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Member
An idea came to my mind, oh god i know what your thinking, must be some smoke comming out my brain.
I always wanted to get together and go see one of the germen ww2 subs but they are a little too far away for me, but hey the pacific submarines thats a different story. I was wondering if anyone would be interetsted in planning a REAL life trip to visit a ww2 sub docked at Baltimore Inner Harbor. I live in Delaware and may be taking a trip with my family and possibly brothers and sisters.
I have sent an email out to the "crew" of the museum requesting full ship access. I dont know if we will be able to get into all the areas but i figured it cant hurt. Would really be something to actually do some real life research vs simply using a simulator. If this is something you would be interested in then please by all means PM or Email me. I'm not even sure if anyone in these forums lives around Baltimore but i figured it cant hurt to extend an invitation out.
If we got a big enough group together it may be possible to almost "rent" the submarine out for the day or atleast get a private tour. I currently trying to gather all the questions I would like to ask about the submarine as well and welcome any questions that anyone here in the forums could come up with.
I know it sounds like a crazy idea and maybe a little far fetched as well but i figured it cant hurt to atleast try. The WW2 veterans are slowly passing away and we have limited time to learn from there first hand experience before the "history books" rewrite the stories of those men that fought for this country. From what i have seen most of the vets from WW2 are eager to share their knowledge with others and im more then eager to listen and suck it up.
So here is to hoping that this idea can become a reality.
By the way my grandfather or as i like to call him Papap served in WW2 on a DE (Destroyer Escort) named the Straub DE-181, if anyone on the forums is or knows someone who served on this ship or ships like it. I would love to talk to them and I'm sure my Papap wouldn't mind recieving some mail or info. I know he goes to the DE conventions and gatherings.
If this idea actually takes off then maybe some other members of the sim community would share information on submarines or naval vessels tours around the USA or even around the World. Make for one heck of a vacation and trip.
Think it over and hope this can actully work.
William
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Member
Ya know what's really sad? 
I live in Florida... 5-6 years ago I was sent to SF on a business trip. Wandered down to the pier... "Oh look at that, there's an old submarine over there."
At the time, wasn't into subsims, hadn't even played SH3 at that point. Wish I'd toured the Pampanito when I had the chance. I don't see myself makin another trip out that way anytime soon.
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Member
Here is the submarine information and site for the one located in Baltimore Inner Harbor.
US TORSK SS-423
US TORSQUE HOME PAGE
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Member
i live in orange county california and there is a russian foxtrot berthed next to the queen mary in long beach. you can check it out at russiansublongbeach.com its pretty cool but the pix on the website suck. if i can get some free time some w/e, i'll take some cool pix and post em.
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Junior Member
Actually have been to the Baltimore site. I went to the Naval Academy. Battleship Cove in Massachusetts is cool too (bunch of ships and subs there).
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Senior Member
Active submarine museums....
get the book 'Final Patrol' by Don Keith....
ISBN0-451-21951-1 it lists all 17 museum WWII Subs in the U.S. and also the U505 in Chicago.
If I was nearby I would go with you William but Texas is a tad bit far.
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Member
What are the dates that you are looking at or have you even got that far? I dont know if I could do it or not but would like to try.
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Member
I would be interested. (Home Port in Virginia)
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Senior Member
I would love to go to a WWII sub, but thats way out of my budget, as far as leaving the state. We got one here in Muskeegon, Michigan here, The USS Silversides, I've been there once, and it was cool, but everything was basicly 'destroyed', like, it looked good, but there was no way it was ever gonna work again, for "public thafety" 
Man I wish I could do that, that would be cool. 
But my grandpa was a WWII navy engineer. In the Pacific. I talk to him a lot! 
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Member
give me some time to do some research, but, I know that at one point there were 4 Type VII and 2 type
XXI Uboats on display in the states.
I will be glad to update the information as soon as I can find it.
Now, as for the trip, considering I am in texas, and the state of texas will not issue me a drivers license (something to do with back injury, uncontrollable muscle spasms in legs due to said injury, and incapacitating spasms in lower back that has a nasty habit of leaving me unable to really do anything with legs and arms do to the fact there is some little guy running around my spine with a white hot steel needle hooked to an electric fence charger....) and the fact that I do not trust the guys driving those airplanes, who may or may not be going through some emotional crisis that may or may not lead him to believe crashing said plane into the ground is a good idea.(I mean come on, how do we know that his wife didnt dump him, take the kids, the sportscar and left him with nothing more than a tent to live in)
And the fact that my loving daughter who is more than willing to drive dad to all those historic places he wants to visit cannot seem to convince her boss to give her paid vacation...
So, for the forseeable future, traval is out.
(that and the fact that I have a court order to see a shrink every week due to a stupid thing I did when I was informed that sometime in the next five years walking may not be a part of my lifestyle.)
