USS Cincinnati sub memorial closer to reality in West Chester Twp.

An undersea Cold War warrior is closer to docking at its final harbor after a groundbreaking ceremony here Wednesday in the shadow of the historic Voice of America broadcasting museum in West Chester Twp.

Major sections of the giant U.S.S. Cincinnati attack submarine that once prowled the globe’s oceans during and after America’s Cold War with the former Soviet Union will soon start taking shape as a massive memorial to the acclaimed vessel and its history of fighting for freedom.

A crowd of more than 200 – including some local, state and Congressional leaders - joined in the ceremony at the Voice of America Metro Park in Butler County’s West Chester Twp. as speakers touted the fitting and final resting place for U.S. Navy submarine, which was launched in 1977 and de-commissioned in 1996.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Next to the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting is where the submarine belongs, said U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, who was among the speakers and described the memorial as an attraction for both southwest Ohio and beyond.

“The Cold War was a defining period of American history and having one place where you can see a submarine that was very iconic … and the Voice of America Museum is a phenomenal treasure for Butler County,” said Davidson.

The ceremony included a $50,000 donation for the memorial project from officials of the West Chester-based Northern Cincinnati Foundation.

Tentatively scheduled to open in 2025, the memorial will be a walk-through structure – featuring splash pads, historical markers and more – that will be few hundred yards from the National Voice of America Museum off of Tylersville Road.

Bolstered by an active preservation group – including the Cincinnati chapter of the Navy League of the U.S, whose members include many of the more than 1,000 Navy crew members who sailed with her – the U.S.S. Cincinnati has been searching for a memorial home for years.

About a decade ago, the more than 100 tons of sub’s conning tower, its forward planes attached to the conning tower, the upper rudder, and the sub’s emergency diesel engine-generator – known as the “Big Red Machine” appeared to be headed to a memorial park at Cincinnati’s Ohio River front location but negotiations stalled.

Earlier this year, it was announced by a consortium of groups – including a national organization of Navy vets, civilians, and defense companies who provide support to the Navy, Marine Corp, and Coast Guard – that the memorial would instead come to the Butler County community.

Kevin McDaniels served nearly five years on the USS Cincinnati and drove up from Louisville, Kentucky to see the ceremony.