28 WWII submarines went through Joliet on their way to the Pacific. A new memorial will mark where.

A ceremony will be held June 14 for the installation of a monument marking the passage of 28 World War II submarines through Joliet on their way to the Pacific Theater.

The ceremony will be at 11 a.m. at Billiie Limacher Bicentennial Park, 30 N. Bluff St. The monument is being installed at the existing Veterans Memorial on the south side of the park.

On the front side of this monument are replicas of Navy Submarine Dolphins and the USS Chicago Base logo, followed by a description of the Manitowoc submarines story. The opposite side lists the names of the 28 submarines that were built by the Manitowoc Ship Building Company.

—  City of Joliet

A group of U.S. submarine veterans from the Northeastern Chicago area, USS Chicago Base, are dedicating the memorial.

Remarks at the ceremony will be made by Mayor Terry D’Arcy, state Rep. Larry Walsh Jr. and others. There will be a presentation of colors, the playing of the national anthem and taps with a gun salute.

The Manitowoc Ship Building Company in Wisconsin built 28 Gato/Balao Class submarines for the U.S. Navy during WWII, according to a news release on the memorial. The submarines moved through the Chicago River and the Sanitary & Ship Canal to Lockport where they were placed on specialty-built floating dry docks. These dry docks then moved through the locks, through Joliet, onwards to the Mississippi River and then down to New Orleans, Louisiana. Once periscopes were reinstalled, the submarines traveled across the Gulf of Mexico through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Theater of WWII.

Four of the Manitowoc Submarines, the USS Golet SS-361, USS Kete SS-369, USS Lagarto SS-371, and USS Robalo SS273, were lost in combat during the war with the loss of over 300 officers and men.

On the front side of this monument are replicas of Navy Submarine Dolphins and the USS Chicago Base logo ,followed by a description of the Manitowoc submarines story. The opposite side lists the names of the 28 submarines that were built by the Manitowoc Ship Building Company.

The Joliet Area Historical Museum at 204 N. Ottawa St. will host a program on World War II Submarines and the Manitowoc Submarine Expedition at 5 p.m. June 21 as a follow-up to the memorial event.

For information, contact City Planner Jayne Bernhard at jbernhard@joliet.gov; USS Chicago Base Commander John Connon at jconnon@gmail.com or 815-768-5867; or USS Chicago Base Vice Commander Dave Harris at daharris421@yahoo.com or 815-485-2965.