A Diesel/Electric Submarine That Was Used During The Cold War And Is Now Part Of The Oregon Museum Of Science And Industry
The chief fear of any submarine crewmember is developing a hole in the pressure hull, according to William Diltz, a tour guide on the U.S.S. Blueback, a decommissioned Barbell-class submarine on display at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland Oregon.
The submarine, anchored on the Willamette River, is now an interactive museum for the public. The submarine, which was built in 1957 and decommissioned in the 1990s, has a huge hole that was cut in its side to facilitate entrance by the public, an ironic final modification in the submarine’s long history. In this case, Diltz is glad the hole is there because it means he can share the historic boat and his experiences on submarines with the public, which will not have to shimmy down the narrow 25-inch original hatch to see inside.
Diltz, who retired as a petty officer after 12 years in the Navy, served on submarines like the Blueback as well as nuclear submarines before leaving the navy in 1978. Along with taking the public through the actual submarine, he shares his experiences of serving for months at a time in the cramped quarters of America’s underwater “listening” fleet.
Diltz said in addition to the Blueback, there were two other submarines built at the same time in its “class” and which were “laid down” in 1959 after sea trials.
“The submarine had a typical crew of 8 officers, 77 enlisted men, and could stay under water for 4.5 days,” he said.
Unlike her nuclear powered cousins, the Blueback was the last of a line of diesel/electric subs that were developed during the Cold War. When operating under water the Blueback depended on a huge array of batteries to power the electric motor and other equipment. But when battery power ran out, they could surface to “snorkel level” and run a diesel engine to resupply the batteries, exchange air in the submarine and do other functions. When using the snorkel or on the surface they could move around with their diesel engines.
Although the Blueback could stay under water for days, the more the crew did, the more drag on the batteries it pulled. With nuclear submarines, which were emerging when the Blueback was created, they could operate underwater much longer, said Diltz.
“In a nuclear submarine you have a nuclear reactor, what we called a ‘tea kettle’ that was always hot,” he said. “It’s working on everything to keep you underwater. If we didn’t need food or other supplies, the boat could stay under water for 25 years because you’re manufacturing your own air.”
But with the superior technology of the nuclear age, why did the Blueback even exist? Diltz said if it wasn’t for classes of diesel/electric subs like the Blueback, the United States nuclear fleet wouldn’t be what it is today.
“The Barbell class was the model for all of our nuclear submarines,” Diltz said. “All of the equipment on that sub was continuously updated, so all the new technologies that were going to be used in nuclear submarines were going to be tested out in the Barbell class subs first.”
Not only that, while nuclear submarines were being developed and perfected, Barbell-class submarines like the Blueback were being continuously used.
“Diesel/electric subs are extremely quiet so it was utilized as an intelligence gathering platform, listening to other ships,” Diltz said. “It was used for dropping off Navy Seals for missions, and using the subs as training vehicles.”
Also, most of the world, when the Blueback was operating, didn’t have nuclear subs, so the ship served as a perfect analogue for the country’s nuclear fleet when conducting military training.
Part of the reason that the submarine is in Portland was due in part to then Gov. Mark Hatfield, who fought to have it moored in the city as a museum after it was decommissioned in 1990.
“There was a great deal of thought to not just turn this into recycled razor blades,” Diltz said. “And our museum is a science museum so it was a good fit. It took four years and a lot of people doing a lot of work and fundraising and building it to be adaptable for a museum.”
The tour opened in 1994 and much of its impetus is in relating the experience of spending time on a submarine. Diltz said when people walk into the side hatch of the submarine they are amazed often, by the fact that a large share of the sub is underwater.
“Two thirds of the boat is underwater,” he said. “It’s a city underwater. Everything you use every day is encapsulated every day is in one small submarine. The public is always amazed to see how tiny these spaces are…how it looks really cramped when you’re sleeping in bunk beds. You expect to get a lot of conversations from the people on tour but you [mostly] don’t… most people have that ‘deer in headlights’ feeling. They’re so overpowered they can’t say a word.”
One of Diltz’s favorite visitors to the boat is the men who actually served on it during its tenure in the Navy.
“They’ll come on board the submarine and they love to tell stories,” he said.
However, sometimes taking the 40-minute tour is not enough. Some want to stay longer. Those participants can bring their sleeping bag and tooth brush.
“We offer what we call a ‘Sub-In’ (an overnight sleep over on the Blueback),” Diltz continues. “Generally it is an event scheduled for scout school groups and even parties [that] parents plan for their children.”
Diltz said the minimum group size is 30 which requires the supervision one adult per three children. The maximum number the sub can hold for the excursions is 54 people.
“It is an overnight on the submarine but also includes an evening at our OMSI facilities with events scheduled during the evening and staffed by a special evening events group,” he relates. “The cost is $55 per person.”
One fact that Diltz will discuss on tours is the fact that up until 2010, it was perfectly fine to smoke cigarettes on a submarine.
“About 60 percent of the people smoked, but we always said ‘everyone smokes’ because you were getting second hand smoke,” he said. This kind of practice was facilitated by air scrubbers on the submarine, which continuously cleaned the oxygen. Diltz, who spent more than 120 days total in a sub, said when coming to the surface there are often problems with depth perception, as well as the air.
“You get nauseated for a bit, but then it passes,” he said. “This is because you’re breathing extremely pure air in the submarine, but not outside” which adds to the irony.
Another consideration that is often overlooked when serving on board a sub is access to fresh vegetables. Diltz said on boats like the Blueback there would only be enough fresh vegetables to last for about a month before they were expired.
“After that everything came from a can, so one of the major things we liked after getting back to port was fresh vegetables,” he said. “If we had a choice between a big salad and a steak, we would take the salad.”
Diltz said he is happy discussing his experiences with the public serving on submarines and said having the Blueback on display is important because it exhibits much of the technology that has been used in the military for decades.
“In fact, when you think about it, the submarine was one of the first hybrid vehicles,” he said.
Jason Ogden
A graduate of Central Michigan University in Journalism, Jason has served as a news reporter for the Oscoda County Herald, Oscoda Press and Iosco County News-Herald. He is also an avid fisherman.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Columbia River RV Park, the premiere RV site for travelers and long-term residents in the Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA area. With sites that are paved with full hookups (20/30/50 amp).