< Back |
Forward >
The Seraph Monument is a memorial consisting of relics from H.M.S. Seraph,
including the periscope and a forward torpedo loading hatch. Both the U.S. and
British flags fly from the structure to symbolize that this English submarine
was placed under the command of an American Naval officer for a special mission
during World War II. It is the only shore installation in the U.S. permitted
to fly the Royal Navy Ensign. The British submarine served as the USS Seraph
on serveral missions: the valiant ship rescued French General Henri H. Giraud
from his German enemies; she was selected to smuggle General Mark Clark and
his spy team into Algeria on a successful covert mission to win French support
for the Allied invasion of North Africa; the submarine acted as a beacon vessel
for General George S. Patton's troops in the invasion of Sicily; and she took
Colonel William A. Darby's Rangers on several hazardous ventures. The HMS Seraph
played a major role in Operation Mincemeat, one of the most successful deception
operations ever mounted in warfare. The elaborate ruse convinced Hitler's High
Command that the Allied invasion would be a Sardinia when the real target was
Sicily. Operation Mincemeat is the subject of several books and a movie titled
The Man who Never Was. This monument is dedicated to Anglo-American
cooperation during WWII.
< Back |
Forward >