{"nrhp_refnum":"72001566","name":"USS SILVERSIDES (SS 236) National Historic Landmark","other_names":["See Also:USS SILVERSIDES"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"S side of Navy Pier","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.890856607000046,"lon":-87.60816541599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-10-18","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1986-01-14","areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"USS Silversides (SS 236) is a World War II Gato-class submarine launched at Mare Island Navy Yard on August 28, 1941. When nominated she was docked at the Naval Armory at the foot of Lake Street in Chicago; she later moved to Muskegon, Michigan.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that Silversides was one of the most successful U.S. submarines of World War II, ranking third in ships sunk and fifth in tonnage, with 23 ships sunk and four Presidential Unit Citations. It also states that she is the most renowned surviving U.S. submarine of the war and that listing would help prevent her being scrapped.","narrative":"Silversides is a Gato-class submarine launched at Mare Island Navy Yard in August 1941. She displaced 1,525 tons on the surface, measured about 312 feet overall, and carried a crew of 80. During World War II she completed ten war patrols, sank 23 enemy ships totaling 90,080 tons, and earned four Presidential Unit Citations. One patrol produced the \"end around\" attack technique later used by other commanders, and another saw an underwater appendectomy performed aboard. After the war she became a naval reserve training vessel in 1962 and was based in Chicago. The nomination ranked her third among submarines by ships sunk and fifth by tonnage, and noted that the higher-ranking boats had been lost or scrapped. It also argued that she was the best surviving example of the American submarine force. In 1987 she was moved to Muskegon, Michigan, where a naval and maritime museum became her caretaker.","period_of_significance":"1941","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"At nomination in 1972 she was docked at the Chicago Naval Armory awaiting disposition, having been replaced as a reserve training ship in 1970. In August 1987 she moved to Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon, Michigan, as a temporary berth.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.746812-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/69/3387/25338769/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MI/72001566_NHL.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/25338769","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/uss-silversides-ss-236-national-historic-landmark-72001566/"}