History lies below decks on USS Razorback
 

Since 06-14-04

Museum-bound sub ties up in Key West

BY TIMOTHY O'HARA

Citizen Staff Writer

KEY WEST — John Ranguette and the crew of the USS Razorback cruise the dark abyss off the west coast of Russia. Through a periscope, they watch tankers, military ships and other vessels leave port.

They are spotted and the World War II era submarine is forced to dive to depths exceeding 300 feet, to "run quiet." The diesel sub, Russian patrol boats in pursuit, lumbers away at its maximum speed of 9 knots.

This was the typical cat and mouse game played by the crew of the Razorback while in the Russian seas during the Cold War.

The Razorback, which will be in Key West Sunday, played a key role in many battles and covert operations after it was commissioned in 1944, earning five battle stars in World War II and four stars in Vietnam.

But the Navy turned from diesel to nuclear power — making sleeker, quieter and faster submarines. The Navy decommissioned the Razorback in 1970 and transferred it to the Turkish Navy, where it served for nearly 30 years.

"It's not like the nuclear submarines, where you could shower three times a day," said Ranguette, who served on the Razorback from 1960 to 1962. "It was very uncomfortable. It was hot. There was no air conditioning. The air was very stale. You could smell the diesel, and after a few days of water rationing you could smell humans — sweat and all that."

Ranguette, who lives Fort Myers, will be reunited with the submarine Sunday as the 300-foot, 1,500-ton Razorback pulls into Key West Harbor. The only submarine to win battle ribbons in World War II and Vietnam is being towed from Turkey to the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. The boat will make a pit stop in the Keys before resuming its journey. The boat will be on display at the East Quay Wall at the Truman Waterfront, and tours will be conducted from 3 to 7 p.m.

Ranguette was one of several former crew members who wanted to sail the submarine back to the United States under its own power. However, military officials thought that might not be a good idea with the war in Iraq and other international instability. Cost was another issue. The price tag went from $500,000 to tow it to more than a $1 million to re-commission it and sail it, said Patrick Henry Hays, mayor of North Little Rock and organizer of the vessel's trip.

The Razorback's next stop will be in New Orleans, before heading up the Mississippi Arkansas rivers to North Little Rock, Hays said. The Razorback, named after a South Pacific whale species, will be the centerpiece of the planned Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. Planners are still raising the $15 million to build the museum.

"We hope to teach future generations of the commitment and sacrifices of its crew in the name of freedom," Hays said.

The vessel had seen its share of scrapes during World War II. In the Luzon Straits, the Razorback sank an 820-ton old destroyer and damaged two other enemy vessels. In the East China Sea, it sank four wooden ships. The crew rescued four B-29 pilots and a fighter pilot before retiring to Midway to end that patrol. The Razorback entered Tokyo Harbor with 11 other submarines to take part in the formal surrender of Japan, before she began her service in the Cold War.

tohara@keysnews.com

This story published on Sat, Jun 12, 2004