uss hawaii

the hubby and i had an amazing opportunity to tour the USS Hawaii (SSN 76), a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, that is actually commissioned and used for war!  the sub is currently docked for repairs and maintenance in Pearl Harbor and we were invited to tour it via our Navy League membership.

we were shuttled to the pier at Pearl Harbor and then briefed on the sub's capabilities by Commander Mack.

and then we had to CLIMB into the submarine through a pretty narrow opening. climbing in was definitely more difficult than climbing out...and required a bit of coordination.  i held on tight and climbed slowly and luckily, didn't slip or fall :)

inside the sub was fascinating!  this is the escape hatch that is used in case of emergencies.  you climb into this room that fills with water, pressurizes and you swim out...up to a depth of 600 ft! 

here's the control room with SECRET classified computers.  never fear, everything was de-classified prior to us entering and we were allowed to take as many photos as we wanted ;)  apparently, it's very difficult to land a job on the sub and the submariners study all day and all night.  and all the studying needs to be conducted on the sub because everything is classified info and nothing, including notes, can be taken outside of the sub.  that computer screen below shows the sub's location anywhere in the world and the depth of water surrounding it.

we toured the torpedo room, which was actually loaded with actual war torpedos ("war shots")!  each torpedo costs approximately $450,000 and is basically a mini-submarine with a computer.  they're computer programmed to reach it's target and are smart enough to figure out how to get around obstructions, etc.  or at least that's what i think i heard.  hehe.  the entire torpedo room is hydraulically controlled to move and maneuver the torpedos for loading.  very cool.

when the sub is deployed, it carries a crew of approximately 130 submariners.  the confines are tight and most of the men sleep in these tiny sleeping quarters approximately 6'-4" long and about 18" high.  talk about claustrophobic!  i feel sorry for the really tall guys...not sure how they manage to sleep in these little sardine cans.

as the sub becomes the home of the crew, there are provisions for laundry (one washer and dryer for the entire submarine) and of course, meals available 24/7 through the kitchen.  this is the sub's cook...he does ALL the prep and cooking for all 130 men by himself.  today's lunch was hamburger macaroni, deep fried shrimp, soup (?) and cake for dessert.  there was some pizza dough rising in the back, which is what the cook was preparing for dinner.  the "mess" area was pretty cute...almost felt like a little diner and was even equipped with a tv.

these pictures don't do justice for the awesomeness that we witnessed today!  much thanks to all the young men* who serve our country!  sooo glad we went on this little saturday morning field trip!  can't wait for the next cool thing we are invited to -- there's supposed to be an overnight field trip on a plane or ship that actually goes to a destination.  neato!

*there are currently no women on the subs but that all changes next year, when the navy accepts their first female officers!