A little after ten in the morning on Friday, October 24, 1986, Admiral Richard “Dick” O’Kane stepped to the microphone and addressed several hundred people gathered to dedicate a memorial to the loss of the USS Tang (SS-306) and the 51 other World War II submarines still on Eternal Patrol.

This memorial is located on the banks of the St. Johns River in Palatka, Florida. The memorial was erected by the members of the Basil Pearce Chapter of the Submarine Veterans of World War II.  This chapter was founded by the many WWII submarine veterans who came from this area of  North Florida. The name of the chapter was selected because Basil Pearce, a native of Palatka was an Ensign on board the Tang and one of the seventy-eight men lost on the Tang on October 24, 1944.  The memorial was also dedicated to Elton Brubaker another local submariner who was on the USS Flier (SS-250) when it was lost on August 13, 1944.

I remember the dedication well, my father Gerald “Gerry” Merwin, Sr., was President of the Basil Pearce chapter and one of the sub vets who worked tirelessly to make this memorial possible. Besides Adm. O’Kane and his wife Ernestine, a number of other special guests attended. Admiral Freddie “Fearless Freddie” Warder, a member of the Basil Pearce Chapter, and his wife Gladys were there. The commanding Officer of the Kings Bay Submarine Base Captain Ramsey was also able to attend. Over 200 Submarine Veterans of WWII were special guests.

The sky was clear for the Navy jets that flew overhead in the missing man formation. The Navy 1776 Revolutionary Drum and Fife Corps performed. The Roll Call of Boats on Eternal Patrol included flowers placed on the river by Charlotte Brubaker Johns, sister of Elton Brubaker and Nancy Pearce Johnson, sister of Basil Pearce.

Following the dedication a dinner was held for the special guests. Ernestine O'Kane, Adm. O'Kane wife, entertained us with the story of her engagement ring. She and Dick grew up next door to each other in Durham, N. H. and Dick give her the diamond-and-sapphire ring on Valentine's Day 1936. The ring was a miniature version of Dick's U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1934 ring. About a year after they were married they moved to Hawaii. The ring was lost while they were surfing at Oahu. Ernestine said Dick and her cousin, who was visiting them, spent hours diving in the surf but could not find it.

Two days before Valentine's Day 1985 Dick received a call at their home in California from Navy Pharmacist's Mate Wayne Schutts, who said, "Admiral O'Kane? I have found your ring." Schutts found the ring under a foot of sand of the Oahu beach with an underwater metal detector. The engraving "RHOK" and the unique design pointed him in the correct direction. Some lengthy detective work lead him to the O'Kanes. Dick and Ernestine paid his airfare so he could personally deliver the ring and they could thank him. The ring was beautiful and you could tell Ernestine was pleased to have it back after over 46 years.

My brother, Jerry Merwin, and I have created a web site (www.tangmemorial.com) showing the location and information about this memorial. In the coming months additional photographs and information about the memorial, the dedication and the people involved will be added. We hope you enjoy the site and let us know your thoughts and suggestions.