Spending the Night on a WWII SUBMARINE!!! | History Traveler Episode 174
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- This episode was produced in partnership with The Gettysburg Museum of History. See how you can support history education & artifact preservation by visiting their website & store at www.gettysburgmuseumofhistory...
In the last episode, we were exploring the Hoga at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum (www.aimmuseum.org) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Afterwards, we had the unique opportunity to hope inside the WWII submarine next to it to spend the night. Definitely a cool experience!!!
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I’m
Going to subscribe just for this comment alone! Most people are like, “make sure you hit that subscribe”
Then there’s this guy “ yo if you feel like Iv earned it, be sure to subscribe” love it
@@tommylawton6253 - Appreciate that! Thanks!
I know you might not see this or comment back but I need your help. You play a music clip a couple times and I want to know what it is. I tried scanning it but there is no record. Please tell me, it’s beautiful. Thanks, btw, great video!!
The best place in downtown Beijing I was
Awesome vid!...Thanks!....Check out the USS Albacore AGSS 569 in Portsmouth, NH (Albacore Park)..... Built in '53....Spent my last 8 months aboard her before discharge after 4.5 yrs active May 1968.....
Served aboard the USS DACE SSN 607 '66-'67.....
I "qualified" on the USS Runner (SS476) in 1962, the same boat my Father made
4 war patrols on back in the war. He pinned his Dolphins on me in front of the
crew, the Commodore was even present - it was quite emotional. What is unique
is my Gran-father served on the boats during WW1. At any rate, I served on 2
diesel boats, a twin reactor boat (Triton), 3 fleet ballistic boats and 1 fast attack.
I finally retired in 85 after 20 years at sea and 5 ashore. Now I pan for gold in Panama,
have 3 kids, 5 grandkids, 4 dogs, 5 parrots, 2 horses and a goat. Oh, and a wife that puts up with me.
All that and no cat, shame. Lol.
@@mvnorsel6354 That was on the Jackson 634. Can´t tell all my stories in one sitting.. Someday I´ll tell ya about painting the Fan Room and abanding ship.
Jackson? Which other boomers? I served on the Franklin (twice) and Calhoun.
@@smatejka1 Stonewall Jackson (B), James K Polk (G) and Andrew Jackson (G), made 16 patrols out of Holy Loch and Rota. We were diverted when the Scorpion went missing, things got ugly.
Let me guess...you keep the goat in the Goat Locker? 🐐 🤣
I was an officer on SS-340 "Entemedor". One of the last of the diesel boats in service. Boat was out of the main sub base, New London Ca., where the sub school was / is. Out of sub school and onto the boat in 1966. Was qualified as an Officer of the Deck, aka, OOD. Rode it to the Caribbean twice and across the Atlantic ocean to the Mediterranean once for 6 months. Left it as chief engineer in the shipyard for overhaul in Kittery Maine in 1970. You missed a big deal of interest, the batteries. 242 very large cells same as car batteries, lead acid. It would run submerged at 3 knots for about 15 hours off a full charge, or 7 knots for 15 minutes. All three engines flat out on the surface 15 knots. Three weeks to cross the Atlantic.
I ROAD A BOAT ONCE...TRUE STORY
My dad served on the Entimidor but it was back in the early 50's. He was a quartermaster. I have a beautiful color photo of it hanging in my garage along with the USS Segundo. He retired from the navy in 1966
@@beesbythesea8899 So he got out just before I went in. I had a GREAT quartermaster on the boat that once when I complimented him for something which I cannot recall with my geriatric Teflon skillet brain these days, he replied with typical professional aplomb, "JDMJ" = "JUST DOING MY JOB.".
Tell all your family that your dad was of superior intellect and skills, and should be recognized as such. Thanks for the note back.
In Navy jargon, the goat locker is a lounge, sleeping area, and galley on board a naval vessel which is reserved for the exclusive use of chief petty officers.[1] By tradition, all other personnel, including officers and even the commanding officer, must request permission to enter the goat locker
@@EdLyk My Father in Law was an MM1 on the HLS in '74.
Thank you for your service.
I served on the Razorback - from August of '68 till Sept. of '69.. I brought my son down there to see it back in '06 (IIRC) and we spent two days just going through the old girl.. When you entered the after torpedo room, the upper, RH (actually port side) bunk first visible in the video was where I slept.. Dan Durange (TM2-(SS) was my boss at the time. You did decent job on the video.. Just a couple of notes - the 'operations' room is actually the 'control room'. When you left the after engine room and entered maneuvering, that big box-like area you passed to get to the controls is called the 'cubicle'.. It's where all the electric power generated by the batteries and generators is amassed and redistributed throughout the boat.. over 80,000 amps is on tap in there.. Anyhoo - good job sir, and best wishes..
Thank you for your service sir. I've been on the Razorback. Very impressive boat.
Must be a nostalgic video for you. Thank you for your service.
@@karlyoung5089 Ur very welcome..
When I toured several years ago the retired sailor who led the group mentioned that the USS Razorback is still 95% operational, unlike most if not all other submarine museum naval craft. Add 5% work and she is out to sea. That's impressive.
Definitely!
As a former museum educator for Historic Ships in Baltimore, I seriously doubt that claim. It is official D0D/USN policy that any vessel to be used as a museum has to have the engines disabled. They don't want people taking them for a "joy ride".
@@pauloneil8531 Was mentioned that the engines were disabled for just that reason, the 5%.
@@keithrowe2996 Don't mean to quibble (much) but one of the Vessels I worked on is the USS TORSK SS 422. The engines, torpedo tubes, and dive apparatus were all non operational, per DoD/USN policy, as were most of the dials and the plumbing. But in giving a tour, 95% is impressive to say.
D.B.F.
I served two combat tours in Vietnam (65-66/70-71) . My first tour I went over by ship like Marines should. We went from San Diego to Okinawa on the USS General Mitchel, then from Okinawa to Vietnam aboard the LSD USS Oakhill. While in Okinawa we attend Counter Guerilla Warfare, Escape and Evasion and Amphibious Raider Training. Part of the raider training consisted of us be taken aboard a WW-2 era diesel electric sub and surfacing at night and paddling small rubber boats ashore to destroy a target then back to the sub and submerge. Quiet the experience.
Tom Boyte
GySgt. USMC, retired
0331 Infantry, Machine Guns
Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Interesting!
I grew up near
Portsmouth Navel Ship Yard. My Grandfather, Uncle, and Father worked there for many years. My father retired in the early 80’s. He worked on this boat and many others. He worked on the Thresher and was scheduled to go out on sea trials. He came down with a cold or flu and was taken off the sea trial the Thresher was lost on. He lost many friends on it. But I was lucky and didn’t lose my dad!
He especially liked the challenges of refueling.
It was interesting being his son. I went to many launches, sub tours and
commissioning’s.
Brings back many memories.
He is gone, but have his sub memorabilia all over the house. He served his country 35yrs of government service.
RIP Father
I can't get over how tight it is in that sub! Much respect to all who served on these boats.
I got to tour a Soviet sub from the 50's that was a museum in Long Beach right next to the Queen Mary. I'm 6'2 and had to pretty much bend over the whole time I was inside. There obviously had to have been a hight limit for these crew's. Otherwise I have no idea how you could do it.
I’ve been to the sub several times, and I’m still amazed by the conditions those men served under. Much respect to any and all those that served.
Goat locker comes from the days of wooden sailing vessels, when goats were kept aboard ship (to eat garbage and provide milk). The goats were traditionally housed in the CPO mess, hence the term .
Wow, awesome fact, Ty, I'd never heard of that!
Look at my comment. It makes much more sense!
@@Rodney221976 read yours as well, ty!
@@Rodney221976 why does yours make more sense? JD asked why it was called goat locker. It looks like we both checked Wikipedia. Your comment concerns the traditions of the goat locker. My comment is why it got its name.
@@motaman8074 competitive UA-cam commenting is funny. Most people will look it up, just as you guys had done. Thank you both again.
Goat locker is a throwback term to the days of sail when livestock was kept on board for fresh meat. The pens were in the Chiefs area to protect the animals from hungry crew, etc. Another story is that since the chiefs were invariably the oldest crew members they were known as Old Goats. I personally think the first one is probably the best. Edward L. Beach has some great stories about the 'Guppy' program and subs in general.
Das boot is probably the most realistic submarine movie you can find. Check it out sometime. Great video sir, always appreciate your content and how respectful you are.
Great movie! Enemy Below is another. Crimson Tide and Red October are still in my top 10 favorites😁
Das Boot is a great movie so is Run Silent Red Deep.
When I watched that movie I felt I needed to be degreased after the final credits rooled.
Oil, smoke those German cigarettes with the black smoke.
Great movie, I bet the actors had PTSD from filming.
@@jerryfrederick6610, lol same here
I liked u-571 not sure how realistic though. I was in the army. Fear of water kept me from the navy.
This is my 'qual boat'! I joined her in San Diego in January 1960 and qualified aboard her, earning my dolphins, in September 1960. Her #1 engine does run but the connection to the generator is severed, hence no power is generated. Her props are on the seawall, so no propulsion. Other than that, she is very close to operational.. Her crewmember association is still active and we still love our lady on the river.
Awesome!
Is it just the number one engine that runs?
@@rudycarlson8245 Yes, only #1 runs. We found that #4 is trashed and #3 is possible but not looked into yet. Perhaps in the future. .
@@cobraman1 would number # 4 need a complete rebuild In order to run? And is it possible that # 3 would run?
@@rudycarlson8245 The Turks seemed to use #4 as a parts engine and it has been canabalized badly. We started working on it a long time ago as it's exhaust faced away from the museum. We found that piping, valves and cylinder parts are just missing and it wouldn't turn over by hand. #3 is another story so it's possible but not examined closely enough for the limited time and resources available. #1 needs constant adjusting to run properly but its wonderful when it fires up and settles down to a nice idle.
Here in Wisconsin we have a WWII sub in Manitowoc WI. Phenomenal tour and was amazed at the hard work the sailors endured to be successful.
I’ll have to check that out.
I took the Badger there from Michigan and took the tour of the USS Cobia. Very interesting that many of our submarines were built on Lake Michigan. I also learned about The Rush-Bagot Treaty or Rush-Bagot Disarmament treaty between the United States and Great Britain limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, following the War of 1812.
This treaty is still in effect today.
Remember, men in the sub-service during WWII were smaller folks between 5'5" to 5'9" and only weighed about 145 to 170. Men were smaller in those days, and the aircraft of the era were the same.
With a few exceptions, such as Slate Cutter, skipper of the USS Seahorse and later USS Requin in WWII. He was 6'1"
bullshit
It wasn't that the average person was much shorter, they just had a height limit to serve on a sub. My great uncle was too tall.
In another video about the USS Drum one crew member was 6'7
I just preached on Joel this Sunday. Thanks for being brave enough in mentioning your Bible habits. I am a big fan. You bring history to life. Thank you!
👍🏻
I agree. JD is a great content provider and entertaining on his own right, but the fact he is a Christ follower, unashamed to share that fact, makes him my favorite YT channel. I don't feel like I have to really peruse his channel carefully before sharing with my kids or anyone else for that matter.
My mom named be after the book of Joel.keep up the awesome videos
No such thing as religion. If people believed you wouldn't have a submarine too kill people!
@@edge7387 Religion is man made- true worship is a relationship with GOD thru his Son Jesus! Man engages in many bad things as all men are sinners and have fallen short of GOD'S glory. It is when we admit this to GOD and ask him to save us by excepting the free gift that JESUS offers from the cross that we change and are saved and JESUS becomes our Lord! That is where the BIBLE (GOD'S word) comes in as we read and learn how GOD wants us to live! The blood of Christ WILL set us free IF we accept his free gift!
Good overall presentation. I stumbled across it by accident and have read most of the comments.
I've visited the Razorback 3 times. As an ex-submariner, they allowed me to go onboard alone and with my family without a tour guide.
I only saw one glaring error. That was when you said something about going forward when you were actually heading aft.
I laughed when I saw you try to get in the bunk. I spent well over 1000 "nights" in similar bunks... as I got seniority, I was able to get my choice.
You didn't talk about how to use the toilet. I don't blame you.
[USS Casimir Pulaski, SSBN 633 (blue crew) -- six 90-day (or so) deterrent patrols in the North Atlantic]
Thanks! Appreciate the extra input. I did another video on the USS Drum where I talked about the toilets. Very interesting pieces of engineering.
@@TheHistoryUnderground ... I always used them the correct way. I actually never knew of anyone making the mistake of trying to flush when the sanitary tank was pressurized..., but there were stories.
and so far as height restrictions, on nuclear subs, I didn't know of any. I'm 6'3" and was on the sub in the mid-1970s. (I stayed in nuclear after I got out of the navy.)
Das Boot has been mentioned in the comments. It's one of my favorite movies. Probably one of the greatest war movies ever made. I'm 6'3 and 220lbs. I don't know if I could have survived this long term
Definitely a great movie.
@@TheHistoryUnderground it's just so hard to believe that so many men could have served on one of those boats.
I'm 6'4" and 220 lbs (was about 195 then). I served 3 1/2 years aboard Razorback and while I had to learn where certain overhead projections were, it wasn't so bad. Lt. Alexander was also about 6'4" and had size 14 feet. We had some funny times trying to pass in some tight passageways.
Thank you so much for showcasing what life on a submarine was like back in WWII. As a former sailor myself who spent time on a submarine, it warms my heart that you showed this. One thing to comment on, for the new subs, people have to double bunk in those sleeping quarters. So imagine having a second person in that bunk with you.
Yeah but not at the same time.
I believe double bunking would be people in different shifts, not two people at once.
I live in North Little Rock! Was so confused when I saw the bridge in the opening scene... I was like "Wait, I know that bridge!" lol. Fantastic episode.
😅
My dad served in USS Spikefish 404 during early 1951 thru 1958. His job was Fire Control Weapons Tech, Petty Officer 1st Class he was responsible for inputting fire solution into electro-mechanical computer to shoot torpedos. He worked up coning tower with skipper & executive officer while under way. He shared a lot of stories about surfacing evening, submerged during daylight. His boat served end WW2 for 6 months only, said is was like brand new early 1950’s. They evidentially used Spikefish as training boat, pre-atomic subs, and chased & player cat & mouse with many Russian subs entering US waters during height if Cold War. He told me his time subs with crew was best times of his working life. He said he would have stayed but married navy wave (mom) and had us 5 kids. I made several tours various ww2 class similar boats as his before he past on. Even when he was 85+ plus years old, and blind he could still go up/ down ladders, and name every station of boat like it was yesterday. Thank you for the video, detail and tour. Hope you enjoyed sleeping in the bunk..
Great Informative Visit !
I was a destroyer junior officer on DD-783 Gurke, and exchanged positions with an officer off the Bugara SS-331 while in South China Sea in Vietnam era 1969. We were heloed onto fan tails for a supposed 3 hour visit during torpedo exercises. A typhoon came up suddenly and I enjoyed 3 days on the Bugara, bathing with 2 sponge-fulls, sleeping in a “drawer”, listening to rocket-launched torpedoes aimed at US, but enjoying the incredible experience. My father-in-law was a ltjg on board during WW2. Best Regards, Rog
Pretty badass. The sub service always has a soft spot in my heart. Was fortunate enough to have drunk a few beers with a local WWII submariner.
Wow! Would loved to have heard some of those stories.
@@TheHistoryUnderground yeah, he censored himself because my mom was around. She was a nurse and he always volunteered at the hospital. He promised to tell me what a Shanghai gin mill was like😆 i had his records pulled, come to find out he got into a little grand theft auto. Was about to be awol, was drunk, and borrowed some dude's car. He got arrested and the guy patriotically didn't press charges because there was a war on. Old Eddie.
Great video JD. My deepest respect to all Submariners past and present, especially in combat. It would take a special person for this particular branch of the service.
I does. And they have to be very smart! Well at least nowadays.
USS Lionfish (SS-298) - another Balao-class submarine, is a museum boat at Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA. A sister boat - she is arguably even more original than Razorback - having never had the "Guppy" sail conversion and retaining her WWII gray paint scheme.
I went aboard the USS Drum in Mobile AL. I was astonished at how tiny the conning tower was. 2 or 3 people could barely fit. Then I watch a movie like Run Silent, Run Deep and it's laughable how much room they have.
That's a Gato class sub if I remember correctly and is smaller than the Razorback on the inside. The Drum had to be pulled out of the water because the hull started leaking from hurricane damage if I recall correctly.
Glad you visited the sub and I trust you visited the ship too while you were in my hometown.
@@diddlebug7241 Yes I did. A 10 minute walk thru the sub & hours aboard the Alabama !!
Ha! Yeah, the movies don’t do it justice.
Welcome to Little Rock. Downtown is filled with history. Hope you visited the Territorial Restoration and the old state capitol building - the history is great.
Thanks for the tour. It reminds me of the night I spent on a decomishened WWII sub names the Dentuda. It was a t a dock in San Francisco bay and my dad who was a sub sailor stationed at Hunters Point volunteered his family to stand duty on it on New year's eve. Me and my brothers has the run of the whole boat which was fantastic for a bunch of little boys. Years later I practiced locking in and out of a sub as a Navy frogman in Subic bay Philippines. Very claustrophobic in the lock out chamber. Can't remember the name of the boat it wasn't the Greyback but it was a modernized diesel boat. What great experiences
I’ve been on that submarine in San Francisco. We was on holiday from the U.K. and went down too the docks. Me being a WW2 history nut I had to take a tour of the sub. I think was only a couple of dollars too go on board and too my surprise even my wife who isn’t really interested in stuff like that, found it fascinating. She asked how do that many men live on board for months at a time? I just you have to get on with your fellow crew really well!
I've also toured the WWII Era submarine in San Francisco Bay around the way from Fisherman's Wharf. It was a great experience and it was in the 1980's. I was out visiting my Dad who lived in San Francisco for 20 years.
@@AMG-316 that's the one fisherman's wharf. I knew I had been there but couldn't remember the name. Brilliant experience going aboard that sub.
A lot of years ago, departure aboard the Balao class submarine SS 21 Simpson with my father, ship commander was my uncle, ship was former USA SS Spot (SS-413) 1944 to 1966 year it was transferred to Chile, test of various devices, several practices, in one of dives a crew member makes a valve “mistake”, healing mistake the ship at 45° to the bottom, alarms, bells and all red lights aboard, to the bottom near 70 meters, we were 2 hours at the bottom, until after several maneuvers and a dungeon to the crew member of the "mistake" the ship come to the surface again, was absolutely incredible.
I have actually toured this boat. Fascinating. The crews of US submarines call themselves "sub-mareeeners". Great video.
👍🏻
My uncle was a WWII submariner vet too. He had that on his business cards when he was a Lock engineer on the Panama Canal after the war.
Thanks for the video. I served on the SS343 Clamagore in 1970, very similar to this boat. You brought back a lot of memories
Thank you so much for this tour My father was Torpedoman 3rd Class on the USS Sailfish in the South Pacific during The Big One. Sailed out of Guantanamo. He talked about drinking "torpedo juice" among other wild stories.
👍🏻
And what's more interesting about the messenger buoys, they're typically welded to the superstructure to prevent them from rattling (making noise) while submerged. At least that's how they were on my boat (USS Stonewall Jackson SSBN-634) and all other 41 For Freedom boats assigned to Submarine Squadron SIXTEEN in Kings Bay GA. So while welding them down does prevent them from rattling, it also prevents them from ever being deployed. LOL But really, they're pointless anyway when you figure the cable is only 1500 feet long and the ocean depths of where we'd be operating would be well over 5000' deep. So even if you could deploy the buoy, nobody would ever see it because it would still be underwater, not to mention... the boat would implode long before reaching the bottom anyway, instantly killing all on board leaving nobody left to release the buoy.
One of my extended families members was a crew member on the Razorback and part of his time on it was during a nuclear bomb test, every thing went as planned except according to him they hadn’t planned on the water losing its density, the sub went on a 30 second free fall. He said there was a bit of excitement but they did what was drilled for and eventually steered their way out of it.
Holy smokes! 😧
Bill, I was aboard in 1962 during that test. What was your relatives name and rate?
@@cobraman1 I want to know more about this. I find it fascinating
@@cobraman1 so what happened on that test, give us the details in full , please......, Erik
We practiaced daily for a couple weeks with a large depth charge towed by a tug.The charge was at varying distances from us and depths and always seemed to just be a large BOOM! They would count down over the 1MC so we all knew when it was coming. Every valve seal and every locker was re-secured and tightened down throughout the boat. We were generally at PD so we could get a photo of the water plume. Got to be boring after awhile and we all thought the real thing was going to be the same. When THE DAY came along, we prepared as before and checked and double checked everything. and reported in to the DO. The ASROC blast was much sharper and concussive than the depth charges had been and a few seconds after the BOOM came a really strong shock wave that pushed us way over to port so that my feet was on the side of the #4 main engine.and the boat was heeling way over. We didn't evpect that and the galley took a hit as some things crashed out of their normally secure hold downs. It was a bit unnerving to say the least as the boat shook through that shock wave and finally settled down. No damage but it was not expected and we were glad it was over with no do-overs! We headed north after that and ended up at the 1962 Worlds Fair in Seattle. You can see photos of the Razorback in the Ballard Locks transiting from Puget Sound to Lake Washington to view the Unlimited hydroplanes Gold Cup races. What a trip!
The term goat locker takes its origins from wooden ship sailing times, when goats were kept aboard ship. ... The quarters for the goat were traditionally in the Chief Petty Officer mess, which inherited the moniker "goat locker".
Thanks! 🐐
Lol, I’ve been in the Navy for 15 years and I didn’t know that. Thanks.
@@danshowlund I was in the Army for 23 years. Go Army, beat Navy. 😂😂😂😂
@@TheSuperGringo
In your dreams
@@brianpeters7847 😂😂😂😂
In my 90,s now served in Royal Navy WW2 Submarine H M S Tally Ho. All submissions were and still are a band of brothers
Thanks for the memory.
Thanks for watching!
My old man was a chief petty officer in the Royal Australian Navy. Lots of stories when we were kids particularly about submariners and how they stank of a combination of diesel and BO.
They were stopped off in Subic Bay in the late 50s when a British sub came into port. The RN Sub's sewerage and water systems had broken down so my old man went over and offered the showering facilities on their RAN destroyer to the poms. One thing about the Aussie armed forces is a priority around personal hygiene. He reckons there was not one taker... and to this day my old man who is in his eighties uses the expression 'drier than a pommies towel' ; )
ha!
This is so cool that you and your family could spend the night on this sub. An awesome memory for all of you.
I LOVE your channel JD! You have a unique of bring out stories and facts I have not heard before, GREAT JOB!!!
I appreciate that! Glad that you are enjoying it.
@@TheHistoryUnderground nice video.👍👍. Did you see the movie below ? Haunted sub ww2 movie .... I visit the. Uss bowfin in pearl harbor years ago... Did this sub still have diesel smell??..
My brother is a retired US Navy Submariner, thanks for keeping Sub history alive!!
My pleasure. Those guys were something else. Feel free to share it out with others :)
@@TheHistoryUnderground I definitely will..!!! Keep up the great work, love your channel/videos.
Especially when you talk about sod houses. My ancestors were some of the first "Soddies" in central/south central Nebraska back in the 1860s-1880s
@@TheHistoryUnderground yeah, Submariners are a different breed for sure. He has a wealth of knowledge on subs and Naval history in general. You're passion for history is awesome, I'm the same way.
My cousin was on a pig boat that entered Tokyo ba setting up Doliitt
les raid ! Proud of the man and his crew !
Wow!
That, "office space," you looked at, was probably were encrypted radio messages were decrypted, before passing them to the Captain or whichever officer was on deck at the time.
The radio operator usually didn't to the encoding or decoding, but it was passed on to the sailor responsible for that detail. Not every sailor had the ability to write or read the encoding used by the Navy then.
Just made morning coffee and what was waiting on the lap-top? A new "History Underground" A great day.... The hardest thing about subs is the maintenance it takes to keep them running. What a fun way to spend time with your family, a night on a WWll sub... Thanks for your time and work....
Thanks! Glad that you enjoyed it with your coffee 🙂
@@TheHistoryUnderground Great to see a man that talks about reading the BIBLE. Your the man......
As far as I know the USS Siversides still allows overnight berthing. We always had a great time taking when our Boy Scouts would spend the night. The dads would stay up all night in shifts and the scouts would eat pizza and watch sub movies. Everyone had a great time and never had any problems. The boys learned a lot and were very respectful of the Silversides staff. The staff would leave about 1700 and the ship was ours for the night
Nice!
Muskegon Michigan. Two overnight stays for me.
Great episode.
Those of us with claustrophobia would like to thank you for ending the video outside of the vessel.
👍🏻
Absolute admiration for the men that served on these WW2 subs!! Claustrophobic just watching this superb video!!
My oldest brother served on this class of submarine in the 1960s. He was on the USS HardHead 365. I had a tour of the Clamagore in the early 70s when it was on a South America Unitas.
Such an important piece of history in an area I never heard of J.D. Glad you made this for the men who fought and died there in 1944.
Sad so many died, when the enemy knew they were totally beaten. Pride then takes over as well as fear, of what would happen to them or their family’s had they surrendered.
Great video and story J.D on Hurtgen Forest, and it’s surrounding battle areas.
There is a submarine in Galveston Texas that is now different that it was when I was a kid in the 1970s. My sister was having surgery at Shriner's and Dad took me over to it with my uncle who was a retired Navy. When Uncle Jr took us through it the vet was so thrilled to have my uncle there we were given a total tour of everywhere on the sub. The park was named after a sub that was lost in WWII along with the crew. I remember as a kid all it smelled like was rust, I was worn out from going up and down all of the ladders and "stairs" I know we got to see engines but I don't know for what, I remember my uncle talking of the torpedo chutes but I think I was so tired then I probably just smiled and nodded lol I remember it was painted gray on the interior I think the exterior was gray also lol but I have slept since then.
I remember visiting Seawolf Park in the 70s and going through the sub. Yeah, didn't make much of an impression on me then. I wonder what I'd think now.
Why don’t you have your own History Channel or Travel Channel show yet? You would get great ratings!! 😊 Thank you for taking us along on your adventures! 🥰
Funny story. I actually had a production company who was making a show for History Channel reach out to me about hosting. I didn’t have exactly what they were looking for though.
@@TheHistoryUnderground well they are crazy!!! You have exactly what is needed in a good host! I enjoy your videos so much more than any they put out. And the number of subs you are gaining is the proof. They really are blind to not see how amazing your content is. I whole heartedly enjoy every video you have put up. I feel like I’m part of your adventure 🤗 Thank you!
As one of the few female military history enthusiasts, I just wanted to say great video. I toured the Razorback about 10 years ago and nearly spent the night. The tour guide told me that there's even pizza delivery available, which I thought was funny and cool. I regret not staying overnight, but I am happy I got to walk through this amazing piece of military history. As a Virginia native, I highly recommend Norfolk, the Smithsonian, Williamsburg, and all of the beautiful Civil War battlefields up and down I-81 and Rte 11 in the Shenandoah Valley. The movie "Gods and Generals" was filmed in my area. Thanks for the upload!
I spent 12 years on ships in the Navy and once I became a civilian had a chance to go onboard the sub my cousin was stationed on, USS Jimmy Carter. I've been on two museum submarines and they don't smell anything like subs on active service. Yes, there's that oily odor, but the body/honey pot funk permeates throughout the whole sub! Considering it was a nuclear submarine, there isn't enough Fabreeze to make that odor go away within a decade. So you got the sanitary sleep over. Great channel BTW.
Maybe they need to create some sort of body funk spray to give visitors the full sensory experience😅
Thanks!
Amazing how advanced they were in WWII. I didn’t realize the amount of technology that was actually used! Great video. Thanks!
Yeh we think in WW2 they were still in the dark ages, but the technology that came out of that war was unbelievable.
The difference in technology between a U-BOAT of WW I and WW II is amazing.
Nicely done! A great rememberance to those that served aboard WWII subs! Thanks for sharing!
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So cool you can teach your kids stuff about the sailors and the ship and get to build memories with them. Such a cool dad.
Thx for the walkthu! Not much has changed since my time in the fleet. I was on a surface ship (submarine tender), and while it was bigger than the razorback, it was still pretty claustrophobic in places. Those racks (Navy term for bed) were exactly what I slept on for 4 years. You always tried to get a middle or lower rack, never the top one, as you'd have to contend with overhead pipes and fittings. It's awesome you get to have experiences like this, and demonstrate a little history. I never cease to be amazed at what sub sailors had to work with and live like while at sea- much respect!
I think that was one of the smallest subs being made by US before WW2. Today, aside from a museum, did they accomodate overnight stay with minimal charge for limited persons inside the sub? Interesting to know theyve made it educational instead of dumping to a junk shipyard. Thanks for nice sub tour sir.
All of your travels are going to be cherished by your family for all their lives. You're living the dream.
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Years ago when this was first opened to the public. My Dad a U.S. Navy Veteran and I took the tour. We went into the sub on the stern and came out on the bow. And the men who gave the tour had actually served on WW II subs . I wish that my Dad was still here so we could go on the U.S.S. Hoga but Dad passed away on Feb.15,2019. I guess that I will have to take the tour in his memory.
Sorry for your loss. Your fathers generation was one of a kind! I had relatives that served in WW2, in the pacific. I lost my father back in 95 when I was ten, unexpectedly. Now that I’m older, when I read comments like yours I realize how much I missed out on. -Cheers
The significands of those two vessels is quite remarkable. And just as cool is they rest on the same water. Thanks Teach!
Very much so. Thanks!
This is a great...vid...good work....who's ever idea it was to put so many commercials in it ought be keel hauled
Great video tho!
Cleaning my guns, guns, and guns on a beautiful Sunday morning and see this gem pop up. Thanks JD! Been looking forward to this!
lost all of mine in a horrible boating accident
@@gregsayre4700 Similar thing happened to me.
Isn’t a 50 cal cartridge about 1/2 inch in diameter? If so how can the 4” gun be .50 caliber?
@@shotfoot3832 the 50 calibers is designation/unit of measurement for barrel length of the gun in the us navy.
@@gregsayre4700 lmfao- hasn't happend...yet...but fortunately I'm in FL.
I once went aboard a small submarine which was moored at Birkenhead Docks, and was astonished at just how horribly cramped it was.
Some bunks were so tight to the pressure hull that the occupant could only sleep laying down, as there was no room to side sleep.
The proximity of and to everything was remarkable, and the thought of going to war inside such a confined 'tube' was not something I wanted to contemplate.
I had forward top rack on my first boat for a two month underway. It was like you described. If you wanted to turn over you had to slide your chest and hips out then side back in.
If I recall she was the "Onyx" I remember swinging through the internal bulkhead doors .Amazing to get a brief glimpse of how these brave guys lived !
So glad I found your channel! I get almost as excited as you. Keep up the enthusiasm!
Thank you! Will do!
Such a cool experience! Thanks for the walk through, JD!
Thank you JD for this video! Another interesting and amazing history lesson!
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@@TheHistoryUnderground how much do you have to pay to spend the night in the sub?
First, loved that we got to see the family in this one.
Second, love that you read scripture each day.🙏🏻
Third, the USS Razorback was one of only 12 US submarines selected to be in Tokyo Bay for the surrender of the Japanese.
Fourth, a submarine is a boat, not a ship. My Dad taught me this. You can put a boat on a ship but you can’t put a ship on a boat.😁
Last thing. The USS Razorback was one of the submarines launched from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine on the day that the most submarines were launched in a single day in 1944. As a side note; my Dad retired from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1971 after 21 years in the United States Navy. He final duty station and where he was the Chief in charge of the sub barracks among his duties. So, the sub has a special significance to me. Oh, I didn’t go Navy…I went Army…something one of my sisters was so distressed about, that she refused to even speak to me for three weeks after I enlisted in 1977.🤣👊🏻
Thanks for another great video and please, stick with the guitar music you had in the first part of the video…liked that a lot!😁
Thanks!
enjoyed this. many thanks. my dad graduated USNA in 1939 and spent the war in the pacific on 3 different subs. skipper on his last ship, PORPOISE. all this by age 28. he had some terrific stories!! great respect for these lads . . . .
I like how they included old photos of the activities of the crew when the submarine was in active service. I went up in the conning tower in the Drum in Mobile and yes, it was a bit dangerous to climb up into - and also climbing down - but I was able to look into the periscope and see the Alabama. Too bad you couldn’t sleep in the captain’s quarters and your family in XO’s quarters. What an honor and privilege to spend the night on the Razorback! Thank you, JD! Nice touch about reading the story of Jonah! Perfect! (Maybe Jonah got swallowed up by a Razorback Whale!)
Ha! I didn't even make the razorback whale connection. That is funny.
I now HAVE to stay on this sub and immerse myself in this history! Amazing video!
Thanks! Pretty unique experience.
Happy Halloween
I spent a whole weekend on the Alabama battle ship in Mobile Alabama with the Boy Scouts. It was in February, super cold. Me and my son had a blast playing ship battles. So cool.
I live an hour north of there and have not been yet. Glad to see you have made it to Arkansas!!
Outstanding video. I always love it when you show the radio room on the ships you visit. My Dad was a radioman on the USS Jerome County, LST 848, during World War 2. Gotta say I loved your choice of Scripture for your morning reading. Do your girls love history as much as you? My kids didn't like it. Thanks for sharing.
JD looked like you were having way to much fun. Thanks for sharing and making another great video
Ha! We really enjoyed it.
Hi ... thank you for posting some great memories of the tour thru the Razorback. I was also stationed aboard a Balao class submarine. And as it turned out, we were both stationed in San Diego in the late '60s, and I remember seeing the Razorback several times in port. I really appreciated the view of the inside of the submarine; many things reminded me of my old 'home'. You showed the Torpedo Loading Ramp. In your video, it appeared that it might be the after torpedo loading ramp. But there was also a forward torpedo loading ramp (In the early times of my tour of duty there, I was on the "Seaman" crew, and we loaded many torpedoes ... from my memory, they were mostly from the front). Early in my sailing experiences, I was incredibly sea sick. And I was in that condition several times when we went out to sea. Eventually, though, I got sick and tired of being sick and tired, and, for me, it was truly a matter of mind over matter. It was a mental conquering of sea-sickness. When we were rigged for sea, there were two crewman's bunks that were suspended with chains just below the torpedo loading ramp. (I think that these bunks have special names in some of the submarines vernacular, and I have heard those names, years later, but (my apologies) I have just forgotten them, but I'll just call them the 'cradle'.) I always considered myself to be so fortunate to be able to 'bunk' in one of those to 'racks'. One experience I had was that during some pacific operations, we were transiting from Pearl Harbor back to San Diego, and we encountered a typhoon. The sea was incredibly rough, and in the forward part of the ship, the movements seemed especially exaggerated. But when I crawled up into my 'rack' (in the cradle) and layed back to go to sleep, it seemed like I was being rocked to sleep by the sea. Yes, there some incredibly deep movements from the ocean, but to me [I synchronized my breathing with the movements], it was so relaxing. And, it was in that time period that I fell in love with the sea. I think the sea is like that, though, it grabs you by your heart and draws you in. It might very well be in a different way for different people, but that's what it does; it grabs your heart and draws you in. It is an incredibly beautiful place, but still an incredibly treacherous place. Back to the Sub. In the Control room of the Sub, you can see this big round thing under a table as you go through. That is the Gyroscope. Primarily it is how you navigate. (How important is that!). There's a whole lot of stuff going on in the Control room that you don't see. I think you should visit a submarine and find out some of the other things happening here (and you may even see some of them on movies). It's pretty incredible stuff. I was so glad to see the Radio Room. (In the Balao class, it was located at the back side of the Control Room, just before you go through one of those (incredibly important ... as in 'could save lives') 'little' doors (as they are called in the video) to the Crew's Mess. For much of my time on-board, I was not allowed to watch movies. (being a relatively newby, I was not 'Qualified in Submarines' yet. After I became qualified, though I could watch them all) But yet, this is a major social center for the crew. (Behind the movie screen that you see in the video, there is a sink where the 'mess cook' washes all the dishes. Everyone gets their turn to do this, as you advance through the procedures to be finally 'accepted' as one of the crew ... Under the Mess Cook's feet, is the door to the cooler. [Thank goodness for the cooler!!! ... "Thar be Ice Cream and other good food down there!"]). Leaving the Crew's Mess, and going aft, you find the Crew's berthing. There's a whole lot of 'Racks' back here. I have a story about that, but, sorry, maybe for a different time. Going still aft, there are two different Engine Compartments. In this video, they had 3 Fairbanks-Morse engines, (one had been removed). In our boat, we had 4 GM engines. (none removed). Behind the two Engine Compartments was the Maneuvering Room. This is an incredibly important part of the ship, where they basically control all the energy of the engines and batteries. And behind that is the After Torpedo Room. Our Sail was not like the Razorback Sail, where the Razorback had a full height sail, front to back, but our sail was half height up front.
I have been binge watching your videos recently. Your work is amazing and it's great to see that you bring the family along too. My dad used to take me everywhere when I was a kid and its definitely given me a real interest for history and exploration aswell as lots of great memories. I can't wait to do the same with my kids.
Thank you so much!
This is cool, I served on a f 18 squadron attached to a carrier myself. Screw being stuck under water in a submarine! Especially one as small as that lol.
Ha! Not for me either.
Wait for it, at 15 minutes he finally bumps his head. Kinda like watching a race expecting a wreck, Lol. Thanks for the tour, very interesting and nice to know it is there and you can actually stay the night on board.
😅
Now you know why they were restricted to a certain height. Bubbleheads were little guys.
@@TheHistoryUnderground perhaps a helmet is in order. Maybe a WW2 era helmet would be a sweet addition. Lol
@@dbach1025 😅
There was a term used on submarines called “hot racking” which means as one crew member got out of the rack to start the day, the off-going member was assuming the sleep position
Well done recondo. Slept overnight on the USS Massachusetts - very cool experience. If your travels ever take you to Battle Ship Cove, Fall River, MA, then check it out (especially before the WWII vets who tell their story pass on). Best memory was the smell of coffee at 0400 mixed with faint smell of oil.
Really very informative video. One must pay the highest respect to the sailors who served on these vessels. Well done and Thank You. Stay Safe.
A good book is Thunder Below by Flukey who was the captain on several patrols of the USS Barb, the only sub to derail a train during the war. Great video, If you are out west visit the USS Blueback in Portland OR, the last diesel powered sub class in the US Navy.
Oh dang. I’d like to see that. Thanks!
Love the video’s, especially this one. The name Razorback rang a bell with me so I asked my dad if he ever served on her. He never served a long period but did take students from sub school out for 2 weeks at a time on her. He taught at the sun school in New London, Con. Sometime around 1963-65 or so.
He also served on the Perch and the Bluegill during Vietnam.
Thanks for the video. I said I would show it to him when I go up for Thanksgiving.
I’ve watched a lot of your videos and just now found this one, I live in Little Rock and my sister used to be a tour guide for the submarine! This was awesome to see!
Man that looks like great fun to me I grew up a navy brat and I still remember dad bringing us down to see the ship he was serving on at the time that was about 40 years ago .
It was fun. Learned a lot.
By far one the coolest videos you've posted! You have inspired me to start a list of these WW2 museums that me and my little family can visit! My son is even excited about it, thank you!
Thanks! Appreciate that. More history is always a good thing.
NAH MAN, Down PERISCOPE...MOST ACCURATE!!!!!
HEY, JD and family wow that was pretty awesome for you guy's to spend the night in a submarine really tight sleeping
Area hope no one was claustrophobic but it looked like it was a fun experience anyways
Ok I really appreciate all of the sacrifices you indoor for the channel well take care stay safe God bless and will see you on the next adventure Thanks again
Thank you. I qualified on two Balao class boats in early 1960's, Sea Devil and Pomfret. These boats were older than me. Tx for bringing back the memories.
Love this !!! Thank you for what you do !!! Wish I could be there !! Don't stop what you're doing.. it means a lot to some of us to see what are fathers went through..
Thank you so much!
I'm so jealous. I'm the grandson of a ww2 vetran( he also fought in Korea and Vietnam) and all I get to do is play soldier in re-enactments
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This is the first of your videos I have seen, great job! I am a retired submarine sailor, but newer boats so much more room. It was interesting, I may have to try to spend the night.
Awesome! Grateful to have discovered The History Underground
My dad served on the USS Corporal 346. In the fifties. Was a guppy converted fleet boat.
Nice!
Just letting you know Navy bunks are called "Racks" Thank you for your outstanding videos
Cool, JD! Nice to see some of your family, too.
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Great video and tour! Thank you so much! Imagine being on board the USS Razorback when it was on active duty?!? It was tight quarters with just you crawling around inside! Imagine 66 people in that vessel submerged and stuffed with supplies?!? I don't get claustrophobic easily, but holy cow!
I looked it up for us...Goat Locker
The term “goat locker,” is another example of how the goat has influenced Navy culture. In 1893, when the chief petty officer rank was established, the goat locker was still the area where goats were kept aboard ship. The goats were under the charge of the chief petty officers and the livestock pens were in the chiefs’ quarters. “Goat locker” is still used today as a nickname for the chief petty officers’ mess and berthing. The Bluejacket’s Manual also states that the goat locker is a “good-natured reference to chiefs as ‘old goats.’”
I don't think I'd last very long without smacking my head on something. I can't even walk around my house without doing it most days 😅.
Very cool that you give your daughters this kind of experience. My dad used to do the same kind of things with us as kids and they're things I still remember. I've stayed in quonset hut style barracks at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, flown on an old Ford Trimotor plane from Port Clinton Ohio to Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island in Lake Erie, to recall a few.
Thanks! I was glad that the girls could go with me in this one. Pretty cool experience.
My Uncle was in the Submarine Service durning WWll. He was only 5.8 so getting through wasn’t a problem for him. He was in the North Atlantic.
Nice! Those guys were something else.
Currently serving on a 688, crazy to see how different boats were then.
Great job with the tour , it was fun. You always give answers to questions that I would be asking. Thank you