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Clamagore Association Reunion Saturday, 22 October

Waring Hills Oct 19, 2011

USS Clamagore (SS-343) at Patriots Point.

This Saturday over 200 former crew members and family from the USS Clamagore SS343 Veterans Association will gather on the pier next to their boat (submarine) at Patriots Point to hold a memorial ceremony as part of their annual crew reunion. Their memorial program begins at 11 AM. The former crew members began arriving today and will spend the weekend in Charleston, touring the city, plantations, the H. L. Hunley submarine as well as Patriots Point.

USS Clamagore has been at Patriots Point since May 1981. Onboard Clamagore is an exhibit honoring the memory of the crews (3630 men) from fifty-two submarines lost in World War II. In submariner terms, these crews are considered to be on “Eternal Patrol,” still at sea and guarding our nation.

Clamagore's patch and unit logo.

USS Clamagore (SS-343) was built as a Balao-class submarine for World War II duty by Electric Boat Co. in Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 25 February 1945 and commissioned on 28 June 1945, but the war would end before her crew could complete their training for combat. The boat (as submariners call their vessels) was named for the clamagore or blue parrotfish (Scarus coeruleus) found in the West Indies and along the Atlantic coast as far north as Maryland.

USS Clamagore (SS-343) sometime after her GUPPY conversion, circa post 1948 (US Navy photo).

For more history of the Clamagore click here

Watch a short video of a walk through of the Clamagore below.

Patriots Point welcomes the Clamagore Association and salutes them and their families for their service to our nation!

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6 thoughts on “Clamagore Association Reunion Saturday, 22 October

  1. my name is mr philip lyons says:

    great video,i liked it alot. i am trying to contact george bass ,i have lost his email and need to know what it is ,can you forward this address onto him for me,i know he will be greatfull for your help,thank you the aussiephil,please ask him to use the yahoo adress ty

    1. patriotspoint says:

      Thank you, Mr. Lyons. I have fowarded your email address along to Mr. Bass.

  2. John Ciesla says:

    Greetings, I came upon 2 Slide photos of #343 in my files, taken from my ship USS TARAWA CVS -40 while on shakedown cruise in 1957 Git Mo Cuba . If you would like to have them I will send them to you (Please Provide address)

    Regards John [email protected]

    1. Alaina Cordes says:

      Hi John, please contact the collections department if you would like to share your images.

      Curator of Collections
      Melissa Buchanan
      [email protected]
      843-881-5990

  3. Sally A. Petitt says:

    I am a widow of a crew member. His name was Robert N. Petitt who was on board in 1960. If there are any of the crew members of that time please contact me. He was also on the USS Runner. Would like to know when next reunion would be as live in Augusta, GA.

    Thank you.

    1. Lorrie Gibson says:

      Sally,

      My name is Lorrie Gibson, I am the widow of Charles Hamer Gibson (Gib). He passed away on 25 April 2015. I am trying to get information from USS Clamagore shipmates regarding his duty stations because he had brain, lung, throat, lymph node, cheek and tongue cancer and was only in the hospital 10 days before he passed. I cannot get his medical or service records because those wonderful UDT men has top secret clearances. I have come to a dead-end. Please if there is someone out there, call me at 915-525-9313 or 915-757-0933. I wonder if other shipmates suffered the same diseases. Thanks & Blessings, Lorrie Ann Gibson

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