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Soviet Foxtrot Sub surfaces in San Diego Bay :-)
EFL - good pics at the link. AP - same place as the HMS Surprise is locatedIn the late 1980s, when the United States and the Soviet Union were military rivals, Jeff Loman hunted submarines in the Pacific. From his perch aboard a Navy H-2 helicopter, the vessel he saw slicing through the waves was unmistakable. "Gotcha!" Loman thought. It was a Soviet Foxtrot-class sub, and from 500 yards away, Loman and the helicopter crew could see sailors snapping photos of the Americans aiming their cameras at them. Yesterday, Loman got a closer look at a Foxtrot submarine, and wondered if it was a second meeting. This time, the vessel was cutting through the waves of San Diego Bay, and it was on a new mission. Nicknamed "Cobra," the diesel-electric sub is the latest addition to the Maritime Museum of San Diego, and will be open to visitors beginning Memorial Day weekend. Owned by Legacy Cobra San Diego, the warship will be at the museum for at least a year. Its new berth is just a couple of blocks north of the aircraft carrier Midway, which it probably shadowed in the Pacific when the two were part of the Cold War chess game played by the United States and Soviet Union. Having both vessels on display is unique, said Ray Ashley, the museum's executive director. "These were adversaries at one time, and there's nowhere else in the world where you can see an American aircraft carrier and the vessel that hunted it," Ashley said. The museum expects the submarine to be a big draw. It hopes to capitalize on interest in the Midway and is trying to develop a partnership that would promote both museums. The Midway's 47-year career made it the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the Navy. It opened as a museum on June 7, 2004, and by mid-January it had drawn 575,000 visitors. The Maritime Museum receives about 125,000 visitors annually, but saw a spike to 190,000 last year because of the Midway's proximity. The museum wants the exhibit to be an accurate depiction of life aboard a Soviet sub during the Cold War era. The vessel will be restored as closely as possible to its active-duty appearance. Other than some text panels describing life on the ship and its history, changes will be kept to a minimum. "We want people to get a realistic idea of what it was like," museum spokesman Michael Shanahan said. The submarine is welded shut, and before anyone is allowed on board, its air will be tested for any toxicity emitted by the batteries during the journey. Web site: www.sdmaritime.org Posted by: Frank G 2005-04-22 |
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