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Seawolf Park
Seawolf Park
Galveston, TX77550
Phone: (409)797-5114
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Seawolf Park features a 3-story pavilion, the USS CAVALLA (WWII Submarine) ; the USS STEWART (destroyer escort - one of only 3 in the world); a Fishing Pier ; and a Playground. The park was built on an immigration station site and offers a three-story pavilion with a view of Galveston harbor, picnic sites, a playground area and a lighted fishing pier. Seawolf Park is available for company picnics, school field trips, and private parties.
The Cavalla
The Cavalla is berthed in Seawolf Park, Galveston, Texas as a memorial to the lost submarine USS Seawolf. The Cavalla was a Gato class fleet sub, designed and built in the summer of 1943 by the Electric Boat Company and launched on November 14, 1943. She was commissioned on Feb. 29, 1944, the first "leap year" boat built by E.B. On June 19, 1944, on her maiden patrol, she sank the 30,000 ton aircraft carrier Shokaku (veteran of Pearl Harbor and Battle of Coral Sea). This earned her the Presidential Unit Citation.
After the war, the Cavalla was decommissioned in 1946. She was brought back to service in 1951 and assigned to the Submarine Squadron 10 in New London, Conn. To meet the Soviet threat, she underwent conversion in 1952 to a new class of American sub--the SSK (hunter/killer).
On January 21, 1971, the U.S. Navy transferred possession of Cavalla to the Texas Submarine Veterans of WWII. The Cavalla was then delivered to her permanent berth in Seawolf Park, Galveston, Texas.
Gulf coast locals usually refer to the Cavalla as the "Seawolf", mistaking the name of the memorial park for that of the submarine on exhibit there. Next to her is the USS Stewart DE-238.
Cavalla is currently enjoying a renaissance; volunteer efforts are at a ten year high, the local press has covered her history and renovation, and efforts are underway to bring her back to the proud state her crews maintained.
The USS Stewart
The Park Board of Trustees of the City of Galveston and the Cavalla Historical Foundation proudly announce that the USS Stewart (DE-238) has officially been sited in the National Register of Historic Places by the Texas Historic Commission.
One of only two surviving destroyer escorts in the United States, the USS Stewart is berthed at Seawolf Park alongside the historic submarine, USS Cavalla, on Pelican Island.
Built at Brown Shipbuilding Company in Houston, Texas in 1942, and commissioned May 31, 1943, the 307 foot destroyer escort USS Stewart, is the second ship named for Rear Admiral Charles Stewart, commander of the USS Constitution from 1813 to 1815. Stewart began her service as a school ship, training student officers prior to escorting President Roosevelt in the presidential yacht down the Potomac River to rendezvous with USS Iowa in the Chesapeake Bay for his mission to Casablanca and Tehran. She commenced North Atlantic convoy operations in 1944, making 30 crossings with occasional enemy submarine and aircraft encounters. Stewart was moved to the Pacific theater in 1945, to conduct training exercises out of Pearl Harbor until the end of the war.
Decommissioned in late 1945, she was formally donated to Seawolf Park in 1972, where participants of the Save Our Ship Program, a dedicated group of talented volunteers and veterans, have been restoring and maintaining her. The group meets the second week of each month to work on the ship, including acting as tour guides. Approximately 600 Navy veterans nationwide have a special interest in Stewart and are dedicated to keeping her valiant service memory alive.
Admission
Parking Fee:
Cars: $5
Buses: $10
School Buses: $5
Group Rates Available
Naval Display (Cavalla/Stewart):
Adults: $5
Kids (Under 11): $2
Fishing:
Adults (12 - 64): $5
Kids (5 - 11): $2
Kids (4 and under): Free
Seniors (65+): $2.50
HAVE A COMPLAINT REGARDING THIS PARK? Fill out our online complaint form here.
Hours of Operation
Open year-round dawn to dusk.
Note: Hours may be seasonal and subject to change.
Payments Accepted
Cash
American Express
Discover
Mastercard
Visa
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