The Cellar - July 16, 2010: USS Pampanito

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July 16, 2010: USS Pampanito

The USS Pampanito is a WW II, diesel powered submarine, that's been preserved in San Francisco as a museum open to the public, and a National Historic Landmark.

http://cellar.org/2010/pampwar.jpg

Quote:

This compartment is called the after battery because under the deck were 126 lead acid battery cells, each weighing over a ton. These cells comprised one of the vessel's two main storage batteries. The cells were stacked in six rows of twenty-one cells each with hard rubber panels placed on top to serve as a working deck. Each cell produced two volts of DC power and all the cells were wired to each other in series to produce the 250 volts DC.
The upper level of this compartment holds 36 bunks and was the main enlisted berthing area on Pampanito. On some patrols there were more men than bunks, which meant that some members of the crew had to "hot bunk" or share available bunks. One man would use the bunk while another was on duty. The normal procedure was for 3 men to use 2 bunks, so each crew member would have a chance to get closer to a full watch period of sleep all at one time.

Taking a virtual tour of the Pampanito, the pictures make is look kind of spacious. It is not.
I've been on a couple of this class submarine, and they are small, very small.
I should clarify, I didn't sail on them, oh my god no! I toured them... above the water, hatches open, with fresh air pouring in.
But even with only 12 or 15 fellow tourists, it got a little claustrophobic.

What's long, hard , and full of seamen?

S.F.??? I never knew.. I'll have to check it out.

Pampanito?! We better detain her until we can check on immigration status.

She got depth charged on her first patrol and still made 5 more. Quite a boat...

Sorry, but I'm really struggling for recipe ideas here.

I toured the russian sub in San Diego. I would go crazy crawling around those cramped places, through little holes to other cramped spaces!

And if you meet a submariner, don't make my mistake and ask them for stories. The tradition is silent service, whatever happened out there they will not tell you.

Leaves port with 120 men and returns with 60 couples...

Quote:

Originally Posted by squirell nutkin (Post 670969)

Leaves port with 120 men and returns with 60 couples...

There we go classicman, Seamen Sandwitches.

In all seriousness, though my grandfather served on one of these. Short little Irish guy from the mid-west. He got into plumbing and refrigeration after the war. Undertoad is right, he never really talked about it, for what reasons, I cannot say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicman (Post 670963)

Sorry, but I'm really struggling for recipe ideas here.

Sub sandwich.

Thanks guys - I knew I could count on you.

Now Shel - I gotta ask ....

With or without mayo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicman (Post 670974)

Thanks guys - I knew I could count on you.

Now Shel - I gotta ask ....

With or without mayo.

Without. Mayo is NOT what I would be spreading on a sub. ;)

My cousin flew planes in the Navy, and once when we went to visit him we got an informal family member tour of a submarine that happened to be in port.

Not only was the whole thing unbearably small even for a less-than-fully-grown early teen girl, but the cook in the galley assured us that it was much more cramped when they first set out for a long trip, because of all the canned foods they hadn't eaten yet. He said they would line the hallways with stacks of cans until they could eat their way through them.

Awwww, cute ... no... wait ... it's Friday, innit?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scriveyn (Post 670998)

Awwww, cute ... no... wait ... it's Friday, innit?

Well Sheldon thought a couple of the sailors were cute - doesn't that count?