USSVI USS Chicago Base Submarine Veterans

USSVI USS Chicago Base Submarine Veterans We are a chapter of the US Submarine Veterans Incorporated (USSVI).
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USS Chicago Base participated in the 2024 Carbon Hill Homecoming parade this past Sunday June 23rd. It was a very nice d...
06/27/2024

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2024 Carbon Hill Homecoming parade this past Sunday June 23rd. It was a very nice day and the crowd was great as usual. My grandson Dominic helped us out by carrying one side of the banner. After the parade we went to a local restaurant for a great lunch. Here're some photos from the parade.

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2024 Memorial Day program at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. We had a nice turno...
06/08/2024

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2024 Memorial Day program at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. We had a nice turnout of submarine veterans from our base. Afterward we had a nice lunch at a local restaurant. Here're some photos from out day.

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2024 New Lenox Loyalty Day Parade last Sunday May 5th. We had a nice turnout of sub...
05/09/2024

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2024 New Lenox Loyalty Day Parade last Sunday May 5th. We had a nice turnout of submarine veterans. I'd like to thank them for coming out and representing our base. The weather was awesome and there was a large crowd of appreciative people all along the parade route. After the parade New Lenox VFW Post 9545 provided free hotdogs and beverages. Of course we partook of those refreshments and had a nice time doing it. We'd like to thank the New Lenox VFW Post 9545 for their wonderful hospitality.

USS Chicago Base, along with other area veterans, veterans' groups and interested people, participated in the April 9, 2...
04/12/2024

USS Chicago Base, along with other area veterans, veterans' groups and interested people, participated in the April 9, 2024 Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery (ALNC) direct burial ceremony for unclaimed veteran remains. This is a quarterly ceremony held at ALNC. After the ceremony we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Silver Dollar Restaurant in Elwood.

Some USS Chicago Base submarine veterans are also volunteers at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry U-505 Exhibit...
03/21/2024

Some USS Chicago Base submarine veterans are also volunteers at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry U-505 Exhibit. On Tuesday March 21st crew members of USS Chicago SSN-721 visited the museum. They ate breakfast at the museum, attended meetings, and they then toured U-505. After the submarine tour they spent a couple hours talking to museum visitors. USS Chicago Base volunteers were invited to be present, to join the crew at breakfast, and as the crew talked to museum visitors. We enjoyed every minute of our time with these outstanding sailors. Here's a photo of the crew, some museum employees who were involved, and of the USS Chicago Base members who were present.

These photos are from our USS Chicago Base March meeting. Our base was formed 20 years ago in March 2004. We had a nice ...
03/05/2024

These photos are from our USS Chicago Base March meeting. Our base was formed 20 years ago in March 2004. We had a nice turnout of base members. During the meeting Pat Hayes was presented with a hand made quilt that he won in a silent auction that we held a few weeks ago. The quilt is an American Flag meant to be hung on a wall, and it was donated to our base by a group of quilting ladies from the State of Washington. The proceeds from the auction will be used to help fund a Manitowoc World War Two Submarine Memorial that we hope to place in Ottawa, IL. As usual, following the meeting, we had an excellent lunch provided by our base's Chief Cook Barnacle Bill Hoffman.

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2024 Tinley Park Irish Parade this past Sunday March 3rd. It was our first parade o...
03/05/2024

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2024 Tinley Park Irish Parade this past Sunday March 3rd. It was our first parade of the year and a very nice experience. The weather was great for March with temperatures in the low 70's. The parade route was lined with thousands (maybe 10's of thousands) of cheering people. Although this parade is in early March and weather can be an issue, it's always very well attended. With that said we think this was the best Tinley Park Irish Parade we've ever been a part of. We also had a nice turnout of base members. One member asked if his son could come and of course we said YES. Family is welcome and he carried a flag. We appreciated his help. After the parade we all went to the Tinley Park VFW. The VFW had the usual nice spread of food, entertainment, and of course beverages. They were packed as usual for this event. Our next parade will be the New Lenox Loyalty Day Parade on May 5th. Here're some photos from this parade.

USS Chicago Base, USSVI is currently raising funds for another memorial dedicated to World War Two submarines. The purpo...
02/23/2024

USS Chicago Base, USSVI is currently raising funds for another memorial dedicated to World War Two submarines. The purpose of the memorial will be to honor the memory of the 28 submarines built during World War Two by the Manitowoc, WI Shipbuilding Co. These submarines were built in Manitowoc, tested on Lake Michigan, and when ready for service they transited the Chicago River, the Sanitary and Ship Canal, the Des Plaines River, the Illinois River, and finally the Mississippi River, on their way to New Orleans. Because of the shallow river depths and the draft of the submarines, a special barge was required to carry these submarines from Lockport, IL to New Orleans. At New Orleans the masts that were previously removed were installed, and weapons, stores, and fuel were loaded. The submarines crew then took their boat to the Pacific Theater via the Panama Canal. Four of these submarines were lost during the war with all hands. USS Chicago Base has been directly involved with placement of three other memorials for this purpose. The first memorial is in Chicago on the Riverwalk. The second is in Morris, IL on the I&M Canal. The third is in Joliet, IL on the Des Plaines River. The fourth memorial is planned for placement in Ottawa, IL. The proposed location is Allen Park on the south side of the Illinois River. The QR code shown in the photo may be used to make donations to support our project. To do this, point your cell phone camera at the QR code and a website should appear that will allow you to make a donation. The photo shows the front and back of our memorial. Thank you. USS Chicago Base, USSVI.

USS Chicago Base, USSVI is currently raising funds for another memorial dedicated to World War Two submarines. The purpo...
02/23/2024

USS Chicago Base, USSVI is currently raising funds for another memorial dedicated to World War Two submarines. The purpose of the memorial will be to honor the memory of the 28 submarines built during World War Two by the Manitowoc, WI Shipbuilding Co. These submarines were built in Manitowoc, tested on Lake Michigan, and when ready for service they transited the Chicago River, the Sanitary and Ship Canal, the Des Plaines River, the Illinois River, and finally the Mississippi River, on their way to New Orleans. Because of the shallow river depths and the draft of the submarines, a special barge was required to carry these submarines from Lockport, IL to New Orleans. At New Orleans the masts that were previously removed were installed, and weapons, stores, and fuel were loaded. The submarines crew then took their boat to the Pacific Theater via the Panama Canal. Four of these submarines were lost during the war with all hands. USS Chicago Base has been directly involved with placement of three other memorials for this purpose. The first memorial is in Chicago on the Riverwalk. The second is in Morris, IL on the I&M Canal. The third is in Joliet, IL on the Des Plaines River. The fourth memorial is planned for placement in Ottawa, IL. The proposed location is Allen Park on the south side of the Illinois River. Donations to our cause may be made online at this website. https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MjAzNzc1.
Thank you. USS Chicago Base, USSVI.

Check out Manitowoc Submarines Memorial by United States Submarine Veterans Charitable Foundation!

USS Chicago Base participated in the annual Wreaths Across America event at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery December 1...
12/18/2023

USS Chicago Base participated in the annual Wreaths Across America event at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery December 16th. It was a cold and rainy day, but the intrepid base members pictured in these photos did their part despite the weather.

USS Chicago Base had its annual Christmas party December 2nd at the Tinley Park VFW. The event began with the normal soc...
12/18/2023

USS Chicago Base had its annual Christmas party December 2nd at the Tinley Park VFW. The event began with the normal social hour, followed by a short business meeting, then a very nice meal was provided by our Chief Cook Bill Hoffman, and lastly the gift raffle that we always have at Christmas. Here're some photos from the party.

USS Chicago Base submarine veterans and Ottawa American Legion members held a ceremony Oct. 9th at the USS S-44 Memorial...
10/29/2023

USS Chicago Base submarine veterans and Ottawa American Legion members held a ceremony Oct. 9th at the USS S-44 Memorial at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. USS S-44 was lost Oct. 7, 1943. We hold this ceremony every year on a date close to the date of its loss to honor the crew of this submarine who gave their lives for their country. The United States lost 52 submarines during World War II. USS S-44 was chosen by us because she was assigned by the U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II to the Illinois chapter of that organization as a submarine for them to honor. The Illinois chapter of that organization is no longer active, and USS Chicago Base has taken over their responsibilities. These photos were taken at the ceremony that was held Oct. 9th. Information about USS S-44 can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_S-44.

10/29/2023
USS Hyman G. Rickover SSN-795 was commissioned Oct. 14, 2023. Some members of USS Chicago Base submarine veterans attend...
10/28/2023

USS Hyman G. Rickover SSN-795 was commissioned Oct. 14, 2023. Some members of USS Chicago Base submarine veterans attended the commissioning ceremony. While we were in Groton, we also toured USS Indiana SSN-789 and visited the Submarine Force Library and Museum. This visit included a tour of the first nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus SSN-571. We also made it a priority to spend time at the Groton Base Clubhouse, which is an outstanding facility. We had an awesome time at the clubhouse mingling with other submarine veterans and active-duty submarine sailors. Of course, we enjoyed a few beverages and the food while at the clubhouse. The commissioning of a Navy ship is an inspiring experience for those who haven't been present at one. The Submarine Base and Submarine School have changed and grown very much since we last were there. It was definitely a trip down memory lane for us. These pictures are from the commissioning, the USS Nautilus, and the Groton Base Clubhouse.

USS Chicago Base submarine veterans participated in the Grundy County Corn Festival Parade this past Sunday Oct. 1st. It...
10/03/2023

USS Chicago Base submarine veterans participated in the Grundy County Corn Festival Parade this past Sunday Oct. 1st. It was a beautiful day. We had a nice turnout of base members, and the parade was the best of the year for our base. After the parade we went to a local restaurant and enjoyed a nice lunch.

USS Chicago Base submarine veterans attended the Operation Firm Handshake picnic at the Coal City Area Club Saturday Sep...
09/21/2023

USS Chicago Base submarine veterans attended the Operation Firm Handshake picnic at the Coal City Area Club Saturday September 9th. This is a free picnic for veterans and their families put on every year by Operation Firm Handshake. It's an awesome picnic and they do an outstanding job. Our submarine veterans group attends this picnic in lieu of having a September base meeting. We enjoy it very much. The Operation Firm Handshake website can be found at: https://operationfirmhandshake.org/. Take a look at this website and you'll get an idea of what they're all about. There're a lot of photos on the website. Take a look at those too. I've placed some photos in this post that are pertinent to our base.

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2023 Carbon Hill Homecoming parade yesterday. This is our 3rd parade of the year. W...
06/26/2023

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2023 Carbon Hill Homecoming parade yesterday. This is our 3rd parade of the year. We have one more parade in Morris, IL at the 2023 Grundy County Corn Festival. We had a nice turnout of base members, and we had a good time during and after the parade. It was a hot day but at least it was breezy enough to make it tolerable. The group went to a local restaurant for lunch afterward.

USS Chicago Base, USSVI held a dedication ceremony for our newest memorial located in Joliet, IL, on June 14th. The memo...
06/15/2023

USS Chicago Base, USSVI held a dedication ceremony for our newest memorial located in Joliet, IL, on June 14th. The memorial honors the memory of the 28 submarines and their crews which passed through Joliet on their way to service in the Pacific during World War II. The submarines were built at the Manitowoc Ship Building Co., Manitowoc, WI during the years of 1943 - 1945. They were some of the best submarines built during World War II. They tested on Lake Michigan and when complete, they transited the river system from Chicago to New Orleans. In New Orleans the masts were reinstalled, provisions, fuel and weapons were loaded, and the crew then took their submarine off to war through the Caribbean Sea, the Panama Canal, and finally to the Pacific Theater. Four of these submarines were lost with all hands during the war. USS Chicago Base would especially like to thank the City of Joliet, and the many vendors who donated their time, labor, and materials to facilitate the construction of this memorial. We owe a special debt to Reeves & Baskerville Funeral Homes. Without their support the installation of this memorial and the memorial in Morris, IL, would not have been possible. We want to thank the special guests who were able to attend the dedication ceremony. The pictures in this post show the entire ceremony, from beginning to end. The special guests are shown by name in some of these photos. We would also like to thank the Joliet Central High School students who provided us with an honor guard that posted the colors at the start of the ceremony, and the two musicians who played taps at the end. Also, we'd like to thank the Joliet Police Honor Guard. They provided us with a rifle volley salute at the end of the ceremony.

USS Chicago Base is in the process of placing another memorial to honor the World War II submarines built at the Manitow...
06/09/2023

USS Chicago Base is in the process of placing another memorial to honor the World War II submarines built at the Manitowoc, WI Ship Building Co. We previously worked with Crash Dive Base to place a memorial on the Chicago River Walk. It was dedicated May 2019. Then we completed a memorial in Morris, IL next to the I&M Canal in Canal Port Plaza. It was dedicated Sept. 2020. Today we had a new memorial placed in Joliet, in the Veterans area of the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park. This park is located next to the Des Plaines River, southeast of the intersection of Bluff and Jefferson Streets. These photos were taken during placement of the memorial stone. The location of these three memorials is along the path that these submarines took to their service during World War II. Dedication of the new memorial will be held Wednesday June 14th at 1100. All of these memorials wouldn't have been possible without the fantastic cooperation that we have received from the Cities of Chicago, Morris, and now from the City of Joliet.

USS Chicago Base volunteered at the 2023 Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Memorial Day program. We hand out programs an...
05/31/2023

USS Chicago Base volunteered at the 2023 Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Memorial Day program. We hand out programs and then sit back and watch the ceremony. It's always moving, and we enjoy seeing the very large crowd who are always appreciative of the event, and the reasons for this day. There's usually a flyover, and this year a WW II TBM Avenger, with a WW II pilot aboard, buzzed the event. Several photos of that aircraft are in this post. This is one of the events at the cemetery that we volunteer for every year. We also attend all the Direct Burials and the Wreaths Across America in December.

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2023 New Lenox Loyalty Day parade. This was our 2nd parade of the year. It was a be...
05/31/2023

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2023 New Lenox Loyalty Day parade. This was our 2nd parade of the year. It was a beautiful day, there was a large, appreciative crowd, and we enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards we were happy to partake in the free refreshments at the New Lenox VFW Post 9545. We have 2 more parades scheduled this year. The next parade is at the Carbon Hill Homecoming on June 25th. The last parade is the Grundy County Corn Festival.

USS Chicago Base, along with other area veterans, veteran's groups and interested people, participated in the April 13, ...
04/16/2023

USS Chicago Base, along with other area veterans, veteran's groups and interested people, participated in the April 13, 2023, Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery (ALNC) direct burial ceremony for unclaimed veteran remains. After the ceremony we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Silver Dollar Restaurant in Elwood.

These photos were taken at our April USS Chicago Base meeting at the Tinley Park VFW. One photo shows the Tolling of the...
04/07/2023

These photos were taken at our April USS Chicago Base meeting at the Tinley Park VFW. One photo shows the Tolling of the Lost Boats ceremony for the month of April. The other photos show the recipients of the Holland Club Award as they received the award from Vice Commander Dave Harris. Four of our members became members of the Holland Club. This signifies that it's been 50 years since they qualified in submarines.

USS Chicago Base participated in the Tinley Park Irish parade yesterday. It's our first parade for 2023. Here're two pho...
03/06/2023

USS Chicago Base participated in the Tinley Park Irish parade yesterday. It's our first parade for 2023. Here're two photos from the parade. The day was beautiful for this time of year. The crowd along the route was very large and vocal. We appreciated that. We also appreciate our base members who volunteered their time to attend this parade. Without them we couldn't do it.

11/12/2022

Pride Runs Deep

11/09/2022

We lost a good friend and shipmate yesterday. Don Schlegle went on eternal patrol. Sailor, rest your oar, we have the watch. God speed.

USS Chicago Base, along with other area veterans, veteran's groups and interested people, participated in the October 11...
10/13/2022

USS Chicago Base, along with other area veterans, veteran's groups and interested people, participated in the October 11th, 2022, Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery (ALNC) direct burial ceremony for unclaimed veteran remains. After the ceremony we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Silver Dollar Restaurant in Elwood.

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2022 Grundy County Corn Festival parade Oct. 2nd. This is the last parade for our b...
10/03/2022

USS Chicago Base participated in the 2022 Grundy County Corn Festival parade Oct. 2nd. This is the last parade for our base in 2022. As always, it was one of the best parades that we attend all year. It was a wonderful autumn day, the crowd was large and appreciative, we had very good attendance by our base members, and we enjoyed a nice lunch at a local restaurant following the parade. The camaraderie we enjoy at these events brings us all closer together and is in keeping with our USSVI creed.

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17147 Oak Park Avenue
Tinley Park, IL
60477

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