U.S. Naval Museum, Submarine Annex, Washington, DC

[SeaLordOne@aol.com]

Ken Martindale,

I recommend the Naval Museum at the Washington Navy Yard.  It is on the 
Anacostia River, with an entrance around 8th and M Streets, South East.  It 
is open every day in the summer...they probably have a web page.

The museum has some hard hats, a submersible mockup or two, models of WWII 
American and German Boats, and a "control room" with periscopes you can peek 
through.  But the neat stuff is in the submarine annex.  Because it is 
nothing but a beat-up old warehouse with dim lighting, located out in the 
parking lot, 99% of visitors don't go there.  It has one Italian, one 
Japanese and one German WWII midget sub.  The Italian "pig" is tiny, the 
Japanese boat is welded shut, but the Seahund is great!  The hatch is open 
and there are slits cut in the side, so you can get a really good look at the 
interior. 

I go there in the winter time, when I am able to walk around the annex 
completely alone for as much as an hour.  I am not sure about what it is like 
in the season.  The last time I was there I crawled up the side of the 
Seehund, popped down the hatch, and spent about 30 minutes inside of her.  I 
wish I had had my camera with me.  I did take some notes.  I know that Brian 
Danielson has been inside a Seehund also, but his was a trash-heap inside, 
having been sealed for years, while this one is clean and tidy.

That was a year ago.  They may have cleaned up the exhibit by now, or added a 
bit of security.  But go ahead and take your camera, on the outside chance 
that you can spend a little time inside the hull.  To get to the annex, stand 
outside the front door of the museum, facing away from the doors.  Look 
straight ahead, then look 45% to the left.  That beat up old warehouse you 
see across the parking lot is the "Submarine Annex".  If the door is closed, 
go over anyway, and see if you can get in.  When in doubt, tell the guy in 
the bookstore inside the main museum that you would like to visit the annex.

Best of Luck,

Doug Farrow