Since 08-25-04
USS Razorback's "American Homecoming" August 29, 2004
Since 08-25-04
From: Nawojczyk, Steve <SNawojczyk@northlittlerock.ar.gov>
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 10:02 AM
Subject: For Immediate Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WW II-era USS Razorback's "American Homecoming" Arrival Celebration To Honor
More Than 150 Submarine Veterans From Across The Country
Patriotic Ceremony, Entertainment and Fireworks Planned for the August 29th
Festival at North Little Rock's North Shore Riverwalk
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Aug. 23, 2004) - The longest serving submarine in the
world will be welcomed by more than 150 submarine veterans from across the
country this weekend when the USS Razorback makes her official arrival in North
Little Rock, Ark. Representing over 25 states, the submarine veterans will
travel from as far away as Washington state to Florida and as far away as Hawaii
to Maine. The patriotic celebration, billed as an "American Homecoming," will
include a full slate of events throughout the weekend.
On Sunday, August 29, the festivities will include the official arrival of the
USS Razorback, a patriotic ceremony and entertainment performances. Broadway
veteran Lawrence Hamilton, the Mid-South U.S. Navy Band, the 106th U.S. Army
Band, local favorites the Groan-Ups and Deja Voodoo and Donna Humphries will all
be part of the day's festivities, along with a special appearance by the
University of Arkansas Razorback pep band and a patriotic firework celebration
finale. A flotilla of yachts and recreational boats will also be on hand to
escort the submarine home.
"We are planning a red, white and blue gala welcome for the USS Razorback," said
North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays, "and we couldn't be more excited about her
long-awaited American homecoming. Submarine veterans from across the country,
hundreds of well-wishers and a large flotilla of yachts and recreational boats
will welcome her home."
The submarine veterans planning to attend represent several tours of duty
including World War II (WWII), Korean War, Vietnam War and the Cold War. Turkish
officials will also be on hand to honor the submarine's 30 years of
distinguished service as the TCG Murat Reis in the Turkish Navy. The last USS
Razorback Navy Captain, Joseph T. Talbert, Jr., U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln
and Mark Pryor, Congressman Vic Snyder and other dignitaries will participate in
the welcoming ceremony.
The 1,500-ton, diesel-powered submarine is scheduled to arrive at the North
Shore Riverwalk in the afternoon at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 29. The public is
invited to arrive as early as 2:00 p.m. for the day-long festivities.
Picnic-style food options from local food and beverage vendors will be available
throughout the day. The main public entrance will be through Willow Street near
the Broadway Bridge. The event is free and open to the public.
Donna Humphries will start off the celebration on the center riser at 2:30 p.m.,
followed by DeJa Voodoo at 3:00 p.m. on the entertainment stage. At 4:00 p.m.
the 106th U.S. Army Band will perform on the ceremonial stage. At 5:00 p.m. the
University of Arkansas Razorback pep band will salute the USS Razorback as she
begins her official arrival near the banks of the Arkansas River. The 90-minute
patriotic ceremony is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Entertainment will resume
after the ceremony with local favorite the Groan-Ups at 7:00 p.m., followed by a
special patriotic performance by Freedom (the Mid-South U.S. Navy Jazz Band)
featuring Broadway veteran Lawrence Hamilton. The grand finale, the patriotic
firework celebration, will begin at 9:00 p.m.
* * *
"Our focus has been on honoring the submarine veterans for their service to our
country," said North Little Rock Visitors Bureau Director Karen Trevino, "but we
also want to honor all military personnel and their families in celebrating the
USS Razorback's American homecoming. We invite boat owners to join the flotilla
and encourage families to come and spend the day with us on the Arkansas River."
With more than 150 submarine veterans in town for the weekend, organizers are
planning special events, including a welcome reception, city tours and private
submarine tours on Saturday. On Sunday, the submarine veterans will be honored
in the official welcoming ceremony at the North Shore Riverwalk.
On Saturday, Aug. 28, North Little Rock's Laman Public Library will be offering
special showings of WWII-era submarine movies, including 1958's "Run Silent, Run
Deep" starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster and the 1943 romantic adventure
"Crash Dive" starring Tyrone Power and Anne Baxter. The submarine movie
double-header will begin at 1:00 p.m. with the showing of "Run Silent, Run Deep"
and continue at 3:00 p.m. with "Crash Dive." Both movies are free and open to
the public. Laman Public Library is located at
2801 N. Orange in North Little Rock. For more information about the movie
double-header, contact Anne-Marie LeBlanc at 501-758-1720.
Public tours of the USS Razorback will begin on Monday, Aug. 30 and continue
through Sunday, Sept. 5. The tour times for Monday, Aug. 30 through Friday,
Sept. 3 will be from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. each day. On Saturday, Sept. 4,
the public tours will be available from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and on
Sunday, Sept. 5, the public tours will resume from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
For updates on public tours, please log onto
http://www.northlittlerock.ar.gov
or contact the North Little Rock Visitors Bureau at 501-758-1424.
* * *
Commissioned in 1944, the USS Razorback is the last operational submarine
present in Tokyo Bay to take part in the formal surrender of Japan on Sept. 2,
1945, officially ending WWII. The USS Razorback earned five battle stars for her
WWII service and four stars for service in Vietnam, the only submarine to earn
battles stars in both wars.
The sub was decommissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1970 and transferred to the
Turkish Navy, where she spent 30 years of distinguished service as the TCG Murat
Reis. Rather than scrapping the ship, U.S. officials began a two-year
negotiation effort with Turkish officials to bring the 60-year-old sub back to
America. The city of North Little Rock purchased the sub from the Turkish Navy
for $37,500 in salvage costs.
* * *
The USS Razorback began her 7,000-mile journey from Istanbul, Turkey on May 5,
2004, sparking international media interest that continued throughout her trip.
Towed by the tugboat Rhea, the Smith Maritime Company of Florida had her towed
across the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in 45 days. She made her
first stop in U.S. water in Key West, Fla., on June 12. The submarine continued
later that week on her journey across the Gulf of Mexico making her first fresh
water stop in a welcoming ceremony near the French Quarter in New Orleans, La.,
on Saturday, June 19. Several hundred well-wishers were on hand for the New
Orleans ceremony.
After a few weeks of preparation for the upriver tow on the Mississippi River,
the USS Razorback began her journey to Rosedale, Miss. on July 10, with an
overnight pit stop in Baton Rouge, La. Once the submarine began her trip up the
Mississippi River, officials became more concerned about the deep draft of the
submarine and some shallow patches on the Arkansas River. At that time
organizers postponed the arrival ceremony originally planned for July 18 in
North Little Rock.
On Thursday, July 15, the USS Razorback entered Arkansas water for the first
time with an overnight stop at the Montgomery Point Lock and Dam near Tichnor,
Ark., where she took part in the next day's official dedication ceremony of the
Montgomery Point Lock and Dam. She was towed back to Rosedale, Miss., that
evening in preparation for her final leg up the Arkansas River. Officials began
the process of swinging the submarine between two barges and raising her above
the minimum water levels needed to navigate the Arkansas River channel.
Once certain of her ability to navigate the Arkansas River channel, officials
with JANTRAN, hired to bring the sub from Rosedale to North Little Rock, began
their tow of the USS Razorback toward North Little Rock on Sunday, August 1.
After a temporary stop at the Port of Little Rock, she was later moved to the
rock quarry in North Little Rock to allow local submarine veterans and city
officials to prepare the submarine for the homecoming festivities.
* * *
The USS Razorback will make its permanent home in North Little Rock as part of
the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. Planners are raising the $15 million needed
to build the museum, which will be located near the I-30 river bridge on the
Arkansas River.
Tax-deductible donations can be made to the Arkansas
Inland Maritime Museum Association, City Hall, P.O. Box 5757, North Little Rock,
AR 72119-5757. For updates on the American Homecoming event, please log onto
http://www.northlittlerock.ar.gov
.
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