Steel, Submarines, and a Dream Rising in West Chester

By Nancy Carrington | eGen News | West Chester, Ohio

Just off the bustle of the Voice of America soccer fields in Butler County, a different kind of noise rings out—steel beams clanking, welders sparking, and cranes groaning skyward. It’s not the sound of sports. It’s the sound of legacy being built.

And for Dick Young, a U.S. Navy veteran, that sound is personal.

“I used to sleep three hours a night on a sub. This takes me right back,” Young says, eyes gleaming as he watches the skeletal frame of a Cold War-era submarine replica take shape.

At 18, Young was a self-described underachiever. “I was a poor student in high school,” he admits with a shrug. But the Navy changed that. Four years aboard a nuclear-powered submarine—tracking Soviet vessels during some of the most tense days of the Cold War—turned him from uncertain teen to trusted radio operator with lives depending on his every signal.

“It gave me the confidence that I could do anything,” he says. And when he returned home, that confidence found a second act—this time as a 911 dispatcher.

A Monument to Machinery, and the Men Who Served It

The structure rising in West Chester is no ordinary memorial. It’s a full-scale replica of the USS Cincinnati (SSN-693)—a fast-attack Los Angeles-class submarine that patrolled the seas from 1978 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Its purpose is dual: a tribute to service, and a beacon for the next generation of American craftsmen.

On a recent tour, Young joined Joe Jaap, president of the Submarine Cincinnati Memorial Association, along with township leaders and eGen News, for a firsthand look.

“When people say thank you for your service, I feel guilty,” Young jokes. “Because I had the time of my life.”

But Jaap, a fellow Navy veteran, sees something deeper behind the smiles.

“The USS Cincinnati represents more than a machine. It was a strategic commitment to national defense,” Jaap explains. “And now, it’s a platform to inspire new defenders—of our country and of our industrial base.”

A National Crisis: Not Enough Skilled Workers to Build What We Need

The memorial project carries a $9.5 million price tag. The steel and concrete are funded—but the mission goes beyond that.

Walk inside the submarine replica, once complete, and it won’t just be a static exhibit. It’ll be an immersive educational center, showing how submarines are built and operated—from nuclear propulsion to sonar systems. And the hope? That curious young minds might emerge as tomorrow’s welders, machinists, pipefitters, and electricians.

“We’re falling behind,” Jaap says bluntly. “We can’t build the submarines America has on order—not because we lack the materials, but because we lack the skilled hands to weld, fit, and wire them.”

The stakes are clear: America’s submarine industrial base is eroding—not due to enemy action, but because of neglect in training and recruiting tradespeople.

The veterans behind this memorial hope to change that.

Opening 2026: A 360-Foot Tribute to Engineering and Patriotism

The replica sub measures over 30 feet in diameter and stretches the length of a football field. Visitors will be able to step inside the hull, explore its compartments, and learn not only what submariners did—but how these complex vessels are designed and built.

“It was always going to be impressive,” Jaap says, standing beside the rising frame. “But seeing it in person—it’s even more than I imagined.”

Young nods quietly. “This is a dream come true.”

How You Can Help

The submarine structure is underway, but funds are still needed to complete the interior exhibits and learning materials. If you’d like to support this effort to preserve history and build America’s future workforce, visit [insert link here].

The memorial is expected to open to the public in 2026—just in time to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

And maybe, just maybe, it will help launch a new generation of patriots—not only in uniform, but in hard hats and welding masks too.