"gatt" wrote in message ...
"Curtis CCR" wrote in message

On the west coast - you can tour the Blueback at the OMSI in Portland,
OR. If I recall correctly, the Blueback was the last of the Navy's
diesel-electrics.

It's the one that breaches in Hunt for Red October and the tour is really
nice.

I read that on a web site, but I don't recall them mentioning it on
the tour last fall when I was there. When you say the one that
"breaches" - the Blueback was playing the role of the Dallas? Been a
while since I have seen that movie, and over a decade since I read the
book - I probably have some of the story details mixed up.

The Blueback is not ADA compliant. I assume other sub tours are
similar. They have a compartment door mock-up outside the tour - if
you can't step through it, you can't take the tour.... Remind me of
the hole that your carry-on bag has to fit through at the airport.

"All visitors to the Blueback must fit through this hole... or they
have to be checked..." :P


There's a GATO class submarine next to the USS Alabama battleship (and a
B-52 and SR-71) in Mobile.

Oh heck, while we are listing decommisioned ship tours... The Red Oak
Victory is right down the street from my office in Richmond. And you
can take a short ride down the freeway from here to Alameda and tour
the USS Hornet.

One of my employees was assigned to the Hornet in the mid 60's. A
group from the office went on the tour one afternoon and he was able
to provide some cool insight that even the docent thought was fun...
including showing the rack he slept in about 40 years prior.

"Curtis CCR" wrote in message

It's the one that breaches in Hunt for Red October and the tour is
really
nice.

I read that on a web site, but I don't recall them mentioning it on
the tour last fall when I was there. When you say the one that
"breaches" - the Blueback was playing the role of the Dallas?

I believe so. Haven't seen the movie since it came out, but when the
Blueback first opened to the public that's what they were saying about it.
I remember a few years ago a local news channel showed it sailing up the
Columbia and said that a few lucky winners had won a cruise up the river on
the submarine, which caused all kinds of people to freak out. Turns out the
segment aired on April 1.

-c

"gatt" wrote in message ...
"Curtis CCR" wrote in message

It's the one that breaches in Hunt for Red October and the tour is
really
nice.

I read that on a web site, but I don't recall them mentioning it on
the tour last fall when I was there. When you say the one that
"breaches" - the Blueback was playing the role of the Dallas?

I believe so. Haven't seen the movie since it came out, but when the
Blueback first opened to the public that's what they were saying about it.
I remember a few years ago a local news channel showed it sailing up the
Columbia and said that a few lucky winners had won a cruise up the river on
the submarine, which caused all kinds of people to freak out. Turns out the
segment aired on April 1.

Got me curious...

From http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099810/trivia

"The USS Blueback features in the film. It is seen dramatically
breaching the surface. Also, shots inside the Russian Alpha were taken
in the Blueback's torpedo room."

I loved little sidebar item from the OMSI site...

What is a Blueback?

Blueback is the common name for the Sockeye Salmon, the most common of
the North American Pacific Salmon species. Therefore, it makes sense
that the U.S.S. Blueback is on exhibit on a river in the Pacific
Northwest!

When the Blueback was commissioned in 1959, submarines were named
after fish. Since the 1970s, most U.S. Navy submarines have been named
after cities and states. Why the change? Admiral Hyman G. Rickover
commented, "Fish don't vote!"