Galveston Naval Museum

 December 17, 2020

Today we went to the Galveston Naval Museum.

The first of two vessels we boarded was

USS Cavalla SS-244

"The Avenger of Pearl Harbor"

311 feet long and 27 feet wide

The submarine was commissioned Feb 29, 1944

It sank the Japanese Navy Carrier, Shokaku,

that attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

The crew received the Presidential Unit Citation.

On the outside it seems big

and the deck looks long.

Wooden slats allow for water flow where the ballast tanks sit.

Inside it's not so big.  This is the forward torpedo room.

It holds 4 torpedo tubes, 8 torpedos, bunks for 12 men,

forward escape trunk, and torpedo launching hatch.

This is one of the torpedo tubes.  Besides sending out

torpedos it was also the exit for UDT Divers.

Underwater Demolition Team

Of course communication once in the tube is difficult

so here is the tap codes they used.  Really, crawl in this tube

that we will fill with water and then you can swim out.

I did not miss my calling to be a UDT Diver.

Here are the racks for the 12 guys who slept in the torpedo room.

Now the stairs for visitors to get in and out, originally this is how torpedos were loaded.

Obviously not my photo, but this gives you an idea

of how it was done.

Feel free to wash up in this spacious sink in the room.

If you need to get out, the escape hatch is straight up.

The wardroom and officer's mess.

Officer accomodations nicer but still a tight space for 4 men.

First lieutenant and Engineer shared this space

I love the display using uniforms and photos as it may have been while in service.

I found the hatches spacious.

Jim found them to be a little smaller.

The diving station and trim manifold

The crew needs to be fed

and this is all the kitchen you get to feed everyone on board.

Here is Jim at a table in the crew's mess for 54 enlisted

the tables could also be used for backgammon, chess and checkers.

Here is one of the engines that move the sub along.

Propulsion controls

a slim pasageway here

The after torpedo room

4 torpedo tubes, 8 reload skis, 12 bunks, after escape hatch and loading hatch

The Cavalla carried a mix of

MK14 Steam-propelled torpedos

MK18 electrically-propelled torpedos

MK27 electrically-propelled acoustically-guided torpedos.

What could be more peaceful then sleeping above and below torpedos?

Here is a diagram to show how the sub is laid out.

An exterior shot of the torpedos from the after torpedo room.

The second vessel we toured was the

 USS Stewart DE-238

"President's Escort"

306ft long & 37ft wide

The ship was commissioned May 31, 1943

Conducted 30+ missions in the North Atlantic.

Saved 15+ merchant sailors when 2 freighter collided.

Armed and ready for battle

3x50 Caliber Deck Guns

"The 3"/50 caliber gun (spoken "three-inch fifty-caliber") in United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun fired a projectile 3 inches (76 mm) in diameter, and the barrel was 50 calibers long (barrel length is 3 in × 50 = 150 in or 3.8 m). Different guns (identified by Mark numbers) of this caliber were used by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard from 1890 through the 1990s on a variety of combatant and transport ship classes."

2x40mm & 10x20mm AA Guns

"Adopted by the U.S. Navy in November 1940, the Oerlikon 20 mm was operated by a crew of four: the gunner, loader, spotter, and gun captain. It provided effective short-range defense against aircraft "

8x K-Guns (Depth Charge Projectors)

"Replacing the Y-Gun in 1941 for launching of depth charges (also known as "ash cans"), the K-Gun (Mark 6, 7, and 9) laid better patterns in that the guns could be installed along a ship's topside when warranted.    U.S. Navy destroyers usually had four to six while destroyer escorts carried eight.  The range was 60 to 175 yards with flight time of 3.4 or 5.1 seconds.   In the beginning of the war, depth charge attacks were slightly successful starting around 3 percent rising to around 30 percent damaged and 30 percent sunk at the end of the war."   

1x Hedgehog Projector

"The Hedgehog was a forward-throwing anti-submarine weapon that was used primarily during the Second World War. The device, which was developed by the Royal Navy, fired up to 24 spigot mortars ahead of a ship when attacking a U-boat."

Depth charges racked and ready on deck.

And now inside the ship's wheelhouse

The communication system doesn't look too high tech.

But we do have a clear view out the porthole of the guns on deck and the seas ahead.

The CIC Combat Information Center

where men and the equipment were that track air, surface and  sub-surface

contacts to analyze, evaluate and pass on to those commanding the ship.

The information was gathered using radar, sonar, and radio contacts.

The officer's quarters are a little larger on this ship

He has his own "head" and a rug, fancy.

The kitchen has a larger stove to cook for the 8 officers and 201 enlisted.

The mixmaster looks industrial enough for the job at hand.

The Galley coppers can handle a lot of soup.

"The galley on most ships had a kitchen, a butcher’s station, and a bakery. Most of the equipment was massive to accommodate the huge portions required to feed a large crew. The kitchen contained ovens, griddles, and large steam pots called “coppers.” The baker had man- sized stand mixers, and the butcher had band saws capable of cutting up whole sides of beef."

I was a little surprised to see an ice cream machine.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Jim found it a little easier to get around on the ship.

With 33 guys in here, they would probably not describe it as easy to get around.

Three cooks slept in the mess.

The hatch went down below to food storage.

We had fun exploring the ship and the submarine,

especially since the whole time is was just the two of us on board.

After exploring the vessels we spent some time at the park here.

Sea Wolf Park provided us a picnic table to have lunch at while

 enjoying the view of the Port Bolivar.

Industrial ships floated by heading for port or out to sea.

The pelicans and fishermen were more interested in fishing.

We did not see anyone pull in a fish, but there were plenty of folks out trying their luck.

Some boats appeared to be in a holding pattern, waiting for their turn in the port.

The boat in the foreground is a free ferry that goes 

from Galveston to Bolivar Point.

Jim and I are planning on taking a trip on the ferry.

That's a blog for another day.

It's Saturday game day today so

GO IRISH !