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Remembering the Spirit of Huntington
Model of World War II submarine chaser to be launched in July
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| | | Dan Charnews and Erich Preis working on the model of the World War II subchaser Spirit of Huntington. Photo by Alan Pearlman (click for larger version) | |
May 21, 2009 | 10:28 AM
Looking back over the history of World War II, April 24, 1943, stands out as a day of immense pride for the citizens of Huntington.
It was on that day of pomp and ceremony that the Spirit of Huntington — the first submarine chaser financed by Huntington citizens — was christened and launched into Huntington Harbor. The site was one which served our country admirably during the war: Walter E. Abrams Shipyard, now known as Knutson Marine, in Halesite.
Citizens of neighboring towns, eager to support the war effort, soon sponsored their own subchasers, and the Spirit of Northport, Lloyd Harbor, Cold Spring Harbor and Halesite (the third subchaser financed by Huntington) were built and launched at Abrams Shipyard.
In all, Abrams Shipyard — purchased in 1938 by Thomas Knutson, the descendant of a Norwegian shipping building family — was the birthplace of 20 subchasers according to T. K. Knutson, grandson of Thomas.
That invitations for the Spirit of Huntington's launching were at a premium should come as no surprise. Remarkably, the construction of USS SC-1333 was made possible through the sale of more than $500,000 worth of war bonds.
The citizens felt such an extraordinary attachment to the men that manned the subchasers that crews, including those of the Spirit of Huntington, were adopted by their sponsoring villages for the duration of the war and showered with gifts at Christmas time.
On his website, www.splinterfleet.org, Ted Treadwell, who served as commanding officer of one such vessel, indicated that while they were the smallest warships commissioned by the U.S. Navy during the two world wars, subchasers played an important role in the war effort.
Submarine chasers were constructed and dispatched "in great haste" as World War II began, Treadwell said, because of the dire threat that German military submarines or U-boats posed to American ships carrying munitions and supplies to our forces overseas.
"German U-boats were roaming the Atlantic at will, unopposed, sinking merchant ships with complete abandon with no regard for neutrality," Treadwell said, adding that these "sea wolves" eventually cost our country more lives than Pearl Harbor.
Designed for anti-submarine warfare and offshore patrols, subchasers, aptly dubbed the "splinter fleet," proved formidable foes.
"The reason subchasers were built of wood is because steel was on allocation at the time, and the need for subchasers was critical," Treadwell said in a personal communication. "They could be built quickly in boatyards by experts at building wooden boats."
And since the major shipyards were inundated with contracts, construction of subchasers was farmed out to small, family-owned shipyards such as Abrams.
In order to celebrate Huntington's rich maritime history, Erich Preis, Dan Charnews, Bobby Hollweg and Vincent Tufaro have spent the last year constructing a detailed replica of the Spirit of Huntington.
The realization of the 1/32-scale model in fiberglass, wood and zinc is taking place in the workshop of Harvey Zimmerman. The WW II veteran and master shipbuilder supervising the project will turn 90 in June.
Zimmerman, a 40-year East Northport resident, used his training at Bronx Vocational High School to build PT boats before the war, working in the same Bayonne, N.J., shipyard where the PT-109 was constructed. During WW II, Zimmerman was stationed in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific where he repaired boats badly battered in raids so that they could return to service.
Zimmerman's masterpiece, Pineapple, a stunningly detailed model of a motor yacht that Zimmerman began in 1939, is serving as a reference for the Spirit of Huntington.
"I never worked on a subchaser," Zimmerman said, indicating that building the Spirit of Huntington has proven to be as much of an adventure for him as for the other men.
Preis, Greenlawn resident and artist who has gained renown for helping veterans in need, said his family's extensive naval history and the loss of a dear friend, Michael Noeth, DM2 U.S. Navy, inspired him to embark on this project.
Noeth, Preis' roommate at the Fashion Institute of Technology, perished in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.
Preis said that he was honored to partake of Zimmerman's knowledge.
"I learned so much from Harv," Preis said. "The Pineapple taught me my lessons and what I needed to do."
Learning how to scale and see the model in proportion has proven to be a challenge, Preis indicated, adding that he has had to reenvision ordinary objects in order to come up with parts.
"You have to be creative," Preis said, explaining that he refashioned a piece of the spray cap from a WD-40 can to make the launcher for depth chargers, part of the subchaser's weaponry.
The men plan to launch their radio-controlled vessel, which Preis expects "will kick up quite a wake," in July. For date and location, contact Preis at erichpreis@yahoo.com.
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