Marine Museum

On Friday we had a big rain storm and Saturday and Sunday we still were experiencing the after affects with cool temps and a few showers.  Our only outings were a trip to Costco for some groceries and to Barnes & Noble so Lori could exorcise her book store demons.  By Monday all 3 of us were getting pretty shack-wacky and while the weather still wasn't great we all hopped in the truck and drove to "Carlsbad Village" which is a little shopping area in the city of Carlsbad just off the beach.  We took a walk down the boardwalk and did some window shopping.  Not a real exciting day but it sure beat sitting in the trailer for another day.

Wherever there is a public beach there are volleyball courts.
I can just imagine how full these beaches are in the summer

Notice the crosswalks.  The traffic all get their turn to drive
and then they all get red lights and pedestrians at each of
the 4 corners get to walk at the same time.
Including walking diagonally across the middle of the intersection. 

Tuesday we took one more drive on I-5 to the harbour downtown and took in the Maritime Museum of San Diego.  For $16. each we got to tour 7 ships. This and the tour of the Midway which cost $18.  have been the best bargains we have found.  Except perhaps the free walks down the beaches and piers which frankly have been the most enjoyable.

The first ship we toured was the Star of India which was built in 1863.  It was a metal hulled merchant sailing ship and in its active life it hauled cargo from India, emigrants from England to help settle New Zealand and finally became an Arctic Salmon fishing vessel.  It was being refurbished so it was a little difficult to see all of the ship.  They also had a class of school children on board being taught about the seafaring life of the sailers of the late 19th century.

The school kids in their classroom.
At one point we heard them yelling heave - ho over and over.
Then we noticed them pulling a rope which was attached to a dingy.
 They were hauling it up from the water below.
It was a bit askew but they were making progress.

A shot through one of the hatches. 

Captain Lori.

The second ship was the HMS Surprise.  A replica of an 18th century Royal Navy frigate and by all accounts is a very authentic re-creation.  Her first 30 years she spent sailing the east costs as a sail training tall ship.  If the ship looks somewhat familiar then you are probably a big fan of Russel Crowe and the movie Master and Commander.  The ship was purchased by 20th Century Fox and was the ship that Crowe commanded in that movie.

Can't imagine climbing up the rigging to unfurl the sails or sit in the crows nest.
I get dizzy cleaning the eaves on the house. 

Captain, which way is Port again. 

Now thats a lot of ropes.  Each one going somewhere important. 

The next ship was a Soviet Navy B-39 Submarine.  This sub was built in 1974 and is just under 300'  long.  It had a crew of 78 and could be at sea for months at a time.  I cannot imagine 78 men in such cramped quarters gliding under the ocean at depths of 985'.

The hull has lots of rust and holes so definitely not sea worthy

This was outside the gangplank to let everyone know they had to
be willing and able to pass through 4 of these doorways.  

Torpedo tubes.  6 Forward and 4 Aft.

They had a short movie describing what was an "almost" nuclear event that was
just barely avoided during the Cuban Missile crisis.  

One of the doorways we had to crawl through.  Would have been
a piece of cake 20 years ago.  Not so much now. 

All the workings fully exposed.  

The Head. 

The sleeping accommodations  

The next ship was a replica of the San Salvador.  A Spanish galleon which was captained by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who was the first European explorer to arrive at what is now San Diego in 1542.  It is 98' long with a beam of 32'.

Can't imagine such a small ship on such a big ocean. 

A mass of ropes and rigging.

The second submarine we went through was the USS Dolphin.  It was built in 1968 with an overall length of 165' and a beam of only 18'.  Looked like a large torpedo with a conning tower. It was actually much easier to walk through than the Soviet sub as this one had much taller corridors and no small porthole like doorways to crawl through.  This ship was used mostly for naval research from the time it was built to its decommissioning in 2007.  It had a diving depth of 3000'.

Very narrow and most of it was below the water line. 

Much easier to navigate

The periscope.  Just like in the movies. 

The old and the new.  A cruise ship in the background

We also got onto the Steam Ferry Berkeley.  It had beautiful stained glass windows and fancy benches for its passengers.  Almost looked like the interior of an old church.  It  operated on San Francisco Bay in the early 1900's and was notable for ferrying survivors away from San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake.   I didn't get any pictures but it was quite elegant.  

There were a few more ships however they were being refurbished or had been chartered for tours.  

After all of this climbing, ducking and fresh air it was time for lunch.  We got a table on the outside patio at the Fish Market.  The view was great but just as we sat down the clouds rolled in and with the wind blowing off the bay it was a little cool.  Still not something we could experience back home.  

The USS Midway over Lori's right shoulder.

About 4 feet from us was the water and this was our view.
Not too bad even if the food was only so so. 

At one point Lori commented that she was feeling the same as I do when she hauls me through a shopping mall.  She hides it better than I do.  I thought she was really enjoying herself.  I feel a visit to the Carlsbad Premium Outlet Mall is in my future.  Payback for making her look at a bunch of old ships.  

So next up an Outlet mall and a walk on the Pier.

Till then.