NATCHEZ&045;&045;In tow to North Little Rock, Ark. to take its place as the centerpiece in the Arkansas Maritime Museum, the USS Razorback, history’s longest-serving submarine, stopped briefly at the Natchez Port on Sunday.

At the port, a tugboat crew loosened its tow ropes to allow the Razorback to right herself from a slight list before continuing up the Mississippi River, according to North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays.

&uot;It was leaning a little bit more toward the tug than we remembered (after leaving Baton Rouge),&uot; Hays said.

Commissioned in 1944, the Razorback was credited with sinking or damaging several Japanese merchant vessels and warships during World War II, and the vessel was awarded four battle stars during the Vietnam War.

The Razorback was retired from the U. S. Navy in 1970 and given to the Turkish government.

Turkey decided to retire the submarine from its fleet in 2002, and sold the submarine to North Little Rock for $1.

Florida-based Smith Maritime Company this month guided the vessel some 7,000 miles on its journey home from Tuzla, Turkey, arriving at New Orleans on June 19.

Curious onlookers gathered along the Vidalia Riverwalk and on the bluffs at Natchez to watch as the Razorback was guided beneath the

Mississippi River Bridge and up the river at a speed of about five knots.

Woodville native and retired U.S. Navy submarine lieutenant commander Wayne McCarstle and his wife, Janett, watched from the Vidalia side.

McCarstle, a member of the North Little Rock chapter of the U.S. Submarine Veterans Inc., helped guide tour groups through the Razorback when it arrived in New Orleans.

&uot;I was a little apprehensive at first, but it all came back to me quickly,&uot; he said.

McCarstle served from 1961 to 1986 aboard nuclear-powered submarines, but was also trained to operate World War II-era submarines.

&uot;It’s kind of a small group of people who serve on submarines, all volunteers. It’s a brotherhood. You never leave it,&uot; McCarstle said.

Adams County resident and U. S. Navy veteran John Williams joined U. S. Army veteran Charles Hudnall of LaSalle Parish, La. to await the Razorback’s arrival.

&uot;I heard about it from a friend and thought I’d come see it,&uot; Hudnall said. &uot;I saw one at Pearl Harbor once, and I haven’t seen one since.&uot;

Hays said the Razorback is due to arrive at Vicksburg by 5 a.m. this morning and Rosedale by 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

&uot;She will stay at Rosedale before participating in the Montgomery Point Lock and Dam Ceremony on Friday at 11 a.m.&uot; Hays said.

Hays and other officials are concerned the shallow depth of the Arkansas River may delay the progress of the Razorback on the final leg of her journey to North Little Rock.