USS Dorado (SS 248) - Seal Beach, CA - World War II Memorials / Monuments on Waymarking.com

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 and a grass field. Groundbreaking for the memorial took place on January 13, 1977.

(The following is from the Naval Historical Center's Web site.)

USS Dorado, a 1525-ton Gato class submarine, was built at Groton, Connecticut. Commissioned in late August 1943, she left nearby New London on 6 October of that year, en route to the Pacific by way of the Panama Canal. No further communications were received from Dorado, which was probably sunk on 12 October 1943 by a U.S. Navy patrol plane flying out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. If so, she was a victim of the kind of tragic mistaken identity that always menaced friendly submarines passing through waters that were also frequented by enemy undersea raiders.

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 Dorado Date of Dedication: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/18/2010 senoritafish visited it