|
|
One of
my closest friends, Dr. Mike Tobin (he's a medical doctor who is also an avid student of
submarine history), sent us information about an exhibit that he discovered in the
Vancouver area. It's Russian Foxtrot submarine (the U-521) that is open to the public for
walk-through tours. Considering that we spent a lot of time dodging Foxtrots back during
our time on patrols, we thought it would be fun if we could arrange a tour of this boat.
* We are working with Martena Shaw (our cruise travel agent)
to have one of our tour buses take those of us who are interested to this Russian sub,
before returning us back to Seattle. When the Alaskan cruise ends on Thursday Sept 23rd,
we expect to disembark the ship around 9:00 am and then proceed directly to the Russian
sub's exhibit. Since we'll have two buses, the second bus can take those who
are not interested in seeing the Russian sub immediately back to Seattle. We expect this
detour to take about 2 extra hours (an hour to see the boat, time for the short drive, get
on & off the bus, etc.). The cost to tour the Russian boat is about $5.00. We may also
need to add a few dollars to keep the bus waiting on us while we tour the boat.
If you are interested, please e-mail me (Tim@VeArd.com). Before we can commit to doing
this, we need to know if there are enough of us who want to do the tour to make it
feasible for one bus to make this detour.
* Note: There is a small chance that this tour will have to be cancelled.
We've learned that the exhibitor, Russian Submarine B.C. Ltd.,
has filed for bankruptcy protection in bankruptcy court of Vancouver, British Columbia,
mostly because of the difficulties with their other Russian sub (a "Juliett") in
St. Petersburg, Florida. They are currently still letting people tour the boat, but
the owner is looking for a site in the United States to move the sub to. |
Click here to visit another web site
that describes this submarine and also has more pictures from below decks. |
|
 |
| Foxtrot
class submarines could stay at great depth for four consecutive days. Then they had to
climb up to 7 metres (snorkel depth) to refresh the air and recharge the generators and
batteries. A submarine's major weapon was the torpedo. Instead of torpedoes, the submarine
could also hold 44 sea mines that could be placed by means of the torpedo launching tubes.
Sometimes the submarine also carried both torpedoes and sea mines. The crew consisted of
12 officers, 12 petty officers, a political commissioner and 50 sailors, among whom many
conscripts who served on board the same unit for up to three years. After the first dive
each conscript was given the option to leave if he could not cope, which was vital to the
morale. All crew members were attached to one of the following five divisions: Navigation,
Torpedoes, Propulsion, Energy, Connections and Helmsmen. Under normal navigational
circumstances a twenty-four hour four guard mounts system was applied, in which every crew
member was on duty for two six hour periods. On board the submarine there were no laundry
facilities, and only 3 lavatories. One shower used sea water heated by the engines and
taking a shower was only possible once every 3 days when the vessel surfaced. Six cooks,
with 2 on duty at all times provided 4 meals a day, which were - to Soviet standards -
described as excellent. There were wine rations of 50ml per person per day, but most did
not drink it as it was not considered "real" alcohol.
The exciting mystery of life
aboard a stealth submarine is open for public viewing at New Westminster Quay, where a 300
ft. Russian Foxtrot U-521 submarine is permanently docked and open for tours. Vancouver businessmen Stan Sherman had the idea of a
submarine display in 1993. Three years, 6,000 km. and nearly $1 million dollars later,
Sherman and his partner Jim Corlett finally have the sub dockside at the Quay. Visitors touring the sub will experience ship life virtually the way Russian
sailors experienced it, including realistic sound effects. In the control room, for
example, the tour guide says: "Just a minute, I think I hear incoming," and
visitors hear the sounds of a torpedo passing right over the boat. In the motor rooms,
realistic sound effects vibrate the floor. Sonar "pings" echo in the sonar room.
This ship is no Red October, however. The sub is cramped, grey and
hard. Sailors' bunks are tucked in between engines, under stairways, wherever space
allowed. Alex Senilov, maintenance manager of the sub and former reserve Lieutenant in the
Russian Navy, describes the sub's former occupants: "These poor fellows [the sailors]
were recruited at age 18, for three years, no pay, no home... unreal... a hard
lifestyle." Vancouver resident Lili Lok loved the sub. "This is really amazing.
Really great!" Burnaby resident Ben Dirks, a former sailor, agreed. "The
fascinating thing about a submarine is the danger. It could be an iron coffin." But
Dirks said he didn't find the sub depressing at all. "Maybe to a claustrophobic it
might be scary, but not to me," he said. Tickets are $7.49
for anyone 14 and over or $5.35 for anyone 13 and under or 65 and over. New Westminster
Quay is located on the riverfront in New Westminster, and is accessible by Skytrain.
Contact Russian Sub B.C. Ltd at (604) 520-1073 for more information. |
 |
|
|
|
