Veteran volunteers to rebuild submarine

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Tom Bowser has made the USS Drum a big part of his life.

For the last 5 years, the submarine veteran has been volunteering daily at Battleship Memorial Park to restore the WWII-era sub.

"It was that smell that brought me to it," said Bowser. "It brought back all the memories."

Two days a week you can find him giving tours around the boat. The other 5 days, he works to restore it.

"When I learned the history of this thing, I knew I had to come here and preserve it." he said.

Bowser has been sandblasting, welding and metal bending for years to bring the historic boat back to life.

He said Navy officials thought he was crazy when he and the technician of the boat, Lesley Waters decided to rebuild the sub with no funding.

The submarine has dramatically improved since the project began, but Bowser said there is still much more work to be done.

"When they took it out of the water 10 years ago, the stern and the bow were completely rusted out," he said. "The sides were rusted. You can still see holes on the side." Bowser said.

Bowser has raised thousands of dollars and thousands more in supply donations.

He says all the hard work and dedication is helping to revive the sub and preserve it for generations.

"It's important for people to see history so that we know what people did to sacrifice for our country," said one family touring the submarine.

If you would like to donate time, supplies, or money for the restoration of the USS Drum, click here.