Squalus Tribute Cache
In May of 1939, the USS Squalus (SS-192), built in Portsmouth NH, began a series of test dives near the Isle of Shoals in Maine. A mechanical failure occurred during one of these dives and the ship sank to the bottom in 240 feet of water. Twenty six men, all trapped in flooded compartments, drowned immediately.
A highly complex rescue was attempted using techniques never employed before. The rescue saved the lives of the remaining 33 crewmembers.
The submarine was raised, salvaged and later recommissioned the USS Sailfish (SS-192), which went on to become a highly decorated submarine during WWII.
For more information see:
https://www.navalhistory.org/2014/05/23/remembering-the-uss-squalus-75-years-later and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sailfish_%28SS-192%29
Seventy five years later a canoe was lost here on the Ossipee river, fortunately no one was hurt in the mishap. This aluminum canoe was bent in half by the force of the swiftly flowing water of the Ossipee river. Attempts were made to recover the boat but the force of the river was so great and the damage to the craft was so extreme that everyone assumed the boat was lost forever. However after a valiant effort by the infamous Capt Blah, the boat was pulled from the rocks during ‘low tide’, recovered and repaired. Once the canoe was seaworthy, it was renamed the Zailfish in honor of the USS Squalus (SS-192) which had been recovered, repaired and renamed the USS Sailfish. The conning tower from SS-192 may be found at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, while the canoe Zailfish may still be seen on rivers and streams throughout New England.
Water from the Ossipee river here, flows into the Saco river which empties into the ocean approximately 25 miles north of where the Squalus sank.
Service aboard submarines during WWII was extremely dangerous. The US Navy only accepted volunteers for this hazardous duty and would administer psychological tests to each applicant to help determine whether they could handle the stress of working in such close quarters and in such dangerous conditions. Some said the tests were used to make sure each applicant was crazy enough to work in a ‘coffin boat’.
Submariners had some of the highest casualty rates of the war. Many submarines went to sea and were never heard from again. Whenever these ships or their crewmembers were mentioned it would be said that they were ‘still on patrol’, which was submariner jargon for: ‘likely lost at sea’.
This cache was inspired by Capt. LL and his Helmsman ‘Mad Harry’. It was placed to honor my dad on Father’s Day in what would have been his 100th year. Dad served on the USS Seal which operated in the Pacific during WWII. Fortunately he survived the experience, making me and thus this cache possible.
The cache is dedicated to all those brave men who served in the US Submarine Service during WWII and especially to those men who are ‘still on patrol’, including Mainer: Charles Myron Woods, an Electrician’s Mate from Kittery, who was among those who perished in the Squalus disaster.
The cache is located off a mountain bike trail. You can access this trail system behind the Hiram Town Office.
If you seek the cache by canoe or kayak please use the recommended landing site. If the Ossipee River in flood stage, you should wait until the water recedes enough to paddle the river safely.