Inside a Nuclear Submarine USS Nautilus at Submarine Force Museum (4K)

We visited the Submarine Force Library & Museum and got to go inside a real Nuclear Submarine in the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) at Groton, Connecticut. It is retired, of course, but it was fascinating to see the various stations of the sub, including the cramped living quarters and showers (and we thought cruise ships showers were small, lol).
The museum itself offered many fascinating exhibits, models, and scraps of former submarines. Some of the more interesting ones we saw included the McCann Submarine Rescue Chamber
, Bushnell Turtle (first submarine in combat), a 1/6th scale model of the USS Gato (SS 212), USS X-1 (a midget submarine), and the remnants of the NR-1 Deep Submergence vessel.
We got lucky- as our tour was ending a live and real nuclear submarine was returning to the naval base here after completing a mission, and we got some footage of her sailing in with the help of a tugboat.
Admissions is free, and parking is complimentary as well. So if you're in the Connecticut area we definitely recommend this as a family friendly, historic and fun museum to check out.
This was from our visit to New England during the Summer of 2019.
#submarine #navy

[@luistpuig]

memories, thanks for posting. MM1/SS United States Navy, 1087-2008, Retired.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

You're very welcome- thank you for your service!

[@brandonklotz1207]

3yrs late and I mean no disrespect in any way but how did you serve 21 years and only made 1st class? Did you piss someone off?

[@moonbatxray]

My qualification boat 1979. First and Finest. It was pretty cool to tell my friends at home "ya I drove the worlds first nuke sub".

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Nice- not a lot of people can say that! Thank you for your service!

[@michaelweinmann3679]

I toured the Nautilus when she was still active, back in '77 while attending Basic Enlisted Submarine School (BESS). So very strange to see her with all that plexiglass.

[@SSN515]

Yeah. I used to assist with insurance inspections on Bowfin and Pampanito when I was active duty subs. They "upgraded" in the past few years and everything is "closed off" and they put "tour guides" in every compartment. Kind of ruins the whole "experience". I'd rather go to Disneyworld.

[@bobsaget2762]

do you know any details about the reactor compartment, doesnt seem to be any images or plans for that section, nor the aft section either

[@michaelweinmann3679]

The reactor and engineering spaces are still restricted to the general public. The are currently classified Secret and Top Secret.

[@joevignolor4u949]

@@bobsaget2762 The reason given for keeping the reactor and engineering spaces classified is because they don't want foreign agents from hostile countries such as Iran or North Korea taking the public tour and learning how to build nuclear submarines. Its unfortunate that people can't see the reactor on the tour but that's just how it is.

[@billimplom6610]

I helped decommission this boat back in the 1970s at Mare Island Naval Shipyard Vallejo California. I was an apprentice machinist at the time.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

It's great to hear from someone who played a direct role in the Nautilus's history. Thank you for sharing & your work on the Nautilus!

[@cleenlivin]

Thanks for the tag along. I want to go there one day. So amazing to see the grandfather of all modern day nuclear submarines. I thought the USS Nautilis was small and cramped but actually seems relatively spacious inside.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

You bet- thanks commenting! 🙏

[@jakerazmataz852]

It's great this famous vessel is kept as a museum. So many old ships and subs are not being taken care of. That was great timing at the end.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

A fantastic experience, and yeah that was amazing with an actual working sub sailing past!

[@jakerazmataz852]

@@TravelTouristVideos My Dad took us to South St. Seaport in NYC many times. And the Constitution. He actually worked it the WTC when the paint was still wet. It's great to hear your son in the background. He will remember it forever. If you ever get to NJ. The Battle ship in Camden is pretty cool. There is also the aquarium. A ferry across the river gets you to the sub Becuna and the WW1 Cruiser Olympia. My great, great, grandfather was stationed on her sister ship the Maine. when she blew up. He wasn't on board though. If you're not familiar with the Maine explosion, it was a pretty big thing.😁 You could make a weekend of it.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks for the suggestions on the battleship in Camden, Becuna & the Olympia- my son is actually quite interested in military ships. 👍 You and your family have experienced a lot of history in the area!

[@jimwright1148]

Fantastic museum,visited in 2001,My pal's girfriend's dad Roger took me,showed me his seat when he was radio op onboard

[@1982Nels]

Nautilus is currently closed due to Covid. Glad the video is here.

[@luciusvorenus9445]

She is back open!

[@thomasdaily4363]

They did such an awesome job of putting the museum and the Nautilus together. I was stationed at NSSF from 1982 to 1985. I remember the display subs (minus Nautilus) being on the sidewalk outside Sub School. Also, stood topside watch on NR-1 for a month. Good memories.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks for your service!

[@Bigrockets101]

They decommissioned Nautilus after Electric Boat sat her on the wrong drydock blocks and bent the hull. It would have been too costly to repair. This was after a lengthy overhaul that cost the taxpayers plenty of money. Electric Boat shrugged their shoulders said oops and still got plenty of new contracts after that. The Commanding Officer of the sub I was on was the last CO of Nautilus. Cptn. Duke. W. Cockfield. He was a great CO.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you for your service! And thanks for some of the history on the Nautilus!

[@GaryMCurran]

The 'crazy masks in the gallery are part of the EABS, or Emergency Air Breathing System. Spread throughout the ship were bags containing these masks, and in the case of a fire or other event, that would be donned and then connected to a series of pipes in the overhead that had air to breathe. Every crewmember would put one on, from the Captain on down to the newest sailor. Lives depended on those.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

That's great to know- thank you!

[@johnwalker4251]

Thanks for posting this, its great!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Our pleasure! Thanks for the comment!

[@michaelward9880]

I was going to BESS before they opened up Nautilus to the public. I'd love to return and tour the boat and the rest of the museum. I served on USS Ray (SSN-653) and there are a lot of differences between the two.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you for your service!

[@navyskaterdude]

My friend John Teixeira, "Tex" was a Plank Owner on USS Nautilus. He and his wife Ronnie were my neighbors in the Oceanview Area of Norfolk VA for years. He was from my home state of Massachusetts originally(Taunton). Tex was a Salty Navy Guy with a Big Heart. I loved him and Ronnie. RIP Tex and Ronnie

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks for sharing. We thank Tex for his service, and may he and Ronnie RIP.

[@kyjuan89]

Love from Bayview, Norfolk VA ❤️

[@bluebird2833]

WOW, that’s such a cool place to visit, especially for small boys.....they’ll love the place. Thanks for bring us to explore all these different cool places!🥰

[@TravelTouristVideos]

It was very interesting for sure & educational- thanks for commenting!

[@oliverroycroft1082]

I went to this place when I was a little boy. I would love to go back someday.

[@johnbockelie3899]

I love the Nautilus ( Capt. Nemo version) above the entrance. How did they get it from Disney?.

[@johnbockelie3899]

Submarine sailors , big subs, big balls. " The silent service".

[@phil20_20]

Thanks for sharing!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Our pleasure- thanks for commenting!

[@markpowell1031]

at 4:30 i believe that's the door to the reactor compartment tunnel

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Ah- no wonder it's authorized personnel only.

[@WilliamParmley]

Very nice, thanks!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Glad you enjoyed it- thanks for commenting!

[@mdb831]

I think that was the USS Toledo coming home from deployment @ 10:36

[@georgeburns7251]

Great video,.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@angloaust1575]

The original jules verne one was better Windows To observe the surrounding scenery No nasty torpedoes Better comforts!

[@luciusvorenus9445]

Here is a great Behind the Scene series on The Nautilus : kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYrYY4yFbLh-hbc

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks for that!

[@williamcloyessr.229]

OH YA “”DBF””....nucs....smirks....!!!!!!!!!

[@AAa-cf1oe]

🧡💚💗💜❤😊😄

[@TravelTouristVideos]

🙏😊🥰

[@tedwardfox]

I have been on USS Nautilus before and had to give you a thumbs down for this video. Too little detail, too fast on the cutting away from interesting things and not enough time to read signs. This also could have used some narration after the fact to describe what people are seeing. You needed to keep the camera on things and not swinging aroound so much. Sorry… not a great video from a technical point.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks for the feedback- we'll try to do better next time!

[@MrEjidorie]

It`s really interesting to see the inside of the first nuclear-powered submarine. Compared with conventionally-powered submarines at that time, USS Nautilus was huge, but the living space of this submarine reminds me of stifling "Capsule Hotels" in Japan.

[@johnnyallred3753]

Great video tour of the USS NAUTILUS. I am reading NAUTILUS 90 NORTN BY then Cmrd, William R. ANDERSON and the north pole crossing "Operation Sunshine". Thank you!.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the video tour! Didn't know there was a book that featured the Nautilus- thanks for that!

[@riderstrano783]

I’ve been here too many times to count, and I live about 7-ish minutes away. It’s so weird to see it in a video

[@jacobharris5281]

Definitely strange, i lived in Navy Housing close by and only went to the sub twice I think.

[@RUGER5264]

Wow

[@kennethmcconkey711]

Have been to this museum. It it a wonderful place. The Nautilus was awesome. But a sad moment in the museum is the wall with all the subs and the names of the sailors and civilians (USS Thrasher) that are on the wall. A humbling site to see.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

💯!

[@MrChainsawAardvark]

Was there any sort of portal or marker to see the reactor space? Or has that been filled with concrete or something to render it safe? Things look a little more luxurious, but its not too unrecognizable compared to when I toured the WWII USS Silversides on display in Michigan.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

If there was one we didn't see it, but yeah that would have been interesting to see the area. For safety I am pretty certain that any radioactive material has been removed.

[@gapratt4955]

Engine room is off limits for safety and security reasons. Want to see this area, be one of the lucky nukes there for training who get an exclusive tour. Yes, portions of the that area is still classified.

[@gapratt4955]

@@edwardsajl As much tradition as to show them what the systems they will be working on evolved from.

[@JohnAdams-qc2ju]

@@gapratt4955 Well modern vs this sub look extremely similar (hard to tell for some with the walkway making it look different for avg joe to walk around) but if you ignore that then it has very similar systems but updated. The reactor/engine room must be very similar as well so it'll never be shown. Fow how old it was they seem to closely prefected layout/system/design on the first nuke. However, if anyone wants to see a sub reactor/engine room there are tons of photos for the older/current russian subs. It'll give you an ideal how it is done but are often more troublesome vs us subs.

[@dannywilliamson3340]

I hope they've been able to preserve that sweet, sweet aroma! My sea bag still had that "Eau de Boat" a year after I got out.

[@michaelmcfeely6588]

I visited the Nautilus many years ago, and found that the interesting parts of the sub were off limits. I would recommend a visit to a WWII diesel/electric sub. The machinery is easy to see.

[@armr6937]

Nuke stuff sure is airtight... Perhaps when they make fusion reactors we'll catch a glimpse lol

[@justinp6067]

A lot of the stuff on here is still classified to this day

[@richardcranium2581]

USS Drum in Mobile AL is a good one

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

Fantastic boat. Fantastic vid! Thanks for sharing, and greets from the Netherlands! T.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you- really appreciate that! 🙏

[@johnbockelie3899]

Imagine, day after day, this was your world. USS Nautilus. 571.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

That's hard to imagine for sure what the brave sailors had to good through- definitely thankful of their sacrifice.

[@garymartin6987]

For upwards of 90 days at a time, as that's pretty much all the provisions that could be packed aboard in a single go. And the crew would be walking on top of #10 size cans stacked in all the passageways at that.

[@pricelessppp]

Nice little tour! I went to the little sub museum in kings bay Georgia when I was little! 🙂

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Appreciate that- thanks for watching & commenting! 🙏

[@J.A.Hansen]

I had the Nautilus from Revell and it was a greatnmodell😕

[@henri8933]

I was there today

[@TravelTouristVideos]

How did you like it?

[@alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723]

That was cool

[@TravelTouristVideos]

💯

[@Joe-uo9wv]

When I was a kid in the sea cadets we went to the base and I remember a navy guy came on board the bus and said the sub was secret and no pictures or you'll be arrested.. We could only see it from about 1/4 + mile away. I'm 68 and to can walk freely on it. Times have changed.

[@MrEjidorie]

The USS Nautilus is already decommissioned, and she is no longer top secret. But nuclear-powered submarines in active service are still off-limits to unauthorized people.

[@Swanlord05]

Ole asian girl with the sun hat was beautiful

[@grandmastert01]

Really liked the video I’m planning on going with the kids this weekend now I know they will like the museum

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Have a great time!

[@gapratt4955]

Anyone going to see the Nautilus and looking for a great place for lunch, I recommend the Groton Inn coffee shop on 12 right down the road from the base. When heading back to the interstate you cannot miss it, on the right a little past the strip clubs!

[@jamesnull5415]

Very informative. Thank you for posting this. Very well done!🇺🇸

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Glad you enjoyed it- thanks for the comment!

[@johnbockelie3899]

Get up too fast in those bunks you will knock your self.out!.

[@garymartin6987]

@@johnbockelie3899 You'll only do that once. You'll wear that waffle imprint from the bunk light on your forehead for at least a week afterward. Don't ask me how I know this :)

[@lainiwaku]

wonder why they put crew quarter there, they need to pass by reactor/ engine room, every time they want to go in their quarter !

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Yeah I'm not sure. The only thing I can think of is perhaps the heat from the engines help warm the crew quarters.

[@garymartin6987]

Submarines are built, first and foremost to be weapons delivery systems. All other considerations are secondary. With all of the primary systems in place the crew accommodations are added. Bunks are placed wherever there is room. I've bunked in the torpedo room, on the skids, right next to Mk48 (and Mk37) torpedoes.

[@VA3ELX]

Where was the reactor kept? They still keep that closed off?

[@SSN515]

They pulled the reactor and it's in reactor disposal. Looks like they won't let people go aft, which is where a lot of interesting stuff is located. Too bad. They would probably tell you it's "classified", but aft on that boat is dinosaur compared to aft on the 637, 688, and higher boats.

[@joevignolor4u949]

@@SSN515 The reactor vessel is still there but all the nuclear fuel has been removed. The reason given for keeping the reactor and engineering spaces classified is because they don't want foreign agents from hostile countries such as Iran or North Korea taking the public tour and learning how to build nuclear submarines. Its unfortunate that people can't see the reactor on the tour but that's just how it is.

[@oyepk1793]

All I see are Chinese