USS Sealion (SS-195) - Seal Beach, CA
Posted by: 
Gryffindor3
N 33° 45.037 W 118° 05.292
11S E 399212 N 3735037
The USS Sealion was sunk by enemy forces in December 1941. A memorial to the crew can be found outside the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach.
Waymark Code: WM697V
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/26/2009
Views: 3
?The advancement of the submarine is a long and proud chapter in the history of the U.S. Navy. Through the efforts of the California Center for Military History and U.S. Submarine Veterans, a large memorial recognizes the name and crew of each submarine lost in World War II. The "World War II National Submarine Memorial - West" is located just outside the gate to the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach. Bronze plaques identify the officers and men that gave their lives during the war. The plaques surround a central display consisting of a torpedo, flag, and time capsule. Groundbreaking for the memorial took place on January 13, 1977.
(The following is from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Web site; link appears below.)
USS Sealion, a 1450-ton Sargo class submarine, was built at Groton, Connecticut. She was commissioned in late November 1939 and, in the spring of 1940, deployed to the Far East to strengthen the defenses of the Philippines as relations with Japan deteriorated. When that nation began the Pacific War on 7 December 1941 (8 December local time), Sealion was at the Cavite Navy Yard, near Manila, undergoing an overhaul. Japanese aircraft raided that facility on 10 December, hitting the submarine with two bombs and killing four of her crewmembers. Sealion was very badly damaged and partially sunk. Since repairs could not be made under the desperate conditions then prevailing in the Philippines, she was stripped of useful equipment and, on 25 December 1941, deliberately wrecked with explosives. The first U.S. Navy submarine lost in World War II, her remains were broken up following the conflict's end.
Property Permission: Public
Access instructions: park in the lot just off the main entrance to the Naval Weapons Station
Access times: From: 12:00 AM To: 11:59 PM
Website for Waymark: [Web Link]
Location of waymark:
800 Seal Beach Boulevard
Seal Beach, CA USA
90740
Commemoration: USS Sealion
Date of Dedication: Not listed
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