Posted at 12:57 a.m., Monday, April 16, 2007
Lost crew of USS Lagarto to be honored
Associated Press
MANITOWOC, Wis. — The Wisconsin Maritime Museum is planning to honor next month the lost crew of the USS Lagarto submarine, which sank in the Pacific during World War II.Norma Bishop, the museum's executive director, said they have so far located families of 68 of the 86 crew members.
"We want the event to be a special tribute not only to the Lagarto heroes but to all the brave military members who've fought for our country," Bishop said.
The Manitowoc-built USS Lagarto disappeared around May 3, 1945 in an area near Thailand where U.S. ships worked to disrupt Japanese military supply routes. Eighty-six men died in the incident, which happened three months before President Truman ordered atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, setting the stage for Japan's surrender.
It was presumed that a Japanese minelayer sank the Lagarto — the 21st of 28 submarines built in Manitowoc, and one of four sunk during World War II combat.
The USS Lagarto had been missing until private divers found a 300-foot-long vessel in the Gulf of Thailand in May 2005. It was found upright in about 200 feet of water.
Navy divers completed the six-day operation in June 2006 to identify the USS Lagarto.
The remembrance, on May 4 and 5, will include a ceremony and appearance by Harvey Moshman and Chuck Coppola. They are the Emmy award-winning producers who are creating a documentary titled "Lost & Found: The Legacy of USS Lagarto," scheduled for release Memorial Day 2008.
