WWII submarine and destroyer escort at Seawolf Park, where investigators have recorded shadow figures in the torpedo room and phantom dog barking tied to a wartime dingo mascot
100 Seawolf Pkwy, Galveston, TX 77554
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
General admission required to board vessels. Ghost tours (seasonal, Spooky Galveston) priced separately.
Access
Limited Access
WWII-era vessel interiors with narrow hatches, ladders, and confined spaces; not wheelchair accessible below deck
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1944 · USS Cavalla (SS-244) — sank carrier Shokaku, Battle of the Philippine Sea, 1944 · USS Stewart (DE-238) — only surviving Edsall-class destroyer escort in the US · Both vessels on the National Register of Historic Places
The USS Cavalla was commissioned February 29, 1944, as a Gato-class fleet submarine. On June 19, 1944 — during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the largest carrier battle of the war — Cavalla's crew fired six bow torpedoes at the Imperial Japanese Navy carrier Shokaku, hitting her three times. The Shokaku, already taking on aviation fuel for a second strike wave, caught fire and sank within hours. Cavalla also participated in rescue operations during the battle and received a Presidential Unit Citation for her wartime service. The boat returned from her fifth war patrol in September 1945 and was decommissioned in 1946. After years in reserve, she was transferred to Texas and berthed at Seawolf Park.
The USS Stewart (DE-238) was commissioned May 31, 1943, as an Edsall-class destroyer escort. She served convoy escort duty in the Atlantic and Pacific before being decommissioned in 1947. The Stewart is the only Edsall-class destroyer escort preserved in the United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places alongside the Cavalla.
Seawolf Park on Pelican Island, just north of Galveston proper, has served as the permanent berth for both vessels since the 1970s. The Galveston Naval Museum operates both ships as self-guided educational exhibits open daily. The museum also offers group sleepover programs aboard the Stewart and Hard Hat Tours of restricted spaces, and during the fall season it partners with Spooky Galveston for paranormal programming aboard the vessels.
Sources
The Cavalla's most-cited paranormal account comes from a Texas Ghostly Gatherings investigation led by Annette Luevano. The team recorded EMF meter activity and static electricity readings throughout the vessel and focused their investigation on the galley area. Luevano reported seeing a shadow figure at the galley table that appeared to be seated, and thermal imaging captured what looked like a person crouching in the walkway passageway. A shadow appeared to rise from a bunk and move away from the camera. Luevano characterized the evidence as inconclusive: 'I haven't been able to detect the pattern of a true response.'
The most distinctive report is audio that investigators described as dog barking recorded aboard the vessel. After the fact, investigators researching the Cavalla's wartime history found accounts of the crew picking up a dingo in Fremantle Harbour, Western Australia, and keeping the animal aboard for part of the Pacific patrol. The audio matches this detail closely enough that it became the anchor story of the Spooky Galveston ghost tour aboard the ships.
The former site superintendent reported a recurring experience of sensing the presence of other people on the vessel when closing up alone at night. No injuries or threatening encounters have been reported.
General admission provides self-guided access to the USS Cavalla (SS-244), a Gato-class submarine that sank the Japanese carrier Shokaku in June 1944, and the USS Stewart (DE-238), the only Edsall-class destroyer escort preserved in the United States. Hard Hat Tours are available for restricted spaces.
Spooky Galveston partners with the museum for a seasonal ghost tour running Saturdays August through November. Led by a paranormal researcher, the tour covers shadow figures in the torpedo room, phantom footsteps in the passageways, and the dingo mascot story. The 2025 season ran August 30 through November 1.
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