USS Cod SS-224 News Update

Posted Monday, December 18, 2006

I recently had the opportunity to chat via email with John Falkan of the USS COD Submarine Memorial, and learned some interesting facts about the USS Cod. With John's kind permission, I will quote pertinent portions of our correspondence.

"Because COD is the very last WW-II fleet boat to remain completely unmodified from her wartime configuration she is a real treat for submarine aficionados. Because of COD's unique status we will not so much as drill a hole in her historic fabric, and our restoration philosophy is to bring everything back to working order. We still have a long way to go but have been making good progress. Because COD is not a museum she is a popular filming site for History Channel and others. If you saw the History Channel specials in the Silent Service series you saw quite a bit of COD. All of the reenactment scenes in color were filmed aboard COD -- including those showing the periscopes being raised and lowered and torpedoes being loaded. One of the History Channel specials was about the Japanese submarines of WW-II. Those reenactments were also filmed aboard COD. A few labels in Kanji here and there, and some good work by Central Casting and some Japanese uniforms, and COD looked just like an authentic I-boat. We also did the reenactment scenes for National Geographic TV's story about the sinking of SQUALUS. The Japanese Broadcasting Company, NHK, has been to Cleveland twice to film scenes for a TV special about why Japan lost the war. Their conclusion was that the US fleet submarine and our SJ radar is what cost them the war. I completely agree.

Schematic of the USS Cod's Mark 4 Torpedo Data Computer
Photograph courtesy of John Fakan, USS COD Submarine Memorial

"We currently have COD's auxiliary engine (the "dinky") completely restored and back on line, and are making good progress with her four main engines. They should all be restored within two years. (I just learned today that the valve stems for one of the 16-248 main engines have been refurbished to specs and are ready for installation.)"