U.S.S. Pampanito-Anyone seen it?

[captainFlunky]

I'm a long time lurker at these forums and now feel compelled to register after touring the USS Pampanito at San Francisco. I'm out on a business trip and skived off work this afternoon to visit this museum sub due to my SH addiction and all I can say is Wow! What an experience! Seeing and being on board a WWII fleet sub is something that any sub enthusiast would relish. I'd like to know how many of you have had the opportunity to see a boat first hand and what your impressions were.

I was struck by how large it seemed from the exterior and how tiny even a relatively large fleet boat seemed inside. I was in the U.S. army for 5 years as an infantryman with combat experience in Panama in '89 and the First Gulf War in a M2 Bradley as a dismount and I thought THAT was camped but it doesn't even come close to the claustraphobia of being on board a sub. I gained a whole new respect for the men who spent weeks on these boats, the level of motivation must have been amazing.

And after playing SH4 for an unseemly amount of time, when I entered the control room I said to myself "Huh...these is really familiar...where's my crew?"

If anyone can recommend any other museum boats that are out there, I'd love to here what you thought of them.

Cheers,

Captain Flunky

[Gino]

If anyone can recommend any other museum boats that are out there, I'd love to here what you thought of them.



Come and see USS Cod in Cleveland. Starting from May we're open.

Visit us in the mean time on www.usscod.org (http://www.usscod.org)

groetjes,

[richoahu]

the Bowfin here in Hawaii is amazing as well. it is kept in top shape. it is a Balao class sub.

here is a link about it:

http://www.bowfin.org/website/bowfin/bowfin_frameset.htm

[LZ_Baker]

Sometime this summer I'm grabing my grandfather's digital camera and going to Battleship Cove. I drive over the bridge ever day.

http://www.battleshipcove.org/

[Chock]

Currently closed but hopefully open for tours again at some point in the future, Type IX German U-Boat, U534, is the only sub I've ever been inside, but I have to say it was a unique experience in more ways than one, given that U534 was sunk and subsequently raised from the sea bed many years later.

This is not something that can generally happen, but since it was not classified as a war grave, it was okay to be salvaged. U534 is actually in remarkably good shape inside, with many personal items and original spares still in place. And yes, it is very cramped inside.

If you're interested in U-Boats, this site is well worth a look:

http://www.bignotion.co.uk/~kemble/uboat534.html

[JRT]

http://www.w5blt.com/Pampanito/Pampanito2007.htm
Online they tracked her 'Re-Fit'.



Jeff

[mookiemookie]

Helped load torpedoes into the Cavalla with Onkel Neal back in February. She's in a bit rougher shape than the Pampanito, and she was refitted after WW2 in the 1950s into a hunter/killer but it was absolutely awesome.

http://public.fotki.com/mookiemookie/uss-cavalla-torpedo-load/

www.cavalla.org

[Aimbot]

If you're ever in Charleston, South Carolina, you might want to visit Patriot's Point (http://www.patriotspoint.org/exhibits/fleet/laffey.html). They've got a Baleo, the Clamagore, but it's kind of dwarfed by the Sumner class destroyer and the Yorktown, of course an Essex, which are less than 75 feet away. Oh, and a Cutter, later used as a Coast Gard vessel, and 23 aircraft, including a Corsair, Dauntless, Wildcat and an Avenger. My museum beats your museums. :up:

[LZ_Baker]

Battleship Cove has the only original PT boats, so there ;)

[jhelix70]

I saw the papinito earlier this year, it was a great experience. I am moving to near cleveland this summer so I'll have to pay the Cod a visit!!

[Bilge_Rat]

I visited the Bowfin when I was in Pearl a few years back. I was surprised by how tight everything was, hard to believe 80 men could live in there for 60 days.

If I ever get to Chicago, I would love to visit the U-505.