The DC Traveler

A Piece of Submarine History

by Jon on March 5th, 2008

A piece of submarine history is floating in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and is open to the public for tours.  The submarine is the USS Torsk, a WW-II Navy submarine. It made two war patrols in the Pacific theater during World War II and remained active until 1968.

The Torsk operated out of Pearl Harbor from where it began its missions, patrolling off the Japanese coast in 1945

While on her second patrol, the Torsk sunk three Japanese ships, including two frigates that ended up being some of the last enemy warships torpedoed during the war. 
The boat then became a trainer for the Navy’s submarine service. In 1962, it participated in the  blockade of Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis.  Four years and over 10,000 dives later, it was decommissioned. 

It’s now a floating museum in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and the closest submarine to Washington, DC that can be toured by the public.

The history of the U.S. Navy submarine started this month in 1898, when John Holland won the first Navy competition for an underwater boat or “submarine”.

The Navy had some stiff requirements — it had to run at 15 knots on the surface, 8 knots submerged, turn in a full circle in less than 4 times its length, maintain positive buoyancy at all times (as in it doesn’t sink uncontrollably), withstand pressure to 150 feet and carry a 100 lb. “torpedo” bomb.

Although Holland won the Navy’s competition, they never awarded a contract. So Holland, a inventor who also was designing airplanes, later joined forces with a wealthy investor. Together they formed The Electric Boat Company, which went on to build a the first submarine for the navy in 1900. Thus starting the  Navy’s “silent service”.

Today, Electric Boat still manufactures military submarines, including most recent Seawolf-class nuclear submarine.

Before Holland, the first submersible boats or “submarines” were invented in 1620s. They were actually metal bells filled with air inside, pulled behind a boat.  The first military self-contained sub was the Turtle, used unsuccessfully in the American Revolutionary War.  It was simply a small pressurized metal egg that required a hand-cranking human propulsion system to power it.

During the Civil War, the Confederate military attempted to use man-powered submarines to sink Union ships.  The submarine Hunley successfully sunk a Union ship, before being lost with all hands.  The historic Hunley was discovered in 2000 and today is in the process of being preserved.

During WW-I, with the addition of diesel electric propulsion, submarines became the hunting wolfs of the sea. One German U-boat achieved immortal notoriety when it sunk the British passenger liner Lusitania, prompting the U.S. to enter the war.

By WW-II, the submarine had been perfected as a fighting machine. German “U-boat” submarine wolfpacks openly attacked Allied shipping in the Atlantic, cutting off British supply lines. Once the U.S. entered the war, even American convoys within sight of the American coast and in the Gulf of Mexico were effectively targeted by U-boats.

In the 1950s, nuclear became the preferred propulsion system, creating a new generation of boats for the Cold War.  In 1960, ballistic missiles were added, making the sub the ultimate weapon of deterrence and fear. These “nukes” could remain underwater indefinitely, not requiring the need to surface to refresh air supplies.

Today subs in the “hunter-killer” class and others carrying an array of nuclear missiles from several nations, still silently roam the oceans.

USS Torsk Submarine
Baltimore Maritime Museum 
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
Eastern Ave. at President Street 
Baltimore, MD (map it)

Dates and Times - Daily 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. with extended hours during the summer.

Tickets - Adults - $8.00, Seniors - $6.00, kids 6-14 - $4.00, children under 6 are allowed to stowaway and are available at the dock.

Parking - paid garage and limited street parking is available in within a few block walk.

Images - Holland - public domain, Torsk in color - Baltimore Maritime Museum, all others Torsk Volunteer Association, Inc., ©1997-2007 

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POSTED IN: Family Fun, Museums, Scenic & Short Trips, Tours – Guided or Self-guided