WEST CHESTER, Ohio — It has taken almost 20 years, about 100 tons of submarine parts and a lot of persistence — but a long-awaited Cold War memorial near Cincinnati is finally ready for visitors.
The USS Cincinnati Cold War Memorial Peace Pavilion will open to the public this Saturday, May 16, at 1 p.m. at Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester, giving families across Greater Cincinnati a chance to walk through a real piece of Navy history.
The memorial has been nearly two decades in the making, beginning with an ambitious effort to preserve the legacy of the USS Cincinnati after the submarine was decommissioned. Organizers initially hoped to secure the entire vessel, but because it was a nuclear-powered submarine, that was not possible. Instead, the project eventually secured about 100 tons of the submarine, including its sail — sometimes called the conning tower — its upper rudder and its emergency diesel generator.
That generator was nicknamed the “Big Red Machine,” a nod to the Cincinnati Reds’ famous 1970s lineup.
The finished memorial is designed to resemble a full-scale submarine in dry dock, stretching about 360 feet and allowing visitors to walk through and around the structure. It is intended to honor the submarine, its crew and Greater Cincinnati’s wider role during the Cold War.
The USS Cincinnati was a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine, commissioned in 1978 and decommissioned in 1996 after 18 years of service. Around 120 former sailors who served aboard the submarine are expected to attend events connected to the dedication. Private ceremonies are also planned, including a flag-raising and a symbolic re-wetting of the submarine using water collected from the Atlantic Ocean.
The public event Saturday will include food trucks, music and activities, with the site expected to remain open until 8 p.m. Tour guides will be available on May 16 and 17 to speak with visitors about the submarine’s history and what life was like for sailors serving hundreds of feet below the surface. Guides are also expected to return over Memorial Day weekend, from May 23 to 25, between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day.
The memorial sits near the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, giving visitors another connection to wartime and Cold War history. Five Navy vessels have carried the USS Cincinnati name over the years, from Civil War-era ships to the Cold War submarine now being remembered in West Chester.
