On 15 October 2022 ,the USS CLAMAGORE, stripped of sail and superstructure was removed from Patriots Point and towed to Norfolk VA to begin final recycling.
USS Clamagore - SS-343
International Call Sign: November-Juliet-Delta-Uniform
CLAMAGORE is the only GUPPY III submarine preserved in the United States.
The CLAMAGORE (SS-343) was built as a Balao-class submarine by Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT. Commissioned too late for action in World War II, CLAMAGORE would serve 30 years during the Cold War. In 1948, CLAMAGORE underwent GUPPY II conversion to improve underwater performance. GUPPY was the term used by the Navy for its Greater Underwater Propulsion Program.
CLAMAGORE was one of only nine submarines converted to GUPPY III (1962-63). A 15-foot (55 ton) section was added (forward of the control room) to accommodate upgrades in technology. This would be the ultimate upgrade for World War II era diesel-powered submarines. CLAMAGORE was decommissioned in June 1975.
Added to the Patriots Point fleet in 1981, CLAMAGORE is the only GUPPY III submarine preserved in the United States. In 1989, CLAMAGORE was designated a National Historic Landmark.
Due to severe degradation of the hull the Patriot Point museum had, on several occasions, looked for an alternate means to preserve the vessel. On 10 January 2017 the Palm Beach County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve funds for the vessel to be sunk as an artificial reef. On 16 April 2019 a group of retired submariners sued the State of South Carolina to save the Clamagore. In early 2020, the museum formed a plan to sink Clamagore at the Vermilion Reef site before the 2021 hurricane season. The next year, the museum announced plans to scrap the submarine as the cost of preservation was considered unsupportable.
During the summer of 2022, the museum began the process of scrapping the Clamagore.
