Tour A Submarine

Submarines to Tour in the USA

Atlantic Coast & Great Lakes

USS Torsk (SS-423)

The USS Torsk was launched in 1944 and operated off the Japanese coast where she was credited with the last sinking of a Japanese combat ship in World War II. She went on to serve as a training ship and other operations including the 1962 naval blockade of Cuba. She is now open for the public to tour in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

USS Cod (SS-224)

The USS Cod is a Gato class submarine commissioned in 1943. She conducted seven patrols during World War II and is credited with sinking at least 12 enemy vessels. You can tour the Cod on the shore of Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio, where she has been a museum ship since 1976.

USS Nautilus (SSN-571)

When launched in 1954, the USS Nautilus became the world's first nuclear powered submarine. In 1958 she became the first ship of any kind to cross the geographic North Pole. In 1986 she opened to the public as the main exhibit of the Submarine Force Library & Museum in Groton, Connecticut. Admission is free.

USS Batfish (SS-310)

The Batfish was launched in 1943 and served in the Pacific during World War II. In addition to sinking several enemy surface vessels, she sank three Japanese submarines during her 7 war patrols. The sub was decommissioned in 1969 and is now the featured exhibit of the USS Batfish War Memorial Park and Museum in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

USS Albacore (AGSS-569)

The Albacore was the first Navy submarine built solely for underwater performance. Her teardrop shaped hull was revolutionary when she was commissioned in 1953 and became the standard for submarine design. During her 19 year career, she was used to test and evaluate many advances in submarine system designs. She's now a museum at Albacore Park in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The museum's website is one of the best for quantity of information and photos.

USS Growler (SSG-577)

The Growler was commissioned in 1958 as one of the first guided cruise missile submarines. She served in the Pacific Ocean as a nuclear deterrent during the Cold War. Due to her diesel power limitations and inability to launch while submerged, the Growler was decommissioned in 1965 as the nuclear powered submarines entered service. She is now available to tour at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City, New York.

USS Cobia (SS-245)

Commissioned in early 1944, the Cobia is a Gato class sub that served in the Pacific theater during World War II. She sank thirteen Japanese vessels during the war. The most famous was a troop transport carrying a tank regiment and its 28 tanks to reinforce Iwo Jima. After the war Cobia served as a training vessel and was decommissioned in 1970. She is now open for touring at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

USS Becuna (SS-319)

Originally launched in 1944 as a Balao class sub, the Becuna served in the Pacific during WWII where she earned four battle stars. In 1951, Becuna was converted to a GUPPY IA and continued to serve until 1969. She is now part of the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

U-505

U-505 is a Type IXC U-boat that was commissioned in 1941 and served in World War II. She was captured on her twelfth patrol in June, 1944, by a US Navy anti-submarine Task Group led by the USS Guadalcanal. In 1954, U-505 became a war memorial to all sailors lost in the Battle of the Atlantic and a permanent exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois.

USS Ling (SS-297)

The Ling is a Balao class sub commissioned in June, 1945, right at the end of World War II. Much of her career was spent in the reserve fleet and later as a training ship. She was decommissioned in 1971 and is available for tours at the New Jersey Naval Museum in Hackensack, New Jersey. The museum also has a WWII German Seahund 2 man patrol sub and a Japanese Kaiten II 2 man sub designed for suicide missions.

USS Requin (SS-481)

The Requin is a Tench class sub commissioned in 1945. After World War II, she was converted into the US Navy's first radar picket submarine. Most of her career was spent in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, including exercises above the Arctic Circle. The Requin was decommissioned in 1968 and began her second life as a museum, first in Tampa and now in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the Carnegie Science Center.

More Submarines To Tour In The USA

Pacific Coast

USS Bowfin (SS-287)

This Balao class submarine was launched exactly one year after the Pearl Harbor attack and served in World War II. Bowfin also served as a Naval Reserve training vessel from 1960 to 1971 when she was decommissioned. She is now available to tour at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park in Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii.

B-39

This Soviet Foxtrot class sub was commissioned in 1967 and served in the Soviet Pacific fleet. She was decommissioned in 1994 and eventually found her way to San Diego where you can tour her at the San Diego Maritime Museum.

USS Dolphin (AGSS-555)

Dolphin was the US Navy's deep diving, research and development submarine for nearly forty years. A unique diesel-electric sub that performed a record dive of 3000 ft, she tested many of the Navy's sonar, communications and torpedo firing systems. Dolphin was decommissioned in 2007 and is now part of the San Diego Maritime Museum.

B-427 (aka Scorpion)

B-427 is another Soviet Foxtrot that was commissioned in 1971 and served in the Soviet Union's Pacific fleet during the Cold War. She was decommissioned in 1994 and is now alongside the Queen Mary serving as a museum ship in Long Beach, California.

Submarines To Tour In The UK

HMS Ocelot (S17)

Launched in 1962, the HMS Ocelot is a diesel electric submarine and the last built at Chatham Dockyard. She served until 1991. You can take a guided tour of her at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, England.

U-534

U-534 is a Type IXC U-boat built in 1942. She is most famous for refusing the surrender orders issued by German Admiral Dönitz in May, 1945. RAF aircraft located the sub and sank her. The wreckage was raised in 1993 and is now open to tour at the Woodside Ferry Terminal, Woodside, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England.

HMS Alliance (P417 / S67)

The Alliance was commissioned in 1947 and is the only surviving member of the Royal Navy's A-class of submarines. These subs were specially designed for long range cruises in the Pacific Ocean. In 1981 she began service as a museum and memorial to lost British submariners at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport, England.

HMS Holland 1

Launched in 1901, the Holland 1 was Great Britain's first commissioned submarine. She was decommissioned in 1913 and sank while being towed to the breakers yard. Her wreck was located in 1981 and recovered a year later. She is now on display at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport, England.

HMS X24

X24 is the only remaining British X class midget submarine. Built during World War II and designed for commando missions, the sub is 51 feet long and powered by the same diesel engine used by London buses. She is now at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport, England.

Submarines To Tour in Germany

U-995

U-995 is a Type VIIC/41 U-boat commissioned in 1943 and is the only known remaining Type VII boat. She completed 9 patrols during WWII sinking 6 ships and boats. She was in port at the end of the war, surrendered to the British and eventually ended up in the Norwegian navy renamed the Kaura. In 1965, she was decommissioned and returned to the (West) German government. She opened in 1972 as a museum at the Laboe Naval Memorial in Laboe, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Wilhelm Bauer (U-2540)

U-2540 was commissioned in 1945 and is the only Type XXI U-boat remaining. One of the most technologically advanced subs of her time, she was scuttled by her crew before the end of WWII and eventually salvaged in 1957. She was renamed the Wilhelm Bauer and used as a research vessel for the remainder of her career. You can tour her at the German Maritime Museum (Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum) in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Submarines To Tour In Russia

B-413

This diesel powered Foxtrot class submarine was launched in 1968 and served in the Soviet Northern and Russian Baltic Fleets. She was decommissioned in 1999 and is now part of the Museum of the World Ocean in Kaliningrad, Russia.

B-396

The B-396 is a Tango class submarine that served in the navy from 1980 to 2000. She has served as a museum since 2003 and is located at the Tushino reservoir in the Museum of Submarine Navy/Moscow Navy Museum in Moscow, Russia.

D-2 (Narodovolets)

The D-2 is a Soviet Dekabrist class submarine that entered service in 1931. She served in World War II and was later used as a training ship until 1987. You can take a guided tour of D-2 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Submarines To Tour In Asia

India, Japan & Turkey

JMSDF Akishio (Japan)

The Akishio is a diesel electric Yushio class sub commissioned in 1986. She served in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force until 2003 when she became an exhibit at the JMSDF Kure Museum in Kure, Japan.

INS Kursura (India)

The Kursura is a Soviet built Foxtrot class submarine. She was commissioned in 1969 and joined the Indian navy in 1970 where she was in service for 31 years. She now serves as a museum on at Ramakrishna Beach, Visakhapatnam, India.

TCG Uluçalireis / USS Thornback (Turkey)

This Tench class submarine was commissioned in 1944 as the USS Thornback (SS-418). She saw action off the coast of Japan in World War II and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet after the war. In 1971 she was transferred to Turkey and renamed TCG Uluçalireis (S-338). She served in the Turkish Navy until her decommissioning in 2000. You can tour this sub at the Rahmi M Koç Museum on the Golden Horn in Instanbul, Turkey.

Submarines To Tour In Australia

Tour A Sub Down Under

HMAS Onslow

The Onslow is an Oberon class sub launched in 1968. Her stealth missions included tracking Soviet submarines and serving as an opposing force sub during war games. In one war game exercise Onslow conducted "attacks" and "sank" 7 surface vessels! She was decommissioned in 1999 and is now an exhibit at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbor, Sydney, Australia.

HMAS Ovens

The Ovens is another Oberon class sub that was commissioned in 1969 and served during the Cold War. She was decommissioned in 1995 and became the first submarine museum ship in Australia. You can tour her at the Western Australia Maritime Museum in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Submarines To Tour In France

Le Redoutable (S-611)

The Redoutable was France's first nuclear ballistic missile submarine. She was launched in 1967 and decommissioned in 1991. In 2002 she opened as the largest tour-able submarine in the world at Cité de la mer ("city of the sea") in Cherbourg, France.

Argonaute (S-636)

Launched in 1958, the diesel powered Argonaute served over 20 years as the flagship of France's Toulon submarine squadron. She was decommissioned in 1982 and opened in 1991 as an exhibit at the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie in Paris, France.