{"id":5166,"date":"2024-05-21T15:47:11","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T15:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/?p=5166"},"modified":"2025-01-19T22:46:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-19T22:46:43","slug":"submerged-at-submarine-force-muse-in-connecticut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/submerged-at-submarine-force-muse-in-connecticut\/","title":{"rendered":"Submerged at Submarine Force Museum in Connecticut"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Submarine Force Museum in Groton CT is home to all things submarine, including working periscopes and the USS Nautilus. The Nautilus<\/a> is submerged in water outside the museum and is open for tours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Story of the Submarine Force Museum’s USS Nautilus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"USS<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1951,\nCongress authorized the construction of the Nautilus submarine. \u201cUnderway on\nnuclear power\u201d are the famous words that were broadcasted by Commander Eugene\nP. Wilkinson when the first nuclear powered submarine made its maiden journey\nin 1955. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to its\nnuclear power, the Nautilus was able to stay under water for longer than its\ndiesel-powered counterparts and break all speed and distance records that\nexisted for submarines during the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the\nmost well-known missions for the Nautilus was \u201cOperation Sunshine\u201d which was\nthe seemingly impossible task of crossing the North Pole. With 116 men aboard,\nthe Nautilus reached the North Pole on August 3, 1958.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the\nyears, the Nautilus received some renovations and overhauls and traveled over\n500,000 miles. After 25 years of faithful service, the Nautilus was\ndecommissioned on May 3, 1980 and was soon named a National Historical\nLandmark. On April 11, 1986, the Submarine Force Museum opened the exhibit of\nthe Nautilus that is still there today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Exhibits at the Submarine Force Museum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The\nSubmarine Force Museum features submarine exhibits for all ages. Many of the displays\noffer a hands on approach for a more in-depth learning experience. Before you\neven enter the museum, you will see mini submarine models with windows to peer\ninside them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"mini<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Upon entering\nthe Submarine Force museum, you will find a complex diagram of the Nautilus\nwith buttons on the bottom that align with areas of the ship. Pushing the\nbuttons illuminates the corresponding room and provides a description. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another\ninteractive exhibit is a mock bridge of a submarine complete with all the\nbuttons and levers that were necessary to control the ship. It is amazing to\nsee how difficult it would have been to learn and understand all the controls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the next room of the Submarine Force Museum, you will find working periscopes that look out the top of the building. We enjoyed trying to find our car in the parking lot through the periscopes. They also offer a birds-eye view of the Nautilus which sits in the water just outside the museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the largest room, are torpedoes that used to reside inside actual working submarines as well as some of the earlier submarines and plaques describing their histories and stories. On the second floor of this room is an elaborate diagram of a diesel-powered submarine. The diagram shows just how cramped the living quarters are and gives a glimpse of what is was like to be stationed on a submarine for months at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the claustrophobic, and grueling conditions, submariners were truly a tougher, and different breed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Submarine<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Going Inside the Nautilus at the Submarine Force Museum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just\noutside big glass doors at the end of the hallway, you will find the Nautilus\nproudly sitting in the water. The Nautilus is the crown jewel of the collection\nat the Submarine Force Museum, and it\u2019s easy to see why. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The large underwater ship sits partially submerged connected to the dock for all to see and go inside. Once you enter the Nautilus, an employee will hand you a recorder device that works as a self-guided tour inside the ship. The Submarine Force Museum has done a great job of creating an informative, and immersive self-tour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nrecordings on the device correspond to numbers inside the submarine, providing stories,\ndescriptions, and sound effects for areas inside the ship, such as the torpedo\nbay, mess hall, bridge, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the\nsub, you will see how small and cramped the living and working situations were\nfor those who were stationed on board. The tiny bunks were shared by men who\nworked alternating schedules, and the mess hall was barely big enough for ten\npeople to eat at once. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mess<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The higher\nranking officers had larger bunks, or even very small private rooms. The toilets\nand showers are a claustrophobic\u2019s nightmare! The biggest surprise to me inside\nthe Nautilus at the Submarine Force Museum was how fragmented the working\nsituation was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crew\nmembers did not all work together in the same room, they worked in separate\nrooms shoehorned where they could fit. The communications were all done through\nthe ship\u2019s intercom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visiting the Submarine Force Museum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Submarine Force Museum operates on two schedules: summer and winter. The winter hours are 9 am- 4 pm and last from November 1 through April 30. The Summer schedule lasts the remainder of the year and hours are 9 am to 5 pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Submarine Force Museum is closed all Tuesdays, and the Nautilus Submarine at the Submarine Force Museum is open 9am- 4pm on days the museum is open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"peering<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Admission\nand parking to the museum is free for all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No\nreservations are required, although if you have a group of 25 or more, they\nrecommend you give them a call two weeks or more prior to your visit so they\ncan plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nNautilus is not wheelchair accessible, and children must be carried or walk\nthrough as a stroller will not fit. The Nautilus is very cramped and small\ninside; it is not for claustrophobic people. Passing other visitors may be\nnecessary and will be close quarters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are\nfast food dining options a few miles down the road. Picnic tables outside the\nSubmarine Force Museum are open for use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Submarine Force does have a gift shop where you can purchase submarine themed items as well as nautical themed gifts.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Other Trips You May Enjoy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Supercharged Indoor Go Kart Racing<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Pin<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Bringing a Historic City Back to Life in Lowell, MA<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Exciting Things to Do in New England <\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Submarine Force Museum in Groton CT is home to all things submarine, including working periscopes and the USS Nautilus. The Nautilus is submerged in water outside the museum and is open for tours. The Story of the Submarine Force Museum’s USS Nautilus In 1951, Congress authorized the construction of the Nautilus submarine. \u201cUnderway on … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1140],"tags":[141,145,146],"ppma_author":[2365],"class_list":["post-5166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england","category-new-england-getaway-trips","tag-new-england-day-trips","tag-new-england-history","tag-new-england-museums","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"authors":[{"term_id":2365,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"khesketh","display_name":"Kathleen Hesketh","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/23494c9101089ad44ae88ce9d2f56aac.jpg?ver=1776270165","url2x":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/23494c9101089ad44ae88ce9d2f56aac.jpg?ver=17762701652x"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":"","9":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5166"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24642,"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5166\/revisions\/24642"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5166"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondstogo.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}