Give me a ping Vasily. One ping only, please

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Flipping through our blog one could probably surmise that when Jean and I aren't hiking around somewhere there's a good chance we're in a museum. One of our Sydney favorites is the maritime museum in Darling Harbor. In addition to a multitude of interesting exhibitions covering all things nautical and Australian the museum hosts a fleet of historic ships that are open to the public to explore. Parked in the harbor there's a replica of Captain Cook's ship the Endeavor, 1768, the barque James Craig, 1874 , the destroy HMAS Vampire, 1956, and the diesel-electric submarine HMAS Onslow.

Not a hobbit hole
It's a lot fun to poke around, look through periscopes, climb through portholes, curl up in tiny little compartment bunks and recreate scenes from your favorite submarine/naval/war movies and books but what really makes the trip worthwhile is the crew of volunteer guides. These are mostly guys, average age of 68 I'd say. There are a handful on board in each craft on hand to answer questions. They are just crammed full of information. A lot of it's specific to the ship but there's a much broader base drawn from an obvious passion the guides have for history. From pontificating about an alternate history where the United States did not drop to the atomic bomb  in Japan to talking linguistics about the origin of the phrase "learning the ropes" on board a 19th century sail ship a visit to the museum is always a rich experience thanks to the volunteers.
Could someone direct me towards the caterpillar unit please? There are six active submarines in the Australian Navy. All like the decommissioned HMAS Onslow run on diesel-electric engines. Why not nuclear? Because the Indian Ocean where the Australia Navy operates is relatively shallow compared to the Atlantic Ocean. So, a nuclear submarine which can remained submerged for months is not as useful and far less economical.
Captain, I think they(tourists) mean to board us
Replica of Captain Cook's Endeavor

And we thought the submarine was tight quarters. There's only four feet of clearance on this deck.

The much roomier Captain's quarters. You know a Kindle would save you a lot of space.

Silly Jean, this cabin is for botanists, not for statisticians

We're going to have to get an extra large club for this thing

The only picture I have of the barque James Craig, 1874 because once we got on board a volunteer guide named Brian took us under wing and gave Jean and I an in depth tour of the ship and a really good history lesson. The James Craig is not a replica, this is the real deal. It has been massively refurbished and restored over the span of thirty years. It's ship shape now and a couple of a times a month the heritage society takes tour groups out sailing.
The bridge of the destroyer Vampire, 1956. Apparently, the roof was a feature only added later. Sucks to be Captain sometimes

Jean in her NRA promotional photo

Board games 19th century style. Avalon Hill, where were you when they needed you?

A nice feature. I get so sleepy in museums sometimes.
Keeping tabs on her husband
Husband at 12 o'clock. Arm the torpedoes.
    

Comments

sly said…
Have you signed up for the James Craig tour yet? It would be really fascinating to see the boat in action. What a life you have--all hiking and museums!
14 August 2012 at 07:55
Damien said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
5 September 2012 at 16:28
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