I turned to the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Alan Davis, GBE, explaining in much detail why I thought the City of London would be an ideal 'landlord', as opposed to the Thames Water Authority (who owned the site of the Memorial, whilst the pavement belonged to the City). On 27 January 1986, Rear Admiral A J Cooke, CB, the Lord Mayor's private secretary, wrote to say my letter was being referred to the Town Clerk. The Town Clerk, Mr Rowley, wrote to me on 31 January 1986 (my birthday so it was like a present to me), saying that he was not aware that a final decision had been made in the matter but he would endeavour to collect further information so that the future maintenance of the Memorial would be assured.
Events moved on and on 25 March 1986 Mr Rowley wrote again and said that whilst he was sorry that he could not give a definitive answer, it looked as if the Memorial would become the Corporation's responsibility. In the meantime, I wrote to the Lord Mayor's private secretary to thank all concerned for their kindness and gave him an update - which looked good for our future relations with the Corporation.
I also invited the Lord Mayor to join us, with Vice Admiral Tony Troup (National President), at our Dinner prior to the Parade. This was really a no hoper as it was the weekend when the Lord Mayor leaves office and, apparently, his last chance to have a party with his staff. Still, I used the opportunity to cement our continuing excellent assistance from the City of London Police - Snow Hill Police Station.
The 31 July 1986 saw our AGM with Rear Admiral Tony Whetstone, CB as our new President and my first as Hon. Secretary/Treasurer. We had both been at Gamp's funeral at Southwark Roman Catholic Cathedral. I bet that Gamp was chuckling that, at last, he had got us into his church!
The sad thing was that we were about to lose our Dinner and Parade/Service venue, HMS Chrysanthemum, as she was sailed away in 1987. It was a good weekend and the Dinner was well organised by our Social Secretary of 40 years, Arthur Farnham. I well remember 'Arfur's' two specials - 'Babies Heads' (Steak and Kidney Pudding) and 'Crappe on a raft' also know as 'Sh** on a raft' (Kidneys on toast). This was his last event as he also retired, again to the West Country.
It was a year when I managed to get the City Police to help our Service at the Memorial by, on my signal, traffic being brought to a complete stop on the contra flow until the end of the two minutes silence.
Until 1986 we had to scratch around for a band - usually a Sea Cadet Bugle Band. That year we had TS Standfast from Kingston-upon-Thames. They were our mainstay and we had Sea Cadets, male and female, to hand the wreaths to the VIPs.
Lt Browning (the Parade Commander in 1985) organised the RN presence for the Parade/Service on 2 November 1986. A bugler had been arranged by the RM Band Service plus a platoon from the Submarine Refit Group, Devonport assisted by the 2nd Submarine Squadron. The platoon was drawn from HMS Sceptre, HMS Spartan and junior ratings. For the first time we entertained two officers and two senior ratings at our Dinner, the last one on board HMS Chrysanthemum. Some readers may recognise their names from this extract from parade orders.
<!--[if !vml]-->Originally, and for the record, the Memorial was erected and unveiled as 'Submarine War Memorial'. I decided in 1986 to upgrade it to 'National Submarine War Memorial (1922)', and so it remains, with only one comment from a SOCA member. What was good enough for Gamp Miers is good enough for me and, indeed, those who did not comment on my decision. After all, the T boat logo I developed for London SOCA was adopted for a short time by the GPC.<!--[endif]-->
On 1 October 1986, I had to write to our new padre, the Rev. Ken Loveless. Like me, our President, Rear Admiral Tony Whetstone, and the National President, Vice Admiral Tony Troup, had noticed that the padre tended to take over and run the show to the detriment of my co-ordinating role. Their suggestion of having a serving padre was the answer and the real cure for what could have developed into a farce. Ken Loveless was a liberal imbiber of whisky, but a real good egg; a survivor from a U boat attack in the early 40s. He responded to Tony and my letters, quite content that a serving padre would lead the service at the Memorial and Ken would assist him.
New arrangements were needed to cater for people who did not wish to travel to Bromley following the Parade/Service. Some diplomacy was needed with certain members and the 'Bromley set', but I asked our member Ron Mitchell (Secretary of the RNA, Chelsea and Fulham) to take over this entertaining function and this proved to be a great success.
I had to report the death of one of our aging members from World War I: Jim Connor, Chief Stoker from Billericay. He joined London SOCA in 1933, which rules out those who question the establishment of London in 1932. Also, Jack Caulfield died on Monday, 29 September 1986; Jack had been the branch Hon Secretary for years and was still a committee member at the time of his death.
A 'dit' is in order. Jack's last hours were a sailor's dream of shuttling off this mortal coil. A good night out on the Saturday with the RNA. On the Monday he told his family he needed fresh air and went with his chum to the golf club; he died on the first tee! Together with Ron Mitchell, we attended the funeral (at 36 hours notice) - Ron carried the RNA's standard and I carried the London SOCA standard. Ron and I were on our way to the HMS Dolphin reunion. I advised Jack's family of how to spread his ashes at sea, from HMS Dolphin.
From November 1986, SOCA was represented at the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey. The first Field of Remembrance was opened in 1928 and the event is particularly associated with HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, which she opened for the last time in November 2001. Tony Whetstone and I collaborated on this and in 1986 he placed a cross in the RNA section of the Naval Plot. He noted that there was no specific section for Submariners and, as a result, wrote to FOSM in order to remedy the situation for future years.
<!--[if !vml]-->Perhaps appropriately, on 11 November 1986 the Town Clerk of the Corporation of London wrote to me with the news for which I had been waiting. It contained the words, "The Corporation's Policy and Resources Committee decided yesterday to make a bid for the memorial and I have duly written to the London Residuary Body setting out our case". In receiving this letter, I began to feel more confident that the future of the Memorial would be in good hands.<!--[endif]-->
As the year came to an end, with the imminent departure of Chrysanthemum, we had to begin to consider where we could hold our Dinner and where we could operate from for our Parade/Service in 1987.
Also, as the year ended, a first and last. Rear Admiral Dick Heaslip appointed a Wren as his new Flag Lieutenant - Second Officer Susan Payn WRNS. I found out this, when on keeping FOSM informed of the progress with the City and their bid to the London Residuary Body, I received a reply from Susan Payn.