jap2_ss@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (The Mad Mathematician) (12/17/90)
From: jap2_ss@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (The Mad Mathematician) OK, here it is. This is a collection of the reponses I received to my earlier query about naval museums in North America. I would like to thank the following people for their replies: bobmcc@tcs.com (Bob McCormick) gunter@antlia.cc.uwa.oz.au (Gunter Ahrendt) amo@research.att.com (Andrew Odlyzko) Rick Anderson "r_anderson"@nova.enet.dec.com> abw@bucrsb.bu.edu (Al Wesolowsky) Gregg.T.Parmentier@iowasp.physics.uiowa.edu Daniel Christopher Ladd <dl3a+@andrew.cmu.edu> Robert E Beville <rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@relay.cs.net> Chris Thompson <christ@sci.ccny.cuny.edu> mike@nmr-z.mgh.harvard.edu (Mike Vevea) First, a listing of several books on the subject: Nautical Museum Directory, Quadrant Press, 5-th ed., 1978. (There may have been later editions, but this is the latest one I have.) N. J. Brouwer, International Register of Historic Ships, U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1985. H. E. Howe, North America's Maritime Museums, Facts on File, 1987. R. H. Smith, Maritime Museums of North America, U.S. Naval Institute Press, 1990. Now, in no particular order, are the replies. I have edited them to remove any repeat entries, choosing the more informative. There may be a repeat or two I missed, so I am sorry. Battleship Alabama Memorial Park Mobile USS Alabama Pearl Harbour Honolulu Hawaii NY BB-31 Utah NY Navy BB-39 Arizona & Sub's Submarine Museum Cleveland Ohio USS Nautilus Wilmington North Carolina USS North Carolina Wrather Corporation South California Queen Mary & the H.2 Hercules Plane Battleship Cove, Fall River MA (USS Massachusetts, USS Lionfish, USS J.P. Kennedy, PT boats, etc) USS Albacore Memorial, Portsmouth NH (USS Albacore - experimental submarine (great tour - not much else)) USS Nautilus Memorial, Groton CN (USS Nautilus and US Sub Base Museum - great tour!!!) USS Intrepid, NYC NY (USS Intrepid (aircraft carrier), USS Growler - submarine, Air & Space museum) There's something in Philadelphia (Naval shipyards???), but I don't have any specifics. (Poster's note: yes, there are naval shipyards. I also don't have specifics.) There's also a submarine museum in Baltimore, but I don't have any specifics. Battleship Texas. This BB is moored near Houston, TX, and may be toured. It is maintained by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. HMS Victory. Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar. Moored near (in?) London, maybe on the Thames near Greenwich or further down the Embankment. [mod.note: HMS Victory is at Portsmouth, along with HMS Warrior (1860's vintage armored frigate) and the remains of the Mary Rose, currently being restored. - Bill ] At the Chester Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, TX (the Admiral's home town) there is a Museum of the Pacific War. Some bits of ships, including the Fire Control area of a cruiser, are on display. There is also a small display about a famous Japanese warship from the Russo-Japanese War; seems Nimitz was dismayed when, after WWII, he saw the derelict condition of the old ship that the Japanese had not maintained well on display. He saw to it that the ship was permanently moored in concrete up to the waterline (simplified maintenance, I should think) and made into a more fitting museum. Isn't there a BB on display at Pascagoula, MS? The Mississippi, maybe? (Poster's note: yup, it's the Mississippi. All four battleships on display are in the states they were named for.) There is a maritime museum in Vancouver, BC, that is well worth a visit. There is a permanent dry (indoor) exhibit of an RCMP vessel that sailed the Northwest Passage on several occasions. There is a stuffed walrus on the fo'cs'tle! San Francisco, CA, has a maritime museum, and there is a separate (I'm pretty sure) organization that has a WWII submarine (the Wahoo?) on exhibit at Fisherman's Wharf. Another excellent Naval Museum is at the Navy Yard in Washington DC. It covers U.S. Navy history from Colonial times to the present, and has guns, torps, and armor from ships inside and outside the museum. It is run by the Navy, and has the USS Barry DD-953(?) permanently achored outside. It is a Forrest Sherman class Destroyer that was decommissioned about 10 years ago. There are tours etc. and the crew is excellent. At the same site is the USMC museum, with tons of Marine history and stuff. Also in DC, at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History (or whatever they call it these days- it changes a lot) they have the USS Philadelphia, the first U.S. warship, constructed in 1775 or 1776. It was actually operated by the Army, since the navy didn't exist yet. Next door to the visitors center for the USS Arizona Memorial is the US Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum... maintained by a volunteer preservation association. The USS BOWFIN, most ? decorated? most tonnage sunk? something is docked there for touring. The deck above the forward torpedo room is butchered to permit steps for tourists to enter... you carry a radio receiver stick with you to hear a low power transmission describing each compartment as you make your way thru. Everything is intact; torpedoes are defused & dis-ammoed. There are lots of static displays from first sub up thru SSBN SSNs. Lots of logs, memorabilia and souvernirs of WW2 action. Has all the battle flags of the sub fleet. Models and pieces of hardware like torpedo intercept computer, missile launch consoles. The 'courtyard' has torpedoes, a shelter containing the con tower, 2 periscopes for scanning the areas, one of the Japanese 2 man torpedo-subs, 2 ack-acks, and a Bomarc. Has a canteen and gift shop selling those Navy caps, jerseys, tee-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. souvernirs Wanna visit it? Take Honolulu Bus Line #20 for the USS Arizona AND the Sub Museum... there a bustop right opposite the entrance. The Boston National Historical Park has one section in what used to be the Charlestown Naval Shipyard; it has the Constitution (`Old Ironsides', the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world) and the Cassin Young, which is a more modern naval vessel, now decommissioned. (I live next door, and should know, but I can't ever remember her class, etc. If you are interested, I can run next door and get more details.) There is also a small musuem which focuses on the Constitution. In addition, there is a small Navy post which mans the Constitution; as I recall, they're the only unit authorized to wear period uniforms on official duty. National Maritime Museum at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 556-0560 The following ships are there and open for tours: (Prices and times vary.) USS Pampanito, SS 383 WW2 Fleet Submarine Pier 45, Fisherman's Wharf SS Jeremiah O'Brien America's last unaltered Liberty Ship in operating condition Fort Mason Center Balclutha Steel hull square-rigged merchant ship three other smaller ships Maritime Museum Maritime Store Good collection of nautical books, and other items -- The Mad Mathematician jap2_ss@uhura.cc.rochester.edu Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe and not make messes in the house. -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love"
jan.wolitzky@att.com (12/18/90)
From: jan.wolitzky@att.com
Also: The U.S.S. Ling submarine memorial in Hackensack, New Jersey.
They give tours of this WWII Fleet boat, have a small display of
naval weaponry, including an early cruise missile (Regulus?), and
sell the usual sorts of memorabilia.
Jan Wolitzky, AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ; 908 582-2998
att!mhuxd!wolit or jan.wolitzky@att.com
(Affiliation given for identification purposes only)
Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.welty@sol.crd.ge.com (richard welty) (12/20/90)
From: welty@sol.crd.ge.com (richard welty)
In article <1990Dec17.043212.23440@cbnews.att.com>, The Mad Mathematician writes:
*Submarine Museum Cleveland Ohio USS Nautilus
is this the WWII vessel? the nuclear sub is on display at
New London as is mentioned later on in this article:
*USS Nautilus Memorial, Groton CN
* (USS Nautilus and US Sub Base Museum - great tour!!!)
i concur; this trip is well worth it, although i found an error
or two in the museum displays. what my girlfriend and i did was
spend a day at Battleship Cove and a half day at the sub base;
these are about an hour's drive apart from each other.
..
*Also in DC, at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History (or whatever
*they call it these days- it changes a lot) they have the USS
*Philadelphia, the first U.S. warship, constructed in 1775 or 1776. It
*was actually operated by the Army, since the navy didn't exist yet.
the designation USS wouldn't apply to such a vessel; there were no
United States at the time. makes for a good trick question.
the first ships built for the not-yet-a-country were commissioned
by George Washington while he was investing Boston; there were
also a number built by the then-loyal Benedict Arnold in order
to contest Lake Champlain in the period immediately preceding
the Battle of Bennington and the Battle of Saratoga; the ships
built for Arnold included the first Enterprise in this country's
service.
richard
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