Our museum is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the operations, science, and history of the undersea for the U.S. Navy and the people of the United States.  The rich heritage of the U.S. Navy in the undersea environment provides a foundation with which to encourage and enable lifetime learning in new ways.
The museum collections and exhibits provide the opportunity for personal discovery and learning firsthand through observation and interaction.  Authentic objects communicate ideas and concepts in vivd and intense ways that are not possible with mere words, pictures, or screen images.
You don't need special equipment to visit a museum - curiosity and alert senses will do.  If you have specific educational objectives, this guide will help you get ready for a visit.

Outside Exhibits:
In the parking lot you will see the deep diving submersible research vessels Trieste II and Deep Quest.  Trieste II completed the study of the wreckage of the lost nuclear submarine USS Thresher.  Trieste II has made dives as deep as 20,000 feet.  Deep Quest was built for geological research and also completed several salvage jobs including the recovery in 1969 of the flight recorders from two airliners that crashed near Los Angeles.
On your left you will see the sail from the submarine USS Sturgeon.  USS Sturgeon, a nuclear submarine buillt in 1963, was the first of 37 fast attack, or anti-submarine, submarines.

Lobby:
The lobby features a changing exhibit about some aspect of undersea history.  As you enter the lobby, on your left you will see the museum store and the information desk where volunteers are available to help you.  Beyond the information desk are the bathrooms and drinking fountain.  On the right wall is a large photograph taken from Apollo XVII showing the coast of Africa, Antarctica, and the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.  IN the far right corner of the lobby you will see the arched grotto which is the entrance to the exhibits.

Timeline:
After entering the grotto, your students will see on the right an exhibit which shows the evolution of materials used in undersea operations.  The opposite wall features a timeline which traces events important to undersea history beginning with the Gilgamesh Epic and continuing to the present.

Pier Room:  This room is used for temporary exhibits.  Please contact the education department to find out what will be on display whe your group visits.

Ocean Environment:
The Ocean Environment introduces students to concepts of physics, chemistry, ecology, and geology.  Exhibits focus on topics such as pressure, temperature, salinity, and sound.
The exhibit includes opportunities for hands-on investigations of buoyancy, density, and thermal properties,  The Ocean Environment includes a microscope which has prepared slides of starfish, diatoms, a sea plume, jellyfish, and granitia.  Note that anything that is blue, red, or green is part of the prepared slide; anything the students see in black and white is an imperfection on the glass.  This can be confusing.
The "Sounds in the Sea" exhibit lets students hear whales and dolphins, snapping shrimp, sea ice, and an underwater earthquake.  The exhibit also includes a video monitor showing tube worms and undersea vents.
This room also includes the AWS weather site.  THe computer provides real-time video and weather information.  This site is sometimes featured on KING TV weather reports. 

Undersea Weapons Technology:  The weapons technology exhibits show the progression of the scientific and technological developments in undersea weapons and the role of undersea weapons in major conflicts.

Mine Technology:  Significant artifacts include a reporduction of the spar torpedo from the Civil War, the Revolutionary War keg mine, and an acutal Confederate mine from the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864.  On the right, students will see mines used in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War.

Torpedo Technology:
Primary artifacts include the Howell (1890), Whitehead (1903) torpedoes and the torpedo tubes from the submarine USS Tecumseh.  One of the interesting things about this artifact is that it shows the thickness of the hull of the submarine.  The Howell torpedo is the Navy's second oldest torpedo.  It has no engine, but is propelled by stored energy from a 132-pound flywheel.  The torpedo exhibit includes a gyroscope demonstration which allows students to test several principles of physics.  Students are encouraged to spin the wheels and to then pick them up and turn them.

Submarine Technology:
At the rear of the main exhibit hall is a simulation of the control room from USS Greenling.  The exhibit includes two periscopes, ships's steering yokes and control equipment, ballast control panel, and weapons control equipment.  This exhibit uses actual equipment from USS Greenling to allow visitors to walk inside the reconstructed control room of a recent U.S. submarine.

Large Artifact Area:
In the front of the main exhibit hall is a display about the role of submarines in World War II.  This exhibit includes a World War II submarine battle flag, torpedo data computer, and a 5-minute video showing submarine operations in the Pacific.
In the right of the main exhibit hall are many large artifacts including the following:  one-person diving system, a cable controlled underwater recovery vehicle, a swimmer delivery vehicle used in the Vietnam War, and a half-scale mock-up of the deep submergence rescue vehicle used in the movie "Hunt for Red October."