I was honored by being asked to paint this one as cover art for a new book being written by an ex-crew member. So ... with a great deal of assistance from author and Growler vet, Bob Harmuth - I'm pretty confident that this one is really accurate! To my shame, Bob's notes also brought to my realization that I had done quite a few things "wrong" on several of my earlier paintings - but that's another story ... !

Probably inspired by American examination of Japan's WWII aircraft carrying boats, Growler carried two large hangars in her (incredibly ugly ... !) bow to accommodate the "Regulus" missiles that formed her main offensive armament. In the painting, a Regulus can be seen on its launching ramp, just forward of the sail.

It seems to me that it is due to the association with missiles that many people (and more than one reference book!) assume that these boats were early nuclear subs - but they were not. They were orthodox diesel/electric boats, and truly little more than updated developments of the typical US fleet sub of WWII. The more you look at her, the more this becomes evident.

Growler was not scrapped at the end of her useful life, however, but is now preserved, and on display in New York City.  And rightly so.