National Submarine Day will occur on Tuesday, April 11, at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix, AZ. The event will honor the U.S. Navy’s first modern commissioned submarine, the USS Phoenix (SSN-702), a Cold War nuclear attack submarine active in service from 1981 to 1998.
At the event, the USS Phoenix Cold War Monument Foundation will unveil a beautiful, enormous-sized monument banner (the size of two city buses long) depicting what the future USS Phoenix Cold War Monument will look like when it is constructed. The monument will help the public understand the importance of the Cold War’s history and to see parts of the USS Phoenix on display.
“The Cold War was a hostile time between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, from 1946-1991. The USS PHOENIX, named after our City, was commissioned in December 1981 and homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. She patrolled the Atlantic Ocean for 17 years and was decommissioned in July 1998. A group of Phoenix citizens, including veterans, organized to save her Sail, diving planes, and rudder to use the parts as the centerpiece of a Cold War Museum Monument in a downtown City of Phoenix park. The parts are being temporarily stored and on free public display at Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix,” said CEO Carol Culbertson.
Funding of $3.8 million is needed to start the construction of the monument. The 65 tons of saved parts symbolize the critical role played by the submarine force during the Cold War.
“The USS Phoenix Cold War Monument is not just a long-delayed tribute to the submarine named for our city, but it will also be a recognition of an often-overlooked chapter in American history,” said Terry Goddard, retired U.S. Navy Commander and supporter. “The men and women who served our country around the globe during the middle of the last century deserve this recognition. All Phoenix should be proud to support this monument. Let’s get the job done!” he added. Goddard was the Mayor of Phoenix from 1984-1990 and Arizona Attorney General from 2003-2011.
The celebration will begin at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 11, at Steele Indian School Park, located at 300 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. The event will host a short ceremony and complimentary Port of Subs mini-submarine sandwiches, iced tea, and other light refreshments. There is no cost to attend.
You can learn more online at www.ussphoenixmonument.org.
