LEMONT –  A lecture on the World War II submarines made in Wisconsin and shipped down the Sanitary & Ship Canal through Lemont will be presented at 7 p.m. April 5 by the Lemont Area Historical Society at the VFW Hall.

A few Lemont people were lucky to see one or more, which was quite an unusual experience, the society news release stated. Jack Ahrens, a Lemont resident and historical society member, will discuss what he saw. A group of submariners, mostly U.S. Navy veterans who meet in Chicago, will be on hand to explain some of their experiences on submarines. They will bring materials and photos for the program.

In 1940, the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. was commissioned by the U.S. Navy to construct submarines. The company, which had never built a submarine before, completed the first sub 228 days ahead of schedule. A total of 28 submarines were constructed for $5 million less than the contract price. Each boat saw distinguished service in the Pacific.

For their journey from Lake Michigan, the submarines’ periscopes and radar masks were removed in order to clear bridges on the trip down the canal. Once the subs arrived in Lockport, they were loaded onto a floating dry dock for the remainder of the trip down the Illinois River and then into the Mississippi River to New Orleans.

Lemont’s connection doesn’t end there, the society noted. As World War II neared its conclusion, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover connected with scientists and engineers at Argonne National Laboratory to develop a compact nuclear reactor to power submarines.

The Lemont Submarine Program will be held at the Lemont VFW Hall, 15780 New Ave. In case of snow or ice, the event will be rescheduled April 19. For details, go to www.lemonthistorical.org.