USS Nautilus

We spent today doing some sightseeing around New London, CT.  First place was the Historic Ship Nautilus and the Submarine Force Museum.  The Nautilus was the first nuclear powered submarine and began its maiden voyage on January 17, 1955. 

The Nautilus departed Pearl Harbor on July 23, 1958 to begin “Operation Sunshine” the first crossing of the North Pole by a ship. 
On August 3, 1958 the Nautilus had accomplished the impossible – reaching geographic North Pole.

When we started the self guided tour, we were handed a phone like recorder.   At various spots during the tour, we would press a number and listen as we toured that area.

This museum is very well done and its all free!!


We also visited the National Submarine Memorial.  This is a memorial to all the submarines and crews that went down during World War II. 

I’ve mentioned before that my uncle was a submariner.  He served during WWII and lost many good friends.  He was very instrumental in getting this memorial built, so it was important to me to see what he was so very proud of. 

At each flag, is the name of the submarine and the date it went down. 
Then around the side is a black wall, similar to the Viet Nam Memorial, with all the names of those lost during WWII on a submarine. 





It was a good day.