S-49 as a civilian exhibit

Notes

S-49, along with her four near sisters, was never well liked by the Navy. A slow diver with the underwater maneuverability of a laden barge, and below average reliability all lead the Navy to decommission the boat in August 1930 and finally strike her from the Navy List in March of 1931. She was sold for scrapping to the Boston Iron & Metal Co. out of Baltimore, but at that point fate stepped in and provided her with a new story. The company apparently "demilitarized" the S-49, but before they started on the final scrapping process they sold the hulk to a gentleman by the name of Francis J. Chrestensen. The date was approximately 1935. Chrestensen was something of a huckster and carnival side-show man with a penchant for pursuing the "next big thing". He saw the S-49 as a potentially lucrative money-making venture so he somehow raised $25,000 to purchase her and refit her as a traveling exhibit. The boat had been rendered incapable of diving by the Boston Iron company, and it removed the batteries and likely rendered the engines inoperative as well.

At first Chrestensen had her towed to each location, but he got tired of being derided for it so he had a small diesel engine installed so that she could move her under her own power. She was displayed at a variety of locations throughout the Great Lakes and the New England coast. Chrestensen, his wife, and a small crew actually lived onboard the boat.

As the story goes, Chrestensen did reasonably well with the boat. Unfortunately, at one point he and his wife entered into a bitter divorce, and after a drawn-out court battle Chrestensen lost control and ownership of the S-49. The Navy reacquired the hulk in 1941 "as equipment" for use as a sonar and weapons target at the Naval Mine Warfare Proving Ground, Solomons, Maryland. In the course of this work she sank on December 16, 1942 in 102 feet (31 m) of water just off Point Patience, MD. in the Patuxent River. She remains there to this day.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

The decommissioned submarine S-49 seen moored to the docks at a "The Texas Company" facility, most likely in Miami, Florida. Capt. F. J. Chrestensen, who purchased the submarine from Boston Iron and Metal Co. in Baltimore, Md. had his residence in Jacksonville, Fla. It would be a logical location to exhibit the submarine. She does not have the "C", seen here, painted on her bow in all the known photos of her so this may be an earlier image then the ones to follow. The Texas Company was to become TEXACO. The first oil company to have locations in all of the US states.

Seen just above the buildings in the center of the photo is a blimp. We can not tell if it is a civilian or Navy airship from this photo.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

This photo was taken on May 30, 1937, the second day of the Great Lakes Exposition in Cleveland, OH.

A Goodyear blimp is flying overhead advertising Goodyear Tires for peoples cars. The photographer had to crouch down to get the angle for the shot. There is actually an anchor in the mount but can't be seen being as the whole area, including the anchor, are painted black. Other photos will show the anchor.

Note that the American flags seen just over the top of the shear line are at half mast. This was Memorial Day. At Noon flags are once again raised to full mast hight. So, the photo was taken before noon that day. Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

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Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

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Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

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