Places to see subs?

[XanderF]

So far, toured the USS Cod in Cleveland, OH (born and raised, so I've been on that boat a few times), as well as USS Blueback in Portland, OR (where I am now).

FWIW, Blueback was a VASTLY more interesting tour.

What are the other boats in the worth checking out? Preference for US-West coast at the moment, as that is the easiest to travel to. I'd really like to see one of the earlier subs - a US S-boat or Type II U-Boat, if any still exist. Wife wants to visit Germany, too (families hail from there), so any over there worth seeing would also be a welcome recommendation.

[geetrue]

Your going to get a lot of invitations to tour boats in Germany that's for sure, but they have a U-boat in Chicago too (I think). They have a WWII fleet boat in San Francisco and a half dozen more all over the country, but why don't you give a new submarine a try?

Your in Oregon, right? Contact the submarine base in Bangor, Washington for a tour of a boomer. It would have to be on there schedule unless you are a VIP, but they do have open house tours.

Subscribe to the San Diego Union newspaper (online) and read the schedule of open house boats on the week-ends, especially Navy week.

I would much rather see a modern submarine than an old cold steel grey boat that no one loves ... Yes submarines have soul, it's called the crews that love them ...

In fact I haven't seen one in 36 years come next month ... lol

That was the USS Sam Houston SSBN 609 ... I always wanted to show my son and grandson how I use to live ... Someday ...

Anyway good luck on your sub hunt ...

[XanderF]

Portland has "fleet week" every year around the time of the Rose Festival (June), and I've always toured all the destroyers and such that come in.

HOWEVER, since 9/11, they pretty much won't let you anywhere interesting. They walk you around the outside on the deck, you walk through the navigation bridge, and...that's it. Aside from the few hallways you see going to and from the bridge from the outside of the ship, that's all the more of the ship you get to see. It goes without saying you can't take pictures of anything anywhere, but I was surprised to see that effected the area AROUND the ships, too. Even as of the 2006 "fleet week", they have an area about 200 feet around the ships gated off, with soldiers carrying M-4s patrolling and chasing off people who look like they are taking pictures (or even have their camera out of their bag, as I did from taking pictures during the Rose Festival Parade).

The Canadians were a little more friendly on their tour, but they commented that if you REALLY wanted to see a Canadian ship, to tour them at a Canadian port. Apparently, they couldn't run anywhere near their typical full tours when visiting in "fleet week" due to US security restrictions imposed on their ships, too.

So...I'm skeptical a US nuke tour would be very comprehensive at the moment.

Originally Posted by XanderF

So far, toured the USS Cod in Cleveland, OH (born and raised, so I've been on that boat a few times), as well as USS Blueback in Portland, OR (where I am now).

FWIW, Blueback was a VASTLY more interesting tour.

What are the other boats in the worth checking out? Preference for US-West coast at the moment, as that is the easiest to travel to. I'd really like to see one of the earlier subs - a US S-boat or Type II U-Boat, if any still exist. Wife wants to visit Germany, too (families hail from there), so any over there worth seeing would also be a welcome recommendation.

Theres the USS Cobia(Gato) up here in Manitowoc Wisconsin. http://www.wisconsinmaritime.org/

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by XanderF

What are the other boats in the worth checking out? Preference for US-West coast at the moment, as that is the easiest to travel to. I'd really like to see one of the earlier subs - a US S-boat or Type II U-Boat, if any still exist. Wife wants to visit Germany, too (families hail from there), so any over there worth seeing would also be a welcome recommendation.

I don't believe any S-boats survived to this day.

A Type IIA prototype called Vesikko can be found in Finland, the only one surviving of this class.

In Germany, you can find a Type VII (U-995) in Kiel and a Type XXI (U-2540, aka. Wilhelm Bauer) at Bremerhaven.

There are a LOT more American WWII subs surviving than any others I know. I've got it planned to go check out a few of them, especially those now on the Great Lakes, sometime soon

I've only been on one WWII boat so far, the Soviet D-2, and it's in excellent condition. Also happens to be, as I suspect, the oldest surviving veteran sub that actually sunk enemy ships (built in the late 1920s, served in WWII)