NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Wisconsin Maritime Museum
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2009 Nov 12, 22:14 -0800
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2009 Nov 12, 22:14 -0800
Gary, you wrote: "When you were in Charleston you apparently missed visiting the most historic submarine of all, the CSS Hunley which was the first submarine to sink an enemy ship, the USS Housatonic in 1864. I saw it last year." Depends on how one defines 'most historic submarine of all' :-). Each of the groups with a museum sub would happily tell you that their own sub is 'the most'. For example, the folks in Baltimore can tell you that USS Torsk has the most dives of any submarines at over 11,000. Torsk was a training sub in the 1960s so it spent the better part of every day bobbing up and down south of Block Island. That's a rather weak claim to the title, of course, but I think I would count USS Nautilus as the most historic. Hunley has an excellent claim to the title, too, but right now I'm concentrating on full-size submarines, submarines that can be boarded. I'm really looking forward to seeing Hunley when the chemical processes are done, and it's ready for display. I understand that may take several more years. A good excuse for another drive down the Carolina coast! And you wrote: "The Silversides was forced to leave Navy Pier when the its supporting group couldn't raise the money to pay the dockage fees." You're right of course. I was thinking of USS Croaker. That sub was taken away from its "owners". The Navy threatened to take Silversides away rather than see it moved to Muskegon but they relented. The Navy can pull the plug on any museum's ownership if they're dissatisfied. It's a shame Silversides left Navy Pier. It would have been seen by thousands of visitors a day instead of just dozens. -FER --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ NavList message boards: www.fer3.com/arc Or post by email to: NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList+@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---