T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY
A Submarine Veterans Highway sign located approximately one block west of the Iowa Veterans Home Summit Street entrance in Marshalltown.

Richard Kennelley of Marshalltown is a submarine veteran who served from 1961 to 1983.

“I went from diesels to nuclear-powered vessels ” he said.

Kennelley said he has been proud to have attended a number of reunions and re-establish bonds with former mates.

Long retired, Kennelley, and other Iowa submarine veterans are proud to have established a submarine veterans memorial on the Iowa State Capitol grounds in Des Moines.

He and other submariners are anxious the highway sign and memorial motivated school children and others to learn of the sacrifices made, especially by the crew of the S-36 submarine.

According to S-36 memorial website, “the S-36 Submarine was one of the 52 submarines lost in World War II. The S-36 was lost on Jan. 20, 1942 in the Makassar Strait in Indonesia.

The monument is made of black, engraved granite and stands about 4 feet tall.

The text is as follows:

“In memory of all submarines and crews on eternal patrol”

“Honoring all U.S. Navy submarine sailors”

“S-36 Submarine Memorial”

“1 of 52 Submarines lost during WWII lost on her 2nd patrol, January 20, 1942 in Makassar Strait, Indonesia”

The United States Submarine Veterans, Iowa Base, Placoderm Base, proposed construction of a monument on the Capitol Complex as part of a nationwide effort to establish memorials for each of the 52 submarines lost during World War II. The submarine assigned to the Iowa committee for this effort is the S-36. The commissions

endorsed the concept of such a monument, on the monument grounds south of the Capitol

Date of dedication Jan. 1, 2008.

The monument is located on the south grounds of the State Capitol Building. The building is open 9 a.m. to 4:30pm Monday-Friday and 10:00a.m.-2:30p.m Saturdays. The Capitol grounds are open dawn to dusk.”

The group has been successful in getting a submarine veterans memorial highway established, beginning approximately one-half block west of the Iowa Veterans Home to Des Moines.