John Christopher Fine

GUSS RAZORBACK IN LITTLE ROCK

The sleek black hull was stark in contrast to the gaily bedecked red and white paddle wheeler Arkansas Queen. Both vessels were tied to warfs across the Arkansas River near each other at North Little Rock. Viewed from an upper floor in The Peabody Hotel on the south bank, the river is alluring. A long string of gravel barges was being pushed under one of six bridges that span the river at Little Rock. The pilot’s maneuver required great skill since the load of barges was about as long as an aircraft carrier.

The USS Razorback, SS 394, forms part of the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. The museum warfs on the North Little Rock side and the riverfront esplanade on the opposite bank leading to the Clinton Presidential Center and Library has turned Little Rock into a visitors’ paradise.

Built in 1943, the Razorback, a Balao class fleet submarine, was named for the fin backed whale. World War II submarines were called after marine creatures. Coincidentally University of Arkansas sports teams are called Razorbacks. Put into service in 1944, the Razorback made five combat patrols during the war. It sank two Japanese destroyers, four merchant ships and some smaller enemy vessels with deck gun fire. The sub rescued 5 American pilots that had been shot down in the Pacific.

The Razorback displaces 1,870 tons and is 311’ 7” long, 27’ 3” wide and has a draft of 16’ 10”. Surface speed was about 20 knots with a submerged speed of 8.75 knots. The sub was crewed with 6 officers and 60 men. When in service the sub had a 10,000 mile cruising range.

In 1970 the U.S. Navy sold the sub to Turkey. For the next 32 years the Razorback saw active service in the Turkish Navy as the Murat Reis. The sub was named after a fifteenth century Turkish pirate who became an admiral. The sub was taken out of service in March 2002.
“Submarine veterans began a process to bring Razorback to the U.S.,” Greg Stitz said. Greg is the museum’s curator and executive director. “Money was raised from private donations for the surface tow to bring the sub back,” he added.

The Turkish Navy was very cooperative. They had bought eight submarines of WW II vintage so had many spare parts and items that would be of interest to the museum.

“I have sets of original blueprints,” Greg said. “When the Turkish Navy knew we were going to create a muesum they put anything relating to the subs inside before it was towed back,” he explained.

The Razorback was towed out of the Turkish submarine base and put in a commercial port so it could be prepared for the tow. Three more holes were cut in the bow. “We stopped at Gibraltar then were towed across the Atlantic to Key West. From there to New Orleans then up the Mississippi River to Rosedale, MS at the mouth of Arkansas River. The Razorback was put between two barges and towed up here. It took 45 days from the port of Tusla in Istanbul to New Orleans,” Greg explained.

Except for radio equipment and certain armament that the U.S. State Department required removed, the Razorback came to Little Rock as complete as when the sub made her last patrol for the Turkish Navy. “Many vessels have been layed up for long periods of time before they are released for use as museums. That usually means they are cannibalized and can be in bad shape,” the curator said.

Three Fairbanks Morse 5,400 shp, 20 piston, 10 cylinder engines remain in the ship. Configured with four engines during World War II service, one was removed when the sub was refitted in 1952, with the advent of more efficient electric engines.

The Razorback has six 21” forward torpedo tubes and space for ten reloads. “It was a 55 second reload time,” Greg said, showing how ramps were placed and spare torpedoes loaded into the tubes. Not a simple feat considering the torpedoes were 22’ long, weighed 3,000 pounds and space was severely limited. There are four aft torpedo tubes and space for four reloads aft. Bunks over the torpedoes provided sleeping room for crew.

The temporary museum building is a short distance east along the warf where the Razorbak is moored. It contains many artifacts received from the Turkish Navy when the sub was purchased for scrap value at $37,000. Among the rare items on display are two torpedo loading cones for the larger Mark 14 and the smaller Mark 37 developed at the end of WW II.

The diary of George Atkinson, a submariner who served aboard the Razorback during WW II, is also on display in the museum. “We’re working on our research library,” the curator exlained. Books about submarines and submarine warfare are shelved in the museum building but many recently purchased have yet to be catalogued.

“The USVI vets loaned us their library of a thousand volumes and we purchased 500 more books from the widow of a former submariner,” Greg explained.

The Razorback officially opened in May 2005. It is the only one of 28 submarine museums in the U.S. that has not been altered for tourism. Visitors must climb down hatchways to gain access to the sub and can walk just as crew walked from the after torpedo area to the forward torpedo station.

The U.S. Navy has released a World War II era tugboat to the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum and it is expected to become part of the display soon with visitor access. The USS Hoga is 100’ long and fought fires on the infamous Sunday, December 7, 1941. The Hoga is credited with saving the USS Oglala by pushing it away from the USS Arizona as well as pushing the stricken USS Nevada out of the channel that would have blocked Pearl Harbor’s entrance.

“The Razorback is only one of two surviving submarines that were present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in August 1945,” Greg Stitz said. “The tug Hoga was in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. When the Hoga arrives then we’ll have a vessel from the start of World War II and one from the end of World War II,” Greg said with pride.

The efforts of many veterans, volunteers, local government officials as well as the U.S. and Turkish navies have made the Razorback and the maritime museum a unique and important attraction in the Little Rock area. The library will afford scholars and students opportunity to do research into submarine building and the history of submarine warfare.

The Razorback is a fitting tribute to the people who served to defend freedom during wartime and provides a window for visitors to view something of the perils of submarine service during World War II.

SERVICE INFORMATION
General visitor information can be obtained from the City of North Little Rock Visitors Bureau by calling toll-free 1-800-643-4690 or the City of Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-844-4781. Information about the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum can be obtained by visiting their web site at www.aimm.museum or by mail P.O. Box 5757, North Little Rock, AR 72119. The museum’s phone is 501-371-8320.