Submarine Force Museum Home of Historic Ship Nautilus
Teachers Guide Page 5
Second Floor
The two dominant features of the second floor are a fifty-foot cutaway model of the World War II submarine GATO and a display of fifty-seven large photographs, in black and white and color, of submariners from 1900 to the present. The exhibit floor also includes the NAUTILUS Room which offers a splendid view of the Submarine Force Museum and the Thames River. An elevator by the first floor bathroom serves the second floor.
GATO submarine model: The GATO was primary the type of submarine used by the U.S. during the Second World War. The model shows the exterior and the entire interior spaces.
The People Wall: In this colorful display, students will see up close the faces of men who have served on submarines. The pictures include a variety of both special and everyday occasions such as a woman launching a submarine, a submarine’s basketball team, sailors with their pet dog, and cooking and eating on board a submarine.
Exhibit cases
Inventors: This exhibit focuses on Simon Lake and John Holland, and their contributions as pioneers of submarine development.
Submarine Life During World War II: This exhibit concerns the details of everyday life on submarines during World War II. It also features a monitor that shows continuous short videos about the wartime exploits of U.S. submarines.
Nuclear Submarines: This exhibit displays items related to modern nuclear submarines. It also features a monitor that shows continuous short videos about submarine under-ice-operations.
NAUTILUS Room: The NAUTILUS Room contains artifacts, photographs and drawings that interpret the record setting, illustrious career of the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine. A new edition to the Nautilus Room is a replica of Harry S. Truman’s initials (H.S.T) engraved into a piece of metal, as they appear on the keel of the NAUTILUS.
New Exhibits - Main Corridor
To the left of the main entrance past the Gift Shop:
Los Angeles Class Model: This cutaway model represents the Los Angeles class submarine, the first being the USS LOS ANGELES (SSN 688). It is a standard attack submarine for the U.S. Navy and entered service in 1976.
Strategic Deterrence: During the “Cold War” (1946-1991), the U.S. relied upon submarines to help maintain a nuclear deterrence to war against the Soviet Union. Both sides maintained large quantities of nuclear weapons to prevent either side from using the weapons. This strategy was known as MAD: Mutual Assured Destruction in which neither side could win a nuclear war. Submarines played an important role in this strategy in that they could hid in the depths of the ocean, and thereby maintaining ability to strike back if attacked.
Technology Strikes: The submarine can be used for a variety of missions from cruise missile launches, insertion of commando teams, intelligence gathering and surveillance of enemy coast lines. The military action against Iraq in 1991 was the first time submarines launched cruise missiles in combat.
Missile Tube Section and Locking Ring: This is an actual piece of the missile tube, which held the Polaris and Poseidon missiles. The hatch is to access the missile for maintenance and systems inspections. A total of sixteen of these missile tubes were in the middle of the submarine. The locking ring in the floor secured the outer hatch, which enclosed the missile; it is 72 inches in diameter. These pieces are from the JAMES K. POLK (SSBN 645).
Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC): Science continues to play a large role in the development of submarines. “Sonar” (Sound Navigation and Ranging) is how a submarine “sees” or navigates underwater. It can also be used to fire torpedoes against other submarines and ships by determining their location and range. At the center of the understanding of sound and how it travels through the water is the Naval Undersea Warfare Center at Newport, RI.