Experience history aboard the USS Cavalla, the World War II submarine that sank one of the Japanese aircraft carriers responsible for bombing Pearl Harbor.
The USS Cavalla is berthed in Seawolf Park, Galveston, Texas as a memorial to the lost submarine USS Seawolf. Cavalla was a Gato class fleet sub, designed and built in the summer of 1943 by the Electric Boat Company and launched on November 14, 1943. Read on to learn more history about this historic submarine.
History of the USS Cavalla
The Galveston Naval Museum is home to the USS Cavalla (SS-244), one of the most accomplished World War II submarines open to the public today. The “Lucky Lady,” as she was known to her crew, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This moniker comes from the fact that Cavalla was commissioned on February 29, 1944, leap year day.
Predator and Protector
One thing you may not know about the Galveston Naval Museum is that it is the only place in the world where you can see an attack submarine and a destroyer escort side by side. Predator and Protector. A submarine is designed to silently stalk and destroy surface vessels, and a destroyer escort is engineered to hunt and destroy submarines.
Avenger of Pearl Harbor
The USS Cavalla is the only submarine in the US fleet to have successfully destroyed one of the aircraft carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor. This is why she is nicknamed the “Avenger of Pearl Harbor.”
