WHEREAS, The USS Dace SS 247 was a diesel powered submarine that served during World War II and the USS Dace SSN 607 was commissioned during the Cold War era. Both submarines served this country with distinction and were awarded many medals, citations and certificates; and
WHEREAS, The keel of the USS Dace SS 247 was laid down by Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut on July 22, 1942. She was launched on April 25, 1943 and commissioned on July 23, 1943 by Lieutenant Commander Joseph F. Enright; and
WHEREAS, The USS Dace departed Connecticut for Pearl Harbor on September 7th, 1943 and arrived at its’ destination less than a month later. Seventeen days after her arrival in Pearl Harbor, the USS Dace sailed on her first war patrol, bound for
the southeast coast of Honshū; and
WHEREAS, The Dace served in seven war patrols during World War II and was preparing for an eighth when the war ended. Following World War II, the USS Dace was placed in commission in reserve, re-commissioned in 1951, underwent extensive modernization in 1954 and in 1955 was transferred to Italy under the Military Assistance Program. Dace was commissioned in the Marina Militare Italiana (Italian Navy) as the Leonardo da Vinci; and
WHEREAS, The Dace was originally to be lent to Italy for five years; all told the Dace sailed with the Italian Navy for 20 years, serving as the backbone of Italian submarine strength in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Dace was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on October 15, 1972 and returned to the United States Navy; and
WHEREAS, The keel of the USS Dace SSN 607 was laid on June 6, 1960. She was launched in 1962 and commissioned on April 4th, 1964. The service of the Dace and its crew was critical during the Cold War with the Soviet Union, although information about these operations is sparse due to the nature of their missions; and
WHEREAS, During the Cold War nuclear power and other technical advances allowed submarines, such as the Dace, to undertake important new assignments during the Cold War: nuclear deterrence, anti-submarine warfare and special operations; and
WHEREAS, During her twenty six years of service, the USS Dace SSN 607 served in the Mediterranean, the Arctic Circle, South America and the continental United States. The Dace was decommissioned on December 2, 1988; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor and recognize the crews of the USS Dace SS 247 and USS Dace SSN 607 for their service to our country which covers a span of almost 45 years.
RESOLVED FURTHER, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the crews of the USS Dace SS 247 and SSN 607, as further evidence of the sincere admiration and respect of this legislative body.
End