Those who are familiar with Canalside are most likely also familiar with the decommissioned military warships that reside at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park. For those who are familiar with the ships, they are presumably aware that Buffalo is home to the USS Croaker a Gato-class submarine. Also on full display at the park is the sail and rudder of the submarine USS Boston (Los Angeles-class).
Soon, the Naval & Military Park will be home to another piece of submersible military memorabilia in the form of a control panel from the decommissioned USS Buffalo, a Los Angeles-class submarine with Buffalo NY as its namesake.
Shane Stephenson, the Director of Museum Collections at the Buffalo Naval Park, stated, “These panels and their intrinsic interactivity will bring a new experience to visitors of the Buffalo Naval Park. By creating a larger exhibit space around these items it will immerse children and adults in the submarine experience.”
If you’re wondering how a submarine that spent three decades of service sailing the Eastern and Western Pacific was named after this city, we can credit Mrs. Joanne Kemp, wife of former Buffalo Bills quarterback and New York’s 31st congressional district representative Jack Kemp. Mrs. Joanne Kemp pushed to have the submarine named after the city that was in Jack Kemp’s district.
A press conference and welcoming ceremony will be held later today (4pm) at the Naval Park. Commander Paul Lee, the final Skipper of the USS Buffalo, will be on hand to pay tribute to vessel, as well as her namesake city.
Lead image: USS Buffalo moored alongside USS Stethem in Changi Naval Base, Singapore, during her final deployment in 2016 | Today’s press conference and ceremony will feature the nose bunting from the launching of the submarine in 1982, as well as a letter from Mrs. Joanne Kemp.