This morning we drove down to Groton, CT to visit the USS Nautilus at the U. S. Navy Submarine Base. After parking the car we realized that we had forgotten to bring the camera!
There is no admission fee for the museum or to tour the USS Nautilus. We decided to tour the submarine museum first. We saw artifacts and photographs and learned about the history of the USS Nautilus in the Nautilus Room. The USS Nautilus was the world's first nuclear-powered submarine. It was launched in January 1954 and commissioned in September 1954. It was the first sub capable of almost unlimited underwater operation. The USS Nautilus crossed under the North Pole August 3, 1958; it was the first vessel ever to reach the world's northernmost point. The Nautilus was decommissioned in 1980.
Also in the museum are working periscopes, an authentic submarine control room, models showing the development of the US Submarine Force, displays showing pioneers of submarine development, World War II submarine operations displays and a Medal of Honor Gallery of submarine recipients.
Then we went out to the pier to tour the USS Nautilus. It is a self-guided tour. We each received an "audio wand" for the audio portion of the tour so we could learn about each of the areas on the tour. The tour took us through the torpedo room, a small berthing area, the wardroom, officers' staterooms, the Attack Center (the "Conn", navigation center, sonar), the Control Room, the Crews' Mess and ended at the Galley. Fortunately, the USS Nautilus website has a virtual tour of the museum and Nautilus so we can look at their photos since we have none of our own.
On our way back to Burlingame State Park we stopped at Vetrano's Restaurant in Westerly, RI for lunch. I had seen an ad for the restaurant the Westerly, RI travel guide. It was an excellent choice! We both had spaghetti (I know, not very original) and it was great. If you like Italian and are in the area, we highly recommend Vetrano's.
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