Today, June 18th, 2004, USS Razorback leaves the salty womb of Mother Ocean for the last time in her life. Since 1944 she has been cradled in its briny folds, from the stormy North Atlantic, through the tropics of Panama, ranging far and wide through the Pacific, and through the innumerable seas of the world. She spent over half of that life shrouded in the warmth of the Mediterranean, traversing the same wine dark seas of Homer, of Alexander the Great, of uncounted mysterious seafarers from earliest history.

Since her departure from Istanbul Turkey about May 5th, Razorback has drawn public attention comparable to that given Nautilus 50 years ago. In Gibraltar she was warmly received by the British Navy while representatives of Razorback crews gave tours through the boat. On the transit across the Atlantic, a memorial service was conducted near the site of the lost USS Scorpion. We received a warm reception in Key West Florida and managed to accommodate many more tours through the boat.

The story of Razorback is quite well known now; 26 years in the US Navy, where she earned battle stars in WWII and Viet Nam, present at the Tokyo Bay surrender, evacuated Chiang Kai Chek and Mrs. Chiang and his General Staff from mainland China to Quemoy, participation as a submerged test vessel in nuclear weapons test at Christmas Island in 1962, as well as uncounted and untold Cold War exploits.

Then to the Turkish Navy for 32 more years where the cause of national democracy was preserved in the eastern Mediterranean. Yet for all the symbolism of her unparalleled longevity, Razorback would have been consigned to the scrapheap of history were it not for the unwavering commitment of but a few visionaries and the complete support of a community that would not accept that option.

Today Razorback enters the fresh, silted flow of the Mississippi River at the end of her final, glorious cruise. Please take a moment to silently thank all those who have participated in this magnificent project. Thank them for their vision, for their tenacity, for their selflessness as they diverted personal time and fortune to this project; some were paid as public servants, but most were not. Thank them for the inventiveness that was essential to overcoming the bureaucratic obstructions that are in the fabric of all governments.

When you have digested the magnitude of what has been accomplished so far then it is time to look to the future. Razorback's journey, while nearly finished with the transit phase, is far from complete. The long and laborious task of restoring Razorback to museum quality is next.

Don't get me wrong, though; Razorback is in excellent shape internally. The only thing missing in the entire ship is the radio room gear and the sonar gear. Everything else is there, and merely needs lots of cleaning, polishing, painting, or maybe some chipping. The engines could probably be started with little or no effort. The exterior needs lots of TLC, and conversion for museum access is next.

Razorback is no longer the speculative venture that we had two years ago, but instead is real, vibrant, and here! From Mother Ocean through big muddy to North Little Rock, Arkansas, Razorback is going home.

Saturday will see a marvelous reception in New Orleans; speeches, and remarks by two of the three Razorback crewmembers escorting her from Key West on the final leg of the journey. 

Wish us fair winds and following seas on this last leg.

Shane Foraker Commander, US Navy (Ret)
On Final Voyage of RAZORBACK