KSBY News San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Paso Robles - Local man hopes to put submarine in Atascadero Lake

Posted: Mar 18, 2010 11:57 PM
Updated: Mar 19, 2010 7:50 AM

Submarine rides on Lake Atascadero? Believe it or not, it could happen in the future.

A local man wants to put a replica of a World War II sub in the water there. He pitched the idea to the Parks and Recreation Commission Thursday night, hoping the idea would float with city leaders.

During the tail end of combat in World War II the S-44 United States submarine was sunk by the Japanese off the coast of Alaska. Ten years to the day after that happened, a Los Osos man was born. "I was fascinated by submarines," Lloyd Reeves said.

Eight years ago, Reeves built a replica of the S-44. It's about a quarter of the size of the real thing and it doesn't go underwater, but it has all the same features when you view it from above water. Inside is a mini-museum of sorts.

"When you go down below, there's actual photos, reprints from World War II. When the original S-44 was sunk, they sent telegrams home to all the families letting them know their sons were lost and I have one of the original telegrams," Reeves said.

Reeves wanted to put the sub in Lake Atascadero after he built it in 2002, but some people were uncomfortable with the idea because of the boat's size and its military theme. "If they still don't want it, that's fine. I'll just leave it in storage for another year. If they're interested in having it, I'd enjoy putting it there," Reeves said.

Atascadero resident Malcolm Stafford says, "I think it would be wonderful. This lake has a lot of people that walk around it and it would be good for the kids."

On Thursday evening, the Parks and Recreation Commission voted 4-2 to move the idea forward. It will then go before the City Council, who will vote on it in May.

The main sticking point in this debate is that the city code will have to be changed for the sub to be allowed on the lake. Currently, boats are not allowed to have motors greater than one horsepower. The sub has more than seven times that.

Neutral + − !

ATownvoice of reason at Jul 16th 2010 3:45 AM

If it's quarter size and doesn't submerge then it's hardly a replica is it? Is the inside like a sub? Periscope? Torpedo tubes? Can you see underwater? Good for the kids- how? Good for disappointing kids that's for sure. Perhaps it would have been wiser to get permission to put it on the lake BEFORE building it.

God help us if the veterans wrap this backyard boat dressed as history in the flag and use it as another idol to salute. Tacky crap doesn't become patriotic or holy just because you put a flag or a cross on it. These guys paradoxically regard a different point of view (common in a free society) as some sort of treasonous act against America and a personal insult to them.

We have a veteran's memorial sculpture judged somewhat unfavorably by the art community. While the veteran's agreed their memorial lacked artistic merit, they angrily answered critics that "art belongs in a museum" and this was "for the veterans" (who apparently deserve less than art). The oddest part was that the "artist" continued the endeavor after his supporters acknowledged the piece as substandard. A real artist would have walked away in disgust.

I get sick of this implication that not supporting a dumb idea is some sort of personal attack. A pointless waste of time and money is one thing, but to obligate everyone to support it, to pretend that it a good idea, or invent lame justifications is an insult to all of us. It doesn't matter how polite we are, the Emperor has no clothes!

It's the Atascadero way- build a hotel THEN look for tourists. Put in a crosswalk in hopes of a future need. Put benches where there are no people, build buildings with no tenants. Kill businesses and downtown with pointless medians. Advertise a park, but fence it off. Allow sidewalk dining only at a restaurant that is no longer open. Screen movies that are yard-sale-VHS rejects as some sort of "treat" (wow thanks!) and most of all, clamp down on popular events and squeeze all the fun out of them in the name of, name of... what?

Look around and try to find the outspoken critics. Where are they? Afraid of retaliation? Are there abuses of power going on? Is the press being controlled?

The city crest should be a cart with a lame horse behind it, facing opposite directions.

Funny how it's a question of horsepower in the City Code stopping it. How about size? Draft? Drought? Safety? Purpose? Aesthetics?
Would a full-size replica of a clipper ship(<1 HP) be allowed? Anywhere else it would be stopped by common sense and good taste, but this is Atascadero...