File:USS Cod, Maneuvering Room - 53057070619.jpg

English: View a video tour on my YouTube channel here: youtu.be/sPaYh2ClYDY

USS Cod (SS/AGSS/IXSS-224) is a Gato-class submarine, the only vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the cod, an important and very popular food fish of the North Atlantic and North Pacific.

Cod is now a National Historic Landmark, preserved as a memorial and museum ship permanently moored in Cleveland, Ohio, and is open to visitors daily from May to November.

Cod′s keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut, on 21 July 1942. The submarine's five V16 diesel engines were built by General Motors Cleveland Diesel Plant on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio. She was launched on 21 March 1943, sponsored by Mrs. G. M. Mahoney, and commissioned on 21 June 1943 with Commander James C. Dempsey, USN; in command. Dempsey had already won fame by sinking the first Japanese destroyer lost in World War II while in command of the submarine USS S-37 (SS-142).

Cod is credited with sinking more than 12 enemy vessels totaling more than 37,000 tons, and damaging another 36,000 tons of enemy shipping. All seven of her war patrols were considered successful and Cod was awarded seven battle stars for her service in World War II, Cod's battleflag and conning tower both carry a cocktail glass above the name O-19 to commemorate the rescue and the party.

Today, Cod is one of the finest restored submarines on display and is the only U.S. submarine that has not had stairways and doors cut into her pressure hull for public access. Cod is the only World War II Fleet submarine that is still intact and in her wartime configuration. Visitors to the ship use the same vertical ladders and hatches that were used by her crew. She also has unique attractions such as the 5-inch deck gun that still can be rotated by visitors and mock-fired by Cod's volunteer crew. The Cod's Mark IV Torpedo Data Computer is also fully restored, as well as other various parts on the submarine.

Cleveland can claim partial credit as Cod's birthplace, since the submarine's five diesel engines were built at the General Motors Cleveland Diesel Plant on Cleveland's west side. Cod acquired two General Motors Model 248 V16 engines that had originally been used aboard another World War II submarine, USS Stingray (SS-186). The engines are held in reserve for parts for the restoration of Cod's engines. All of the engines on the Cod are in working order, and can be fired up on special events.

The Cod operates an amateur radio station, W8COD,[14] and participates in various amateur radio contests and other events such as Field Day.

On 13 June 2021, USS Cod departed Cleveland under tow to Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair in Erie, Pennsylvania for dry docking to repair and renew her underwater hull. The last time the Cod was in dry dock for repairs was in 1963 in Lorain, Ohio. Cod was closed to tours for approximately 64 days for a dry dock maintenance program. The goal of the $1.1 million project, partially funded by a $395,050 grant from the Save America's Treasures grant program administered by the Department of the Interior, is to conserve and restore the underwater hull of this 1943-vintage submarine so that she will continue to be a well-preserved National Historic Landmark and memorial for all veterans of America's armed forces. Cod returned to Cleveland on 18 August 2021 to the 1201 North Marginal Road berth that she has occupied since her arrival in Cleveland in 1959.

From Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cod

Photo by Eric Friedebach