Topic: WWII Submarine Tour

[Hinomaru]

360 view inside tour of a WWII Submarine, USS Pampanito (SS-383) and this is nicely done.

Just hold down the left mouse button, then move it very slowly - left or right or up and down for the full 360 view.

http://www.nonplused.org/panos/uss_pampanito/html/01.html

Home page and other tours:

http://www.nonplused.org/panos/uss_pampanito/index.html

[azuredesign]

Fascinating, thanks!

[mick750F]

   Very cool! Thanks Al. 

Mike

[seaweb11]

Bike shops
http://www.nonplused.org/panos/lrx/html/07.html
http://www.nonplused.org/panos/lrx/html/18.html

[azuredesign]

These panoramic photos are really cool to look at. I assume these were taken with some sort of digital jig that keeps the alignment of the images taken at regular intervals, I'd love to have one, but I think it's probably pretty expensive gear. Thanks!

[Uncle Ernie]

San Francisco has a model yacht club, and one guy built a real working submarine.  All you could see was the dumb antennae making a wake through the surface of the little lake.  What a maroon.

[Inigo Montoya]

I agree. Why make a cool submarine that can surface/dive and is unique because the antenna shows. I mean that would be like having a periscope make a wake.

[Hinomaru]

These panoramic photos are really cool to look at. I assume these were taken with some sort of digital jig that keeps the alignment of the images taken at regular intervals, I'd love to have one, but I think it's probably pretty expensive gear. Thanks!

I like those panoramic photos also as it makes you feel like you are really there, especially the bike shops that seaweb11 posted.

[zzpete]

360 COOL! I will forward this link to a few of my friends. THANKS

[scrapvalue]

When I was about 16 yrs. old we went to Norfolk naval base and actually toured a sub like that.
Can't remember which one it was, but it was a decommissioned sub from WW11.
It was very cool to see, but I have no idea how a person could spend as much time as they did out to sea on those things.
Very small and cramped. Not to mention being stuck in there with a bunch of dudes that burp, fart and perspire like the rest of us do.
I'm glad there are people that can do it, but I ain't one of them.
Well we were the, we also toured the USS Lexington,(pretty sure that's the one it was anyway). Which is a aircraft carrier.
It was not used in wartime anymore, but still used for training purposes.
That thing was huge! At least it was when we were standing on the deck.  Bet it looked a lot smaller if you were in a jet getting ready to land though.
They took us down below where the jets are kept below the deck and all through the ship.
Spent about 3 hours on board. Very cool!

[Don R]

That sub is in better shape than that soviet nuke I saw on here.

[Hasenkopf]

nice fish !

[ev0lve]

360 view inside tour of a WWII Submarine, USS Pampanito (SS-383) and this is nicely done.

Just hold down the left mouse button, then move it very slowly - left or right or up and down for the full 360 view.

http://www.nonplused.org/panos/uss_pampanito/html/01.html

Home page and other tours:

http://www.nonplused.org/panos/uss_pampanito/index.html

For you east coasters Baltimore has the Torsk. My Mom used to live there so we took the tour. Smaller than it looks inside in the photos - or maybe I'm too tall 

http://www.usstorsk.org/virtualtour/index.htm
Not as cool as the 360 though!

[gerhed]

Growing up in Seattle in the 50's I toured the Sub "Puffer" several times with YMCA, Boy Scouts etc.
It was moored in Lake Union.
Also toured Grandma's Cookie Factory fairly often.
Recently Seattle had a Russian sub down along the waterfront--seems to be gone now.

[arbormystic]

The USS Batfish SS310 is now a museum outside of my home town Muskogee Ok.  I spent a lot of time out there as a kid.  I had a lot of fun on it but I couldn't imagine actually being confined in that thing during the war.  My hats off to those who served!

http://www.ussbatfish.com/

[tramp]

you got used to alot of things because you were so cramped
the best part was hot bunking
three people two bunks
one of the three was always on watch so atleast two bunks were open
after not being able to shower for 30 days your bunk got a aroma all its own

[CycleRanger]

I toured the Pampanito when I was in SF about 8 years ago.
Wow those old boats are cramped!

I'm 6'3" and would have killed myself if I had to live on that thing!
You really get more respect for the men who served on these submarines.

[BeSeeingYou]

Cool site.  I have been aboard the Torsk in Baltimore and the U-505 in Chicago.  If you think the U.S. subs are cramped go for a tour of a German U-boat.  The type VIIC was the workhorse and a little over half the tonnage of a U.S. fleet sub.  But they could dive more than twice as deep 750 vs. 300 feet and could take more of a pounding than their U.S. counterparts.  The U505 is a larger IXB type.

One thing unique about the U.S. subs is that the diesel engines were not directly coupled to the prop shafts.  They drove generators that either charged the batteries or drove the electric motors directly.  This was more efficient as it allowed the diesels to be run at the optimum and most efficient rpm regardless of the speed of the boat. It was known as the diesel electric transmission.

[Ecosse]

thanks hinomaru for the great links! some of the coolest, and timely, things i've seen in a while.


love the other comments, links, pix too folks.

One thing unique about the U.S. subs is that the diesel engines were not directly coupled to the prop shafts.  They drove generators that either charged the batteries or drove the electric motors directly.  This was more efficient as it allowed the diesels to be run at the optimum and most efficient rpm regardless of the speed of the boat. It was known as the diesel electric transmission.

fascinating, thanks '58!

[BeSeeingYou]

I just read a book titled Under Pressure: The Final Voyage of Submarine S-5 by A.J. Hill.  Details the sinking of the S-5 in 1920 during a diving accident in around 180 feet of water.  I won't give anymore away but the rescue is quite amazing and has probably never been repeated in such a manner.  Good book.

This site is the best submarine site I have found on the net and is a very detailed source of info on the Battle of the Atlantic in WWII.  Constantly expanding and adding new stuff.  Lots of technical stuff too.
http://www.uboat.net/

[Gonzowerke]

The cameras they use to make these are cadiotropic cameras. They shoot through/at a fisheye reflector/lens and give you the seamless 360 view you can scroll through.
A smaller, commercial model can be seen here http://vrstation.net/vrstation/vrstation_index.asp.

[Hinomaru]

Thanks for the link Gonzowerke! So that's the cool cadiotropic camera technology behind the submarine and other 360 tours posted here.

Looks like many of you were able to enjoy all the contributions made in this thread.

Thanks for all the replies,

[GammaFlat]

One thing unique about the U.S. subs is that the diesel engines were not directly coupled to the prop shafts.  They drove generators that either charged the batteries or drove the electric motors directly.  This was more efficient as it allowed the diesels to be run at the optimum and most efficient rpm regardless of the speed of the boat. It was known as the diesel electric transmission.

Our diesel train engines do this as well.  I didn't know that about our subs. 

[MickeyX]

If you get into NYC, there is the USS Intrepid carrier floating museum and the Growler sub. A full aircraft collection including an SR71 blackbird. It looks like a few city blocks floating next to the road. Very worth while seeing.

The Torsk next to the aquarium in Baltimore is very cool too.

Here in PDX we have the US Blueback submarine sitting outside of the OMSI. I have yet to visit it but am going to hopefully within a few weeks. 

I dunno, too many to list that I went to as a kid too.

[mcuozzo]

Living in NYC, we get spoiled having the Intrepid, it's very impressive.  They recently moved it, restored it and brought it back.  It was a big deal maneuvering it in the Hudson for some reason.  I think it was stuck at some point.  What's really crazy is the big cruise ships, they look bigger than the Intrepid, but it just might be they are taller.

A little closer to where I live in NJ, is the NJ Naval Museum...

http://www.njnm.com/#