Boarding The USS Blueback SS-581 Submarine

Have you ever wondered what it was like to go aboard a Navy submarine? Well, I did! I went aboard the USS Blueback SS-581 submarine at OMSI in Portland, Oregon. This was an interesting experience for myself to explore, feel and see, what it was like to be in a submerged Navy submarine. The SS-581 Blueback submarine was launched in 1959. She was 219 feet long, with a crew of 85 that had 76 crewmembers, 8 officers, and 1 captain. I could only imagine what it would be like, to be crammed in there like a can sardines for six months or more.

The first thing I had to do before entering the submarine was to crawl through a simulated submarine door hole. This was to verify that I am physically able to crawl through a door hole on the submarine. This entryway door hole is used as an airlock device that has a swinging door on it. This door can be closed in case of an emergency when needing to pressurize a compartment within the sub. The door hole also permits the passage of crewmembers and objects in-between compartments in the submarine.

I then proceeded to walk to the ramp and down to the USS Blueback submarine, which is permanently docked on the Willamette River at OMSI. Then I entered the submarine and climbed down the ladder where this put me in the captain’s quarters. This is a private room is where the captain slept. The room next to it is where the captain and the 8 officer’s meals were prepared as well as where they dined. They also had their officer meetings in this small room.

Next, I walked down the aisle a few feet more and entered the radio and telegraph room where I could hear the sound of a Morse code distress signal ”Beep Beep, Beep…” I then entered the navigation room; this is where they controlled the submarine's buoyancy by filling the outer hull with water to submerge the submarine. The captain yells ”Dive, Dive” with two loud Klaxon sounds “Aooga, Aooga”. This was to prepare the crew and the submarine that it is going to dive as well as ensure all of the outer door hatches are sealed and closed. Then the submarine’s outer hull then fills with water as the submarine submerges to the deep. When the submarine is ready to resurface, the hull will then fill with compressed air, which forces all the water out of the hull and raises the submarine back to the ocean surface. Here in the navigation room, there is also a periscope that the captain uses for locating and aiming torpedoes at ships when the submarine is submerged under water.

Then I climbed down the ladder, now I am in the sonar room where you could hear a “Ping Ping Ping…” This sound helped the sonar technician in identifying other ships in the vicinity and how far away they were from the submarine using these sound waves.

Next, I went into the Latrine and shower area where they were only allowed to take a shower 3 times a week. What is this a prison? I can just imagine how bad things got to smell being submerged for long periods of time under water.

Now I am going into the torpedo room; this is where all the torpedoes are stored and ready to be launch. These torpedoes were the MK-48’s. The characteristics of these torpedoes are a piston engine; pump jet for the propulsion, they are 19 feet long, 21 inches in diameter and had a range greater than 5 miles. When the captain would identify a ship through the periscope to be sunk. The captain would authorize and order the torpedo room to fire a torpedo, he would yell “Fire torpedo 1” from the navigation room. Then in the torpedo room, a crewmember would press the fire button to eject the torpedo from the submarine’s launch tube. Then as the piston engine; pump jet starts up and propels the torpedo, which is aimed at an enemy ship. The torpedo then hits it’s target and explodes sinking the ship.

There was also an emergency escape hatch in the torpedo room for the crewmembers. This is where a crewmember could safely escape the submarine when it is submerged under water. A crewmember would climb into the escape hatch wearing a Steinke hood over his head, which is filled with enough air. Then close the escape hatch door inside the submarine. Next fills the emergency escape compartment full of water. Then the crewmember would open the outer escape hatch door of the submarine where he could escape and rise to the surface safely.

Then I walked through the crews sleeping area. I could hear a loud snoring crewmember sleeping with his feet hanging out of the bunk. The submarine had an issue where there was not enough sleeping room for all the crewmembers to sleep at one time. To accommodate this problem they had 3 different work shifts with an 8-hour sleeping shift for each the crewmembers.

I proceeded down the aisle, which took me into the crew’s quarters where they prepared the crewmembers food and dined. This room could seat 25 crewmembers at a time. The room was a little larger than the captain’s quarters and was also used for meetings and other recreational activities.

Now I am headed down into the engine control room where there are 3 Fairbanks-Morse 38 8-1/8 diesel engines for maintaining the speed of the submarine as it travels on the ocean surface. There are also 2 General Electric motors that also propelled the submarine when it was submerged under water as well during travel.

This was an interesting experience for myself to be able to feel and see what it was like to go aboard and learn about the past history of this decommissioned United States Navy military submarine. This was the last of the Barbel-class diesel–electric propelled attack Navy submarines. The Blueback remained in service until 1990 when it was decommissioned and turned into an exhibit at OMSI in Portland, Oregon.