Subnuts
06-22-10, 08:07 PM
Although August told me earlier today that I fret too much, and I've told myself that everything is pretty much set in stone, and that I should just CALM DOWN for a few days, I've still got one nagging issue I need to sort out.
The USS Albacore.
The boat is one of massive historical importance - the fastest diesel boat ever built, the first with a body-of-revolution hull, and a prototype testbed for new technologies such as towed arrays and revolutionary control systems - essentially the X-15 of submarines. Every American submarine since the Skipjack-class has used a modified version of the Albacore hull form, and so have many foreign-built submarines. Best of all, the entire submarine can be explored bow to stern without Plexiglass panels and prison-bar barriers blocking the way, and you can sit down in the crew's mess or play submarine at the pilot's station if you want to.
The problem is that neither August or I have figured out how to include a stop in Portsmouth, NH without turning the rest of the day into a hectic rush. I've been flip-flopping on it for the past few days but I jest keep wrackin' my brains here, folks. Our plates are pretty full already, and that after-dinner mint might just kill us all. So basically, I'm trying to gauge interest in a side-trip to the Albacore. The Salem and Albacore look like decent "targets of opportunity," but with or without them, we're still going to be exploring the entire naval history of the United States in four days.
So what does everyone want to do?
The USS Albacore.
The boat is one of massive historical importance - the fastest diesel boat ever built, the first with a body-of-revolution hull, and a prototype testbed for new technologies such as towed arrays and revolutionary control systems - essentially the X-15 of submarines. Every American submarine since the Skipjack-class has used a modified version of the Albacore hull form, and so have many foreign-built submarines. Best of all, the entire submarine can be explored bow to stern without Plexiglass panels and prison-bar barriers blocking the way, and you can sit down in the crew's mess or play submarine at the pilot's station if you want to.
The problem is that neither August or I have figured out how to include a stop in Portsmouth, NH without turning the rest of the day into a hectic rush. I've been flip-flopping on it for the past few days but I jest keep wrackin' my brains here, folks. Our plates are pretty full already, and that after-dinner mint might just kill us all. So basically, I'm trying to gauge interest in a side-trip to the Albacore. The Salem and Albacore look like decent "targets of opportunity," but with or without them, we're still going to be exploring the entire naval history of the United States in four days.
So what does everyone want to do?