USS Drum

USS Drum - A WWII Gato Class Submarine with an impressive war record.
While in Mobile, Alabama to see my wife off on her adventure to Canada, I had a lot of time on my hands while the women met and planned their ride. I went over to the Battleship Alabama museum since it was the only thing in the area close by. When I got there I found that they also had a WWII submarine on display, the Drum (SS-228). My father sailed in a sister ship to this one, the USS Tunny during the war, participating in several war patrols in the Pacific and the Sea of Japan.

I've seen several battleships (Massachussetts, North Carolina, and Texas) but never a restored Gato class sub so I passed on the BB and headed straight for the Drum. The interior of the boat has been lovingly preserved and it gives a vivid picture of the conditions that my father and his fellow submariners served under during the war.

While wandering around, I ran into Tom Bowser, a retired Machinist Mate with service in several Nuclear Submarines. He has taken on the task of almost single handedly restoring the Drum. Evidently the battleship upkeep and maintenance eats up all of the funds for the museum and the Drum was left slowly rusting away with no one to look after her. Tom is a member of the Mobile submariner's association and his military specialty gives him the training to take on the task of keeping the Drum from rusting away.

After talking with Tom for some time, he took me on a tour of the areas that the visitors never see, showing me the work he has in progress and the areas that he plans to work on next. He has a lot to do since the damage that several recent hurricanes have done to the boat have let in enough water to cause severe rust problems on most of the hull. The aft torpedo doors are almost completely gone as are several plates in the bow. The fuel tanks are pitted and holed in many places. Still, Tom has done a wonderful job of fixing what he can, buying much of the steel and paint himself from his social security checks.

Anyone who cares for saving this important relic of the silent service could contact Tom at his email address, tmb105@juno.com.

Forward torpedo room - USS Drum

Tom Bowser in front of his labor of love, restoration of the USS Drum.