MYSTIC KOA 07/18 - 07/23
As you can see, I had to divide my Mystic experience into two separate blogs. This Hudson Islanders crowd doesn't sit still and fortunately for me, without a tow vehicle, I was able to join in and soak in the sites of the area. My thanks as always to them for the service. Temperatures over 100° notwithstanding, these folks hopped in their vehicles and took off. I passed on the 104° Saturday trip into Mystic Seaport. I spent the afternoon writing the first part of my blog. Even with the AC running, the temperature in my RV hovered around 85°.
Sunday. Possibly having learned their lesson from Saturday's heat, just John, son, Johnny and I visited two attractions special to this area. Links, as usual, are in red should you like to read more detail. The first was the Lighthouse Cruise out of New London and on the way home, we visited the Submarine Force Museum, home of the SSN Nautilus 571 in Groton, CT.
Lighthouse Cruise
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| We found some shade, sat and waited "till our ship came in." It was a very impressive sight. |
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| The 121 foot SEA JET is a catamaran that can reach up to 35 knots |
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It has two climate-controlled interior passenger cabins with panoramic views
in addition to a full outdoor sundeck. We chose the lower air conditioned cabin and sat on the starboard side by the snack bar, bathrooms and gift shop.
(Helpful hint: PORT has 4 letters just like LEFT) |
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The captain's ability to "turn on a dime" allowed this huge vessel to back into port with ease.
This feature allowed passengers to remain seated while the ship made
360° turns at each lighthouse for picture taking. |
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Once the gangplank was extended, we boarded right on schedule
for the two hour trip. |
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| The vessel holds 400 passengers. On this trip there were 262 passengers |
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Wish I paid closer attention at the beginning introductions to catch this narrator's name.
The public address was state-of-the-art. The volume was set just right for the description and history of each stop. With few breaks as we cruised from lighthouse to lighthouse, she spoke continuously the entire trip.
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After her talk she came around to show us a type of Fresnel lens that is used in most of the lighthouses on the tour. Originally developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel, these lens were first powered by whale oil but now are electrified and can shine a beam to the horizon as far as ninety miles.
The captions that accompany each photo below don't come close to the detailed descriptions provided by our narrator. She spoke about the families that inhabited each lighthouse and the mysteries and legends that surround them. Truly fascinating stuff.
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| All photos are my own; captions came from the tour's pamphlet guide. Our first view on our port side was Fort Trumbull. Built in 1777, this fort was attacked and captured by British forces under the command of the famed turncoat Benedict Arnold. |
New London Harbor Light. The oldest lighthouse in Connecticut, the original New London Harbor Light helped guide colonial privateers who sought shelter up the Thames River during the American Revolution.
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| On our way out of the harbor, the BLOCK ISLAND EXPRESS passed us. |
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| New London Ledge Lighthouse. A French Second Empire structure architecturally unique for a lighthouse, the Ledge Light is unusual for another reason - it's reportedly haunted by the ghost of an early keeper! To read more about "Ernie" Click on this link |
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| North Dumpling Light. During Prohibition, the keeper of North Dumpling Lighthouse was accused of signaling to liquor smugglers. Today, it's owned by the inventor of the Segway Human Transporter. |
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| Race Rock Light. Built on a ledge where fast current and conflicting seas are the norm, Race Rock's foundations alone took seven years to build. |
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| Little Gull Light. Taken by the British in the War of 1812 and destroyed by the hurricane of 1815, Little Gull Island Lighthouse has had a colorful past. The tower that stands today dates from 1858. |
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| The Ruins. A small island in Block Island Sound called Gardiners Point Island, popularly known as "The Ruins." Once Fort Tyler, it was abandoned in 1928 and used for target practice by both the air force and navy. Bombed and torpedoed it remains a danger to mariners not only because of the ruins beneath the water but is believed there may still be unexploded ordinance in the rubble after all these years. |
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| Plum Island Lighthouse. It's also known as Plum Gut Light, an 1869 historic granite lighthouse that was decommissioned in 1978 in favor of an automated light that now sits a short distance away. |
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| We did get to see the compound that included many buildings officially called the Plum Island Animal Disease Center. It is a federal facility, the nation’s most important lab for combating infectious animal diseases. |
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| Orient Point Lighthouse. Also known as the Coffee Pot Lighthouse, the cast-iron clad and brick lined Orient Point Lighthouse was marked for demolition by the Coast Guard in 1970, but was saved by public outcry. |
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| General Dynamic's Electric Boat Division. The first nuclear powered submarine was built here. Submarines continue to be built at this location. |
And so ends the first part of my day. Just before the entrance to the Submarine base and museum, we made a little detour and enjoyed lunch at Wings & Pies. I must say the sample slice they provided had the crispiest crust I've ever had. Alas, my left over pizza from yesterday drove me to the grilled chicken Caesar salad.
Submarine Force Museum and the SSN Nautilus 571
Located right on the Thames River just off Rte 12, the Submarine Force Museum is another of our nation's museum dedicated to our military establishment. Once again experiencing the sights and sounds of the era that pay tribute to our armed forces amazes me. I leave each experience saying how little we know about what went on "back in the day." For those who are new to my blogs, I've been blogging since 2014. So far, there have been two museums visited. Here are the links to both: The Palm Springs Air Museum in Phoenix, AZ and The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in SC. Hope you enjoy these visits.
The "SS" denotes submarine, the "N" nuclear. In my mind, I think "Silent Submersed" or "Subsurface Ship". The history of the Nautilus can be found HERE and the stats for this classic can be found at the end of this blog.
Some outside shots
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| Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (SDV): Submarines have operated with special operations teams since the days of WWII with Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), commonly known as "SEALs" (Sea-Air-Land) are used in a variety of clandestine operations. |
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| The SS X-1 was a non-commissioned experimental submarine designed to both defend and penetrate shallow waters and enemy harbors where large conventional submarines can not operate. |
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| A full size replica of Bushnell's Turtle. David Bushnell of Old Saybrook, Connecticut designed and built the Turtle to attack British warships during the Revolutionary War. The attacks Turtle made in 1776 were unsuccessful, but did demonstrate the submarine's potential. The Turtle was the first practical submarine and the first submarine to attack an enemy ship. |
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| I've enlarged this chart in the museum. The red dots depict enemy vessels sunk by our submarine fleet in the South Pacific. The three submarines were our only losses during each of campaigns shown. |
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| Leaving the museum and approaching the Nautilus. |
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| Yes, hard to believe these guys fit within the claustrophobic confines of the submarine. |
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| 30 stair steps into the NAUTILUS Torpedo Room |
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| Yup, same number of stairs going back up and out. |
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| Small berthing area with 10 bunks, toilets, shower, and sinks. Each of the bunks could be opened to reveal a stowage area for crew members personal belongings. |
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| The Torpedo Room has 6 torpedo tubes and could carry 24 weapons. Two Mk 14 Torpedoes are on display in the same fashion that they were stowed when the ship went to sea. |
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| "Officer Country" where 11 officers would eat, have meetings, and socialize. Also on display is an original book of Jules Vernes "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" who conceived of a marvelous submarine named NAUTILUS over 100 years ago. |
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| On the wall behind the wardroom table are instruments which gave the officers information on the ship's speed, course and depth. |
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| Located adjacent to the Wardroom area are small staterooms, each containing three bunks and separate desks. |
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| These staterooms were used by the ship's officers for sleeping and as their offices. |
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| One of the ship's two periscopes. The periscopes served as the "eyes" of the ship, allowing the crew to see objects on the surface when the ship was submerged at periscope depth. The Officer of the Deck stood his watch here. |
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| The Navigation Center. From here the Quartermaster of the Watch would chart the ship's position |
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The Control Room is located directly below the Attack Center, and contains all the instruments and controls for diving, surfacing and steering the ship. The Diving Officer of the Watch was in charge of this space and received orders for depth, course and speed from the Officer of the Deck in the Attack Center.
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| The Planesmen operated the stern and bow planes to control the ship's angle and depth. The Helmsman controlled the ship's rudder in order to change the ships course. |
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| Operating levers for the Main Ballast Tanks are located aft of the planesmen. Filling these tanks with water caused the ship to submerge, to a maximum depth of 700 feet. Filling these tanks with air caused the ship to rise. In addition, Trim Tanks, were used to make the ship neutrally buoyant by adding or removing water. |
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| The Crew's Mess where the enlisted men ate. Meals were served every six hours at watch turnover, so there were plenty of chances to eat. Because of the difficult conditions onboard submarines, submarines had the best food in the military. Here, one could smell the hot coffee 24 hours a day. There was also an ice cream machine and "Bug-Juice" Machine. "Bug Juice" is the Navy's version of "Kool-Aid". The Crew's Mess, being the largest area of the ship, was also used for training, meetings, and entertainment such as watching movies or playing cards. |
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| The "Galley". The Galley prepared food for the enlisted and officers. Next to the galley is the scullery where dishes were washed and other cleaning chores took place. |
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| From the deck looking back at the museum |
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Displacement:
3533 tons (surfaced), 4092 tons (submerged);
Length: 323.8'; beam: 27.8'; draft: 22';
Speed:
22 kt (surfaced), 25 kt (submerged);
Test
depth: 700'
Armament:
6-21" torpedo tubes
Complement:
13 officers - 92 enlisted men
Keel laid by the Electric Boat Division, General
Dynamics Corporation, Groton, CT: June 14, 1952
Launched: January 21, 1954; Sponsored by Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Commissioned: September 30, 1954 with CDR Eugene P. Wilkinson in command
Crossed the North Pole: August 3, 1958 with CDR William R. Anderson in command
Decommissioned: March 3, 1980
Number of Dives: 2,507
Total Nautical Miles Steamed: 513,550
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Monday. Visit to Stonington and Lunch at the Breakwater.
With only six of us left, we decided to visit Stonington, CT. a short 8 mile fifteen minute trip.
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| At Stonington Point |
After a quick look at Stonington Point, we traveled a short distance to the
Breakwater Restaurant. Check out the menu.
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| Outdoor seating faces Stonington Harbor |
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| L. to R. ACR, Tony, Walter, Fran, Doreen, Roberta |
I had the Fish Tacos: Fried Atlantic Cod, Cabbage Slaw, Cheddarjack Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Cilantro Lime Crema...then dessert
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| A really different and delicious bread pudding |
We caught a glimpse of this daring young man leaping, thankfully not diving, from the top of the harbor's light structure. He splashes a tad too close to rocks to suit me but I'm sure it wasn't his first rodeo. I tried uploading the video directly into the blogging program using their protocol. If you cannot make it work, try this link for the YouTube clip: https://youtu.be/SG1MijN_XsI
For the future drop me a comment and let me know which one worked best for you.
And so ends another adventure filled with great memories of people, places and, of course, food. We ended Monday's activities sitting around a non-existent campfire with pending storms hanging heavy on our minds knowing that tomorrow we leave for home. Roberta provided a special evening treat.
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| The Roberta Sunrise...or Sunset |
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| We received the same weather experienced back home just a few hours later. |
Hope you've enjoyed my trip. It lasted only five days but it was crammed and most enjoyable. My trip back home was uneventful. My next trip will be to Oak Haven Family Campground in Wales, MA. August 14th...but for only three days. (sniff, sniff) See you there. Stay safe and stay cool.
