Subnuts
07-04-07, 11:07 PM
No fireworks in Connecticut today. Oh well.
My uncle Rudy retired from the Navy back in 2000 but can still come to the New London Submarine Base, perks and all. I wasn't aware of this when I saw him today, but a friend and neighbor of his is still in the Navy and invited him and I for dinner over at the base, along with one of my aunts and my Dad. What I didn't know is that we'd be eating at the Chief Petty Officer's lounge on the base! My Mom thought I was crazy when I told her where I ate!
For dinner we had fried flounder and potato slices. Nothing spectacular, but very tasty and filling. The lounge itself is maybe about 15 by 35 feet. There's a big screen TV in one corner, an arcade game in another, a bar with about 12 seats, and two of the walls are covered in submarine memorabilia and wooden emblems. I didn't notice anyone in uniform, then again it was their "day off."
After dinner, Rudy took us for a "guided tour" of the base (okay, the parts we were allowed to see!). We went past the submarine piers (I noticed three Los Angeles-class boats in port, along with a couple of accomodation barges and at least one ship in drydock), the golf courses, the old petty officer's lounge (which had a fire sometime in the past couple years), the naval hospital, the old admiral's house, and a couple other locations. We almost got lost a few times.
Unfortunately, I didn't bring a camera, because I didn't want to get caught photographing random locations at a military base while driving around in circles. But I can't say I didn't have an interesting afternoon.
My uncle Rudy retired from the Navy back in 2000 but can still come to the New London Submarine Base, perks and all. I wasn't aware of this when I saw him today, but a friend and neighbor of his is still in the Navy and invited him and I for dinner over at the base, along with one of my aunts and my Dad. What I didn't know is that we'd be eating at the Chief Petty Officer's lounge on the base! My Mom thought I was crazy when I told her where I ate!
For dinner we had fried flounder and potato slices. Nothing spectacular, but very tasty and filling. The lounge itself is maybe about 15 by 35 feet. There's a big screen TV in one corner, an arcade game in another, a bar with about 12 seats, and two of the walls are covered in submarine memorabilia and wooden emblems. I didn't notice anyone in uniform, then again it was their "day off."
After dinner, Rudy took us for a "guided tour" of the base (okay, the parts we were allowed to see!). We went past the submarine piers (I noticed three Los Angeles-class boats in port, along with a couple of accomodation barges and at least one ship in drydock), the golf courses, the old petty officer's lounge (which had a fire sometime in the past couple years), the naval hospital, the old admiral's house, and a couple other locations. We almost got lost a few times.
Unfortunately, I didn't bring a camera, because I didn't want to get caught photographing random locations at a military base while driving around in circles. But I can't say I didn't have an interesting afternoon.