T-Shirt - USS GROWLER

This sweat shirt was a present to me when the Clipper fleet visited New York in August 2003 and we were based at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on Westside, Manhattan. The USS Intrepid is an old war time aircraft carrier which has been converted into a museum with a wide variety of aircraft on its flight deck. In addition the destroyer USS EDSON (where we had our offices) and the submarine USS GROWLER were also on display.

Just before last Christmas, all three ships were moved 6 miles down stream to Bayonne, New Jersey where they are being refitted while Pier 86, their home, is rebuilt. The whole show will reopen in the fall of 2008.

The USS Growler was constructed in 1958 and was on active duty for only six years. Growler carried and launched the 56 foot long Regulus missile, which looked more like an unmanned jet. After decommissioning, she was placed in the Inactive Reserve Fleet and Navy decided to use her as a torpedo test target for nuclear attack submarines. Fortunately, these tests were never conducted and Growler was assigned to become part of the Intrepid Museum
http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/pages/growler