Another beautiful day.
First stop was the Mystic Aquarium which has both indoor and outdoor exhibits.
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| Entrance |
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| Beluga Whales |
This is the beluga whale exhibit. They were fascinating to watch because of their unusual color. In their natural habitat, the while color provides a way for them to be camouflaged in the snow and ice so they can avoid being seen by polar bears.
The Pacific Northwest exhibit has harbor seals and sea lions on display. They were very fast in the water.
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| African Penguins |
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| Stuffed Penguin |
We watched a 4D movie about the jurasic world just so we could wear these glasses.
Naval Submarine Base New London stretches along the east side of the Thames River, straddling the communities of Groton and Ledyard. While Groton is often referred to as the “Submarine Capital of the World,” the Base proudly bears the title - “Home of the Submarine Force.” Almost every submariner in today’s Navy will be stationed here for training. A tour of duty in one of the fast-attack submarines home ported here or with a pre-commissioning crew for a new submarine under construction at General Dynamics Electric Boat Shipyard in Groton may follow.
Occupying more than 680 acres, with more than 160 major facilities and 15 nuclear submarines, Naval Submarine Base New London supports fleet readiness by providing quality service and facilities to our Fleet, Fighters, and Families. The Base mission is twofold: to homeport and put Submarines to sea; and to support the Submarine Center of Excellence that trains Sailors to take Submarines to sea.
Naval Submarine Base New London is the Navy's first Submarine Base and the "Home of the Submarine Force."
The Submarine Force Library and Museum is operated by the U.S. Navy and is the prime repository of memorabilia from the silent service. You can take a virtual tour by clicking on the website link above.
Along the Front Walk are some mini submarines. The gray building in the background of the picture above is the museum. In the foreground is the SS XI which was an experimental prototype designed to penetrate enemy harbors. It was abandoned after nuclear propulsion was developed.
Pictured to the left is a Japanese Type A mini sub. During World War II, the Japanese "Type A" two-man mini-sub was carried "piggy back" by a mother ship, usually another submarine, to its area of operation. Type A submarines were used during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and throughout the war, but were generally unsuccessful.
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| Battlestations, Up Scope! |
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| Map of submarine action in WWII |
Japanese flags represent the 21 ships sunk by the USS Flasher during WWII. The ship has one of the most successful records of any submarine which earned her a presidential unit citation and six battle stars.
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| Display showing the inside of a submarine. |
We headed outside to tour the U.S.S. Nautilus.
You will notice the NAUTILUS has a white "E", a red "E" and a white "A" painted on the sail. These letters represent awards that the ship had received for being the best in its class.
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| Presidential Unit Citation |
The blue, gold and red flag flying from the sail is a Presidential Unit Citation pennant. This significant award was presented to the NAUTILUS by President Dwight D. Eisenhower after the ship completed its historic journey under the north pole. The NAUTILUS was the first ship to have received this award for peace time operations.
We board the submarine and head down 30 stairs to get to the first level inside. You get an audio wand which plays descriptions of each area. Ida's is set for Chinese so she has to go back up the 30 stairs to get a new one.
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| Torpedo Room |
The Torpedo Room has 6 torpedo tubes and could carry 24 weapons. Two Mk 14 Torpedoes are on display in the same fashion that they were stowed when the ship went to sea.
Directly aft in the torpedo room is a small berthing area with 10 bunks, toilets, shower, and sinks. Each of the bunks could be opened to reveal a stowage area for crew members personal belongings.
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| Officer's Wardroom |
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Ida gets a merit badge
for climbing through this submarine |
The Attack Center contains all the equipment necessary to operate the submarine as a warship. On the left side of the corridor, visitors will notice a black panel with a red diagram of the ship. This was called a "Line-of-Sight Diagram" which was used to help calculate the range and direction of a target for aiming a torpedo. To the right of the Line-of-Sight Diagram, is the "Firing Panel". This was used to select which torpedo tube was fired. On the lower right is the "Firing Key", used to launch the torpedo.
Across from the Firing Panel is the "Conn."; Located here are the ship's two periscopes. The periscopes served as the "eyes" of the ship, allowing the crew to see objects on the surface when the ship was submerged at periscope depth. The Officer of the Deck stood his watch here.
We then descend another level using a set of stairs. The Nautilus had the first set of stairs to get from one level to another. Previously they only used ladders.
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| First set of stairs on a sub |
Below the Fire Control room is the Control room. This is where the controls are for diving, surfacing and steering are.
Meals were served every six hours at watch turnover, so there were plenty of chances to eat. Because of the difficult conditions onboard submarines, submarines had the best food in the military.
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| Crew Mess |
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| Which one is the bigger kid |
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| The USS George Washington |
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| Nautilus Propellors |
From there we headed onto I95 for the trek home. We made good time, but driving through Connecticut and New York on I95 is never fun.
We hope you enjoyed the blog. Signing off until the next adventure.
You will notice the NAUTILUS has a white "E", a red "E" and a white "A" painted on the sail. These letters represent awards that the ship had received for being the best in its class.
