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St. Marys, GA Submarine Museum.
http://www.fbnewsleader.com/articles/20 ... museum.txt
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Life below the waves ~~ History of submarines at museum
By Ryan Smith, News-Leader
The St. Marys Submarine Museum in St. Marys, Ga., offers a glimpse of life below the waves. The museum's exhibits trace the history of submarine warfare in the United States, with a special emphasis on World War II.
Manager John Crouse said the mysteries beneath the sea have always exerted a pull on human beings.
"Mankind was trying to go under the water since the B.C.," he said. "Initially it was by individual contraptions. Then in the 1800s, foreign countries like Russia, Germany and Britain started getting into it. The United States was a little slow."
Although the Confederates used a submarine to sink a warship during the Civil War, the first official U.S. Navy submarine - the U.S.S. Holland - was not commissioned until 1900. Since then, Crouse said, subs have become an integral part of naval warfare.
"They're the most stealthy war system we've got," he said. "Aircraft carriers can go out and do what they need to do, and destroyers can do what they need to do, but submarines can park wherever they want, and nobody will know they're there."
The museum has a large collection of submarine memorabilia, from both the U.S. Navy and private collectors.
"The Navy items we have on loan to us are a Type 8 periscope, a ship control panel, a ballast control panel, a watertight door and several other items from a decommissioned submarine," Crouse said. "From individuals we have hundreds of photos, models and miscellaneous artifacts."
The museum also has a library full of primary source documents from submarine crews.
"We have probably the largest collection of paper copies of World War II patrol reports in the country," Crouse said. "We have near 1,700 reports."
The museum has gained many new exhibits over the last few years. In fact, Crouse said, a man who ran a sub museum in Connecticut left the St. Marys museum all of his artifacts in his will.
"In 2003 we were bequeathed the Ben Bastura museum and library," Crouse said. "About 10 of our display cases are from Ben's museum. He had 13 file cabinets - that's one reason we have those World War II reports. He went to the Naval Archives and told them to give him everything they had on World War II submarines."
The museum also raised the money for a prominent display at the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Kings Bay, Ga.
"In front of Kings Bay sub base ... is the U.S.S. George Bankroft," Crouse said. "We raised the money for that display - a little over $70,000. It's the only full-scale surfacing sub on display in the country."
In addition, the museum coordinates veterans' events.
"Submarine Veterans Inc., (an association of) World War II sub vets, holds monthly meetings here," Crouse said. "And for the World War II sub vets, we coordinate the annual World War II Sub Vet Memorial Service."
Although the Navy has loaned it some artifacts, the museum is not affiliated with the military, Crouse said.
"We're totally independent. We have to raise 100 percent of our income through donations and gifts, and we have a gift shop and entrance fees," he said. "We have four (paid) employees and we're always looking for volunteers. Currently our major project, for the last two years, has been typing World War II reports into the computer, so we're always looking for (volunteer) typists to work at home."
Crouse has good reason to be passionate about submarines]http://stmaryssubmuseum.com[/url].
http://www.fbnewsleader.com/articles/20 ... museum.txt
URL has six photographs.
Life below the waves ~~ History of submarines at museum
By Ryan Smith, News-Leader
The St. Marys Submarine Museum in St. Marys, Ga., offers a glimpse of life below the waves. The museum's exhibits trace the history of submarine warfare in the United States, with a special emphasis on World War II.
Manager John Crouse said the mysteries beneath the sea have always exerted a pull on human beings.
"Mankind was trying to go under the water since the B.C.," he said. "Initially it was by individual contraptions. Then in the 1800s, foreign countries like Russia, Germany and Britain started getting into it. The United States was a little slow."
Although the Confederates used a submarine to sink a warship during the Civil War, the first official U.S. Navy submarine - the U.S.S. Holland - was not commissioned until 1900. Since then, Crouse said, subs have become an integral part of naval warfare.
"They're the most stealthy war system we've got," he said. "Aircraft carriers can go out and do what they need to do, and destroyers can do what they need to do, but submarines can park wherever they want, and nobody will know they're there."
The museum has a large collection of submarine memorabilia, from both the U.S. Navy and private collectors.
"The Navy items we have on loan to us are a Type 8 periscope, a ship control panel, a ballast control panel, a watertight door and several other items from a decommissioned submarine," Crouse said. "From individuals we have hundreds of photos, models and miscellaneous artifacts."
The museum also has a library full of primary source documents from submarine crews.
"We have probably the largest collection of paper copies of World War II patrol reports in the country," Crouse said. "We have near 1,700 reports."
The museum has gained many new exhibits over the last few years. In fact, Crouse said, a man who ran a sub museum in Connecticut left the St. Marys museum all of his artifacts in his will.
"In 2003 we were bequeathed the Ben Bastura museum and library," Crouse said. "About 10 of our display cases are from Ben's museum. He had 13 file cabinets - that's one reason we have those World War II reports. He went to the Naval Archives and told them to give him everything they had on World War II submarines."
The museum also raised the money for a prominent display at the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Kings Bay, Ga.
"In front of Kings Bay sub base ... is the U.S.S. George Bankroft," Crouse said. "We raised the money for that display - a little over $70,000. It's the only full-scale surfacing sub on display in the country."
In addition, the museum coordinates veterans' events.
"Submarine Veterans Inc., (an association of) World War II sub vets, holds monthly meetings here," Crouse said. "And for the World War II sub vets, we coordinate the annual World War II Sub Vet Memorial Service."
Although the Navy has loaned it some artifacts, the museum is not affiliated with the military, Crouse said.
"We're totally independent. We have to raise 100 percent of our income through donations and gifts, and we have a gift shop and entrance fees," he said. "We have four (paid) employees and we're always looking for volunteers. Currently our major project, for the last two years, has been typing World War II reports into the computer, so we're always looking for (volunteer) typists to work at home."
Crouse has good reason to be passionate about submarines]http://stmaryssubmuseum.com[/url].
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