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Visiting the museum... without permission.
Located right beside the tranquil Arkansa River, the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum opened on May 31, 2005. Since then, nearly 300,000 families from 50 states and 81 countries have visited the museum.
I was probably the second visitor from Vietnam to visit this museum, after the visitor from Ho Chi Minh City.
The museum is also the only place in the world where visitors can see two surface-dwelling naval vessels that served in World War II: the tugboat Hoga – a national historic monument honored for its contributions in repelling the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Air Force – and the submarine USS Razorback – which was stationed in Tokyo Bay during Japan's official surrender at the end of World War II.
In particular, the USS Razorback (SS-394) submarine still retains 90% of its original form (apart from removing the working engine and explosives in the torpedoes). I had my first-ever experience of "crawling" into a tourist attraction (crawling down, through the doors, and climbing up to explore the hull), as well as feeling suffocated by the lack of air as I went deeper inside...
The USS Razorback submarine is the main highlight at the Arkansas Home Naval Museum.
The mission of a submarine
USS Razorback, a Balao-class submarine of the Sandlance variant, was built at Drydock #1 in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. It was launched along with its sister ships, USS Redfish (SS-395) and USS Ronquil (SS-396), on January 27, 1944. USS Scabbardfish (SS-397) was also launched at the shipyard that same day.
This was the largest single-day launch of multiple submarines in U.S. military history.
A portrait of the USS Razorback submarine.
During her training, Razorback ran aground late on May 23, 1944, at Race Rock Light, outside the New London submarine base. Initial attempts to free her failed, and Razorback was eventually forced to unload her forward gun and torpedoes before she could finally get out of the water!
Razorback conducted five combat patrols during World War II, sinking Japanese warships, capturing Japanese prisoners of war, and rescuing downed American pilots. At the end of World War II, she was one of 12 submarines selected to be present in Tokyo Bay when Japan's surrender was signed.
After World War II, Razorback operated during the Cold War, conducting surveillance patrols around Soviet ports, photographing Soviet ships, and carrying out combat training missions with US military ships and aircraft, as well as with US Coast Guard vessels and ships from Canada, the UK, and other allied nations.
In 1963, the submarine Razorback successfully rescued Vice Admiral Gerald F. Bogan and six other men after Admiral Bogan's yacht, Freedom II, sank in the Pacific Ocean en route from Hawaii to San Diego.
On June 29, 1965, Razorback was deployed to the Western Pacific for seven months before returning to the United States in early 1966. In 1967, Razorback rescued and treated two U.S. Navy crew members who parachuted from a crashed S-2E aircraft. In May 1967, Razorback recorded his 6,000th dive. On July 2, 1969, Razorback earned the Navy Medal “E” for the third time.
During this time, Razorback also participated in the Vietnam War. She received the "Vietnam Service Medal" four times and earned five stars for her glorious service during patrols in Vietnam.
On November 30, 1970, USS Razorback was sold to the Turkish Navy and renamed TCG Muratreis (S 336), serving in Submarine Squadron 1, based at Karadeniz Eregil on the Black Sea. TCG Muratreis was decommissioned on August 8, 2001.
On March 25, 2004, the Turkish Navy officially returned the ship to the United States, and it is now housed at the Arkansas Home Naval Museum.
The mysterious hull of the USS Razorback
Having paid $7.50 for a one-hour tour, I followed Skylar – a high school student with a passion for history who was volunteering for this summer program.
Skylar, the program's guide, is a high school boy who loves history.
The entire group walked along the ship's hull and then squeezed inside to explore a truly "underground" world. There were doors connecting one compartment to another that required squeezing through, and the cramped spaces made everyone feel suffocated.
After being introduced, we began our… clandestine tour.
When I asked why the English call this submarine "she," Skylar shyly replied, "I don't know." I joked that perhaps the submarine has smooth curves like a woman's body, hence the name "female," and he nodded in agreement.
Many of the things Skylar shared surprised the entire group: the submarine could hold up to 100 sailors but only had two bathrooms, one of which was reserved for the "commander," and each person was only allowed to shower once every two weeks for... 30 seconds; the canteen area also served as the ship's entertainment center with a movie screen, a chess table, etc. Currently, the museum even organizes birthday parties on board or arranges overnight stays for tour groups inside the submarine...
Exploring each compartment inside the submarine was truly like navigating a labyrinth for me.
The MK14 torpedo will be manually moved down to the launch platform before being launched.
The rooms were connected by doors that were only wide enough for one person to squeeze through.
The sailors' beds on the ship are also where tourists who book overnight tours sleep.
The crew's quick shower.
The commander's private quarters were... far more magnificent.
The cramped dining hall also served as a place for recreation and entertainment for the crew.
For those who cannot or do not wish to climb down to see inside, the museum's port area features a history gallery showcasing the naval vessels and their achievements. The museum also has a collection of artifacts from the Arkansas River.
Many artifacts are still preserved in the Arkansas Inland Naval Museum located outside the ship.
The waterfront of North Little Rock also features two memorials dedicated to the submarines USS Snook (SS-279) and USS Scorpion (SSN-589), as well as a Peace Garden where people can pray for an end to war worldwide.
And that flower garden will surely be for myself too...
Don't forget to buy a souvenir from this special trip!
It was a peaceful scene when strangers arrived; dozens of turtles from the Arkansas River surfaced to...beg for food.
