St. Peter's to host memorial for Wahoo, lost submariners

By SARAH ROHRS/Times-Herald staff writer
Vallejo Times Herald

Lost at sea for more than 63 years, the USS Wahoo (SS 238) and her crew are coming home to Vallejo - at least in spirit.

On Oct. 11, St. Peter's Chapel will host a memorial service to honor the men lost at sea on the Wahoo, built at Mare Island and launched on Feb. 14, 1942.
In addition to honoring the Wahoo crew, the service also will honor all submariners who have served in the U.S. Navy and especially those who have been lost in submarines, said event coordinator Myrna Hayes of Vallejo.
The final resting place of the legendary World War II submarine remained a mystery until last year. That's when the U.S. Navy confirmed as the Wahoo a wreck located in the Soya (La Perouse) Strait between the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the Russian island of Sakhalin.

The Wahoo completed seven war patrols and is credited with sinking 27 ships. The submarine was lost at sea on Oct. 11, 1943 with her crew of 80 men.
A Japanese aerial bomb likely sank the Wahoo, said Charles R. Hinman, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park director of education & outreach. He added the submarine was seen leaving waters around Japan on the surface, making it vulnerable to attack.

The St. Peter's ceremony falls on the same day a much larger service, called "On Eternal Patrol," takes place at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park at Pearl Harbor on Hawaii.

The St. Peter's memorial service will feature a historical slide show, music, and an opportunity for those attending to share memories and recollections.
Events will begin with a 1 p.m. flag-raising event at Morton Field, followed by the St. Peter's Chapel ceremony from 2 to 4 p.m. After a reception, Hayes would like to conduct a wreath-laying ceremony at 5:30 p.m. in the Mare Island Strait.

Mare Island's legacy of building and servicing submarines is a source of pride for Vallejo residents, Hayes said. "There's tremendous pride they took in producing ships for the war and tremendous pain and loss they felt when an entire vessel and her crew were lost at sea," she said.

At the time the Wahoo was launched, Mare Island workers were building and launching ships and submarines at record pace, said Jim Kern, director of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum. Some 50 submarines were built at Mare Island, including nuclear powered vessels, he said.

The discovery of the sunken Wahoo has launched a revival of interest in them and a submarine veterans group has begun meeting at the museum, he added.
Traces of the Wahoo around Vallejo are evident. Morton Field on the former Naval base is named after the submarine's commanding officer Dudley "Mush" Morton, Kern said. This summer also marks Morton's 100th birthday.

The memorial service is free. Seating in the Chapel is limited, so confirmation of attendance is suggested. For more details call Hayes at 557-9816 or 649-9464.

More information about Mare Island's ties to the Wahoo and the memorial service will be posted at www.mareisland.org after Sept. 24th.
For more details on the Pearl Harbor Oct. 11 service go to www.oneternalpatrol.com.

The USS Wahoo Mare Island Memorial is hosted by Arc Ecology, a San Francisco based non-profit organization.
• Contact Sarah Rohrs at srohrs@thnewsnet.com or 553-6832.