SARASOTA, Fla., May 27, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Despite
subtropical storm Alberto bearing down on the Florida gulf coast, hundreds gathered this
morning in Sarasota for the
dedication of the first ever undersea memorial to the 65 American
submarines lost since 1900, along with 4,000+ officers and
crew.
The On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef is a collection of 65
Eternal Reef balls – each 1,300 pounds and three feet tall -- with
plaques identifying each of the submarines still On Eternal Patrol
and one additional Eternal Reef ball representing those crews and
boats lost in non-sinking incidents. The 66 Eternal Reefs will be
deployed to the ocean floor off the Sarasota coast over the coming weeks to
significantly boost the marine environment in which these
submariners served and made the ultimate sacrifice. (A single
Eternal Reef was scheduled to be deployed to the reef site about
nine miles off the Sarasota coast
tomorrow, on Memorial Day, but high seas from Alberto postponed
this plan.)
A reef ball is a designed artificial reef, specifically
engineered to mimic Mother Nature, which quickly assimilates into
the ocean with significant new marine growth within 90 days.
"The strategic value of the Navy's submarine force in World War
II and since cannot be overestimated. It is fitting that the On
Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef honors the brave submariners who gave
their lives in service to our nation," said Rear Admiral
Donald P. Harvey, USN (Ret), who, at
age 94, is Sarasota's oldest
living naval serviceman and highest ranking retired naval
officer.
Full military honors were bestowed this morning for each of the
65 lost boats including rifle salutes, buglers playing taps and an
honor guard presenting folded flags to representatives for each
lost submarine. For many, this was the first time they received
military honors. View the full dedication service on the Eternal
Reefs Facebook page.
A host of veterans accepted the flags, including Brian Lawrence, RMCS(SS), USN (Ret), from
Missouri, who attended in honor of
RM2 Kenneth
Eugene Nearman, who was aboard the USS TROUT (SS-202) when
it went down on 27 February 1944 with
all hands, 81 officers and crew. Lawrence shared that his late
mother dated Nearman while in and after high school in Missoula, Montana and often spoke of him, and
cried, well into her 90s.
Mark Martin, QMCS(SS)DV, USN
(Ret) accepted the flag for, among others, the USS Skate (SS-23
F-4) lost 25 March 1915 with 21
officers and crew.
Lawrence and Martin were shipmates aboard the USS Dolphin in the
late 1980s and were unexpectedly reunited this morning with the
tearful and firm embrace of long lost brothers at the On Eternal
Patrol Memorial Reef dedication. The last time they saw each other
was 30 years ago.
A cadre of others accepted flags on behalf of family, friends,
and fellow submariners, including Michael
Burasco, from Ocala, Fla.,
to honor his brother, Nugent Anthony
Burasco, one of 79 men lost on the USS Tullibee (SS-284)
when she went down on 26 March 1944.
James Jordan, from Lakeland, Fla. served aboard the USS Parche
(SSN-683), the USS Daniel Webster (SSBN- 626), and the USS Sam
Rayburn (SSBN-635) and accepted several flags, including for the
USS Corvina (SS-226) lost on 16 November
1943 with all hands, 82 officers and crew, the USS Dorado
(SS-248) lost on 12 October 1943 with
77 officers and crew, and the USS Grayback (SS-208) lost on
27 February 1944 with all hands, 80
officers and crew.
Accepting the flag for the 66th and final reef, representing all
submariners lost in non-sinking incidents, was William (Bill) Andrea, National Junior Vice
Commander for the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI).
The USSVI was an integral part of planning the On Eternal Patrol
Memorial Reef.
Dave Taylor, Past Commander
Disabled American Veterans Chapter 97, was master of ceremonies;
Colonel Charles Caudill, U.S. Air
Force (Ret), was officiating chaplain; and students from Port
Charlotte High School Naval Junior ROTC Unit presented the colors
under the supervision of Cadet LCDR John Flaws. Middle school
cadets from the Sarasota Military Academy Prep School (SMA) were
"cadet experts," providing guests background on each of the lost 65
subs and presenting the folded flags to the veterans. The 72 sixth
and seventh graders are supervised by Major
Alex Vanston, USMC (Ret) and Captain Terri Davis, both military studies instructors
at SMA Prep. Christina Bowman is
SMA's executive director of schools.
Taylor and Vanston presented 50-year Vietnam commemorative pins to approximately 35
Vietnam veterans in attendance.
Rear Admiral Thomas Logan Malone,
Ed.D, U.S. Navy (Ret) was the scheduled guest speaker, but was
unable to attend due to the weather.
Admiral Harvey's comments continued, read by Eternal Reefs CEO
George Frankel at the event: "It was
as Director of Naval Intelligence, some 40 years ago, that I
testified before Congress several times in support of U.S.
submarine operations. So, it is appropriate to again recognize this
remarkable service." Rear Admiral Harvey retired in 1978.
A Sarasota-based 501c3 memorial
organization, Eternal Reefs, Inc., planned the ambitious project,
in partnership with Reef Innovations and The Reef Ball Foundation.
The project garnered gubernatorial recognition from 25 states
including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Hampshire, New Mexico,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina,
Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
View the full dedication service on Eternal Reefs Facebook page
and see video of the On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef project,
including a full listing of all submarines with their date of loss,
on YouTube. Find a complete list of the 65 boats On Eternal Patrol
and the boats lost in non-sinking events at the USSVI site:
http://www.OnEternalPatrol.com. Eternal Reefs is accepting outside
funding to support the On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef. Interested
parties should call 888-423-7333 or email
info@EternalReefs.com.
About Eternal Reefs
The Genesis Reef Project dba Eternal Reefs, Inc. is a Sarasota-based non-profit organization that
provides a creative, environmentally-enhancing way to memorialize
the cremated remains of a loved one. Eternal Reefs incorporates
cremains into a proprietary concrete mixture used to cast
artificial reef formations which are then dedicated as permanent
memorials which bolster natural coastal reef formations. Eternal
Reefs pioneered the concept of reef memorialization and, since
1998, the organization has placed nearly 2,000 Memorial Reefs in 25
locations off the coasts of Florida (North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Gulf
Coast and Panhandle), Maryland,
New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia, substantially increasing the ocean's
diminishing reef systems. Memorial reefs can only go in properly
permitted locations by the U.S. Government. Eternal Reefs has
strategic partnerships with the Reef Ball Foundation and Reef
Innovations. The company secured 501c3 status in January 2017. Learn more at
http://www.EternalReefs.com or on the company's Facebook page.
SOURCE Eternal Reefs