Seafarers on Patriots Point

Today, April 23, Portside had watch. However, the sience students had a field trip to a school and Grice lab while the seafarer class went to patriots point and Charleston pilot station. Since I’m in the seafarer class that’s the visits I can tell you about. So the day started with us putting our rubber boat ”Berit” in water because patriots point is just across the bay from Gunilla, we then proceeded to go across in two groups. For those of you who don’t know, patriots point is a Naval and Maritime Museum.

Once we got our tickets we started the tour onboard a Submarine called the Clamagore which was commissioned at New London in June 1945, just a few weeks before the end of World War II. She spent her 30-year career operating out of Key West, Charleston and New London. You enter the sub by descending into the Forward Torpedo room. Inside you could see how the men lived during their time onboard. Next we boarded ”The ship that would not die” Also known as DESTROYER USS LAFFEY (DD-724). She was commissioned Feb 8, 1944. While operating of Okinawa on April 16, 1945, the LAFFEY was assailed by a massive air strike of 22 Japanese bombers and suicide kamikazes. Six kamikazes and four bombs struck her, killing 32 and wounding 71 crewmen. We later boarded the aircraft carrier USS YORKTOWN (CV-10). She carried a crew of 380 officers, 3,088 enlisted men, and an air group of 90 planes. Needless to say she was huge. 

The museum also featured an exhibit called ” The Vietnam Experience” witch uses state-of-the-art technology and artifacts to immerse visitors in what it was like to live and work in a US Navy Support Base during the Tet Offensive and the Battle of Khe Sahn in 1968. After four hours of walking around the area we took Berit back to Gunilla and walked over to the pilot station were we got to see their office as well as the boats they use. We stayed there for about an hour and then Portside had to walk back to Gunilla for watch keeping. The chefs’ onboard are fenomenal and the dinner consisted of a delicious lentil stew with freshly baked bread. 

Until later, Katerini, Portside.