Review: USS Nautilus and Submarine Museum in Groton, Connecticut

The USS Nautilus is one of the most important ships in American history. As the country's first nuclear-powered vessel, the submarine ranks with the likes of Old Ironsides, the Monitor and Merrimac and the Arizona in naval lore. Today, visitors to Groton, Connecticut can tour the Nautilus at its permanent home in the Submarine Force Museum.

Built in Groton, Connecticut and commissioned in 1954, the Nautilus spent 25 years in the service of the U.S. Navy. It set countless records for speed and distance. In 1958, it completed a top-secret mission under to polar ice cap to the North Pole. All told, the Nautilus traveled more than half a million miles while submerged beneath the sea. She was the forerunner of an entire fleet of U.S. and Soviet nuclear submarines that would come to symbolize the cold war.

In 1980, the Nautilus was decommissioned after a quarter-century of service. Shortly after, she was named a National Historic Landmark. In the mid-1980s she returned to Groton and was opened to the public.

Today the Nautilus is the featured exhibit at the Submarine Force Museum and Library, operated by the U.S. Navy. Groton, Connecticut bills itself as "the submarine capital of the world," and with good reason. During World War II, the Electric Boat Company - the city's largest employer - was turning out a new submarine every two weeks. The U.S. Navy's primary sub base - Naval Submarine Base New London - is located on the Thames River there.

Visitors to the museum can see rotating exhibits from the 33,000-item collection. Exhibits include recreations of two different submarine attack centers, and three operational periscopes through which you can see ships operating in the Thames River.

But the highlight for any visitor to the museum is the chance to walk the decks of the historic Nautilus submarine. After a walk across a ramp, over water and onto the sub's deck, visitors descend below to experience the torpedo room and the tiny berthing area for crew members. Slightly larger accommodations for officers are also accessible. The attack and control centers of the sub are fascinating, and the tour concludes at the aft of the sub with a look at the crew mess.

The Nautilus is open every day but Tuesdays (except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day). Maintenance is conducted for a week in April and November, which also closes the sub to the public. The Submarine Force Museum is located on the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut - just off Exit 86 on Interstate 95. It is a two-hour drive from Boston and a two-and-a-half-hour drive from New York City. There is no admission charge for the museum or the Nautilus tour.