Lakewood Lore

Mine-sweeping tale of high seas surfaces with trunk

An old steamer in the attic of Penny Kyle's house on Kelley's Island had revealed a clue to her grandfather's role in early Lakewood's best kept secret.

Little is known about how Penny's grandfather, Charles E. Kyle, directed the building of World War I submarine chasers in 1917-18 at the mouth of the Rocky River. Being wartime project, it was meant to be cloaked in secrecy.

Through the years, Penny, now 55, had no knowledge of her grandfather's involvement in shipbuilding. From time to time, she had noted the name "Capt. C.W. Sass" on the old chest in her attic but it meant nothing to her.

Recently, however, she discovered that Sass was captain of one of four locally built warships. Furthermore, research uncovered that grandfather Kyle, once a prominent Lakewoodite, was president of the Rocky River Dry Dock Co., which made the sub chasers near the base of the Detroit Avenue bridge.

As soon as each of the four ships in this hush-hush suburban war effort was finished, it was dispatched to our French allies. The vessels were launched from the mouth of the Rocky River into Lake Erie and thence taken, via the Erie Canal and Hudson River, to our east coast for pickup by the French.

The ships were mustered into the "War to save Democracy" to sink the formidable, plundering German U-boats and to carry out hazardous Atlantic mine-sweeping operations. The sub chasers were 110 feet long and constructed of wood, so as to be less vulnerable to magnetic mines the Germans had planted off the coats of England and France

The speed of the sub chasers was not published, but an item in the former Lakewood Press in 1918 said they could "outrun anything in the way of U-boats that are on top or under water."

The newspaper also indicated they could turn in a tight circle going at full speed.

A number of parts used in their construction were made by the Mathew Boat Co. of Port Clifton, Ohio. Later, it was learned that additional sub chasers also were secretly built at other locations in the Great lakes area.

It was estimated that about 50, in all, were supplied to the French.

In 1918, when 44 young crewmen were ordered here from Great Lakes military training camps to take the ships to the ocean, the women of the Federal War Emergency Board of Lakewood held dinners and socials for them prior to their departures.

According to one report, the hospitality ladies of and area Congregational church opened its parlors for the entertainment of the sailors and constituted themselves a committee to make the visitors feel welcome.

Penny Kyle related that grandfather Charles, besides being head of Rocky River Dry Dock, also was a banking and insurance entrepreneur here who helped found Lakewood Memorial Park (cemetery) and was one of the early members of the Lakewood Yacht Club (now Cleveland Yachting Club).

An illness in 1936 rendered him totally disabled. He remained so until his death 15 years later at age 79.

"I was born in 1939 and never knew my grandfather when he was well," Penny said. "Though I spent many hours with my grandparents, grandpa Charles never was able to talk to me."

Penny, a native of Lakewood, has had a Kelley's Island Home (Morning Glory Farm, where she sells herbs and sundries) for 20 years, and has lived there year round for the past 12 years.

This article by Dan Chabek appeared in the Lakewood Sun Post June 23, 1994. Reprinted with permission.

See also:

City had top secret role in WWI's underwater doings - Lakewood Lore

Submarine Chasers Built at Rocky River - Local History Files

[Ed. note - Dan Treadwell submitted this correction via e-mail June 21, 1998:

"According to Navy Dept records, the Rocky River Dry Dock Company made eight subchasers, not four. The subchasers they made were numbered 142, 143, 403, 404, 405, 406, 437, and 438. The Matthews Boat Co. in Port Clinton made twenty subchasers; also for WWI. Similar subchasers were made for WWII by a number of shipyards, although there were no others made in Ohio for either WWI or WWII (there were several shipyards in Michigan and Wisconsin that made them for WWII, the most well known being Peterson Boat Works, which is still in operation). The biggest differences between the WWI subchasers and the WWII subchasers was that the WWI subchasers had gas engines, three screws (propellors) and were actually about 104’ long. The WWII subchasers had diesel engines, two screws, and were closer to 110’ long."

See Splinter Fleet: - Subchasers of World War I ]

More Lakewood Lore