Visiting the U.S.S. COD Memorial

In Cleveland, just a short walk from the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center, there is a lesser talked about attraction: the U.S.S. COD. It is a World War II submarine.

Kept in existence only by the admission fees, this piece of war history is in great condition. The admission price is only $6 for adults, and even less for children. Kids under six get in free. The sub is open for tours from May 1st through September 30th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The submarine is not handicap accessible, as no modifications have been made to it. To enter, one must use the same hatches and ladders the original crew used.

You begin the self guided tour by boarding through the forward escape trunk. Six of the sub's ten torpedo tubes are in the forward end of this compartment.

There are bunks in the torpedo rooms, which were actually preferred to the bunks in the After Battery room because they were cooler and quieter.
Next you go through the Forward Battery area. Its name comes from the 126 lead-acid batteries that are stored below the main deck. They are contained in a rubber lined space. This area contained the officers' shower, pantry, staterooms, and the wardroom.

Only the captain had a private cabin, which can be identified by depth gauge and compass repeater at the foot of his bed. The Chief Petty Officers' stateroom and office are at the end of the Forward Battery passageway.

Next is the Control Room. All of the controls used to dive, surface, and keep the sub level are housed here. The indicator board was also known as the Christmas Tree because of all the red and green lights used to warn of open valves and hatches when preparing to dive.

To dive, the submarine's hydraulic manifold levers flood the COD's ballast. The WW II subs could reach a depth of 62 feet in less than 45 seconds. To surface, the sub has a bank of air valves on the opposite side of the compartment that can be filled with up to 3000 psi of compressed air.
The red lighting in this room was used throughout the night so that anyone who had to go topside was already acclimated to the darkness.

The Conning Tower is directly above the control room; you can't enter the Conning Tower, but you can climb to the top of the ladder and have a peek inside.
The tower is the attack center of the sub. The main steering, periscopes, and torpedo fire buttons are all located within the Conning Tower. It can hold up to 11 men.

From the Control Room, you can enter into the After Battery Compartment. This area is above the second set of batteries in the sub. In this area you'll find the cooking area and mess tables. To feed all the crew, they would have to eat in three shifts, as the tables only held up to 24 men. The mess area also functioned as a movie theatre and recreational area for the men.

Below the deck are the refrigerated compartment and the ammunition locker. The locker also doubled as a jail for Japanese prisoners rescued from the water. The After Battery Compartment also holds 36 bunks, two toilets, two showers, and a laundry facility.

Next up is the Forward Engine Room. It holds the four 1600 horsepower diesel engines. When the diving alarm would sound the engines stop and the power for the sub is provided by the 252 battery cells.

There are two fresh water stills in this compartment for distilling sea water for use by the crew and the batteries. Since water was limited, the crew had a steep learning curve for water conservation.

The next area is the After Engine Room. It holds the second pair of 16 cylinder diesel/electric generators. It also holds the topside hatch. The temperature in the engine rooms can top 110 degrees Fahrenheit when diving.

The Maneuvering Room is next. It contains the levers and controls that can switch between engine and battery power and control the speed of the sub. There is also a lathe and a workbench for making repairs and parts. Electricians ran the Maneuvering Room.

Finally you'll come to the After Torpedo Room. This room holds four torpedo tubes, eight torpedoes, and 15 bunks. This room had caught fire during the night of April 27, 1945, resulting in the loss of a crewman, Andrew G. Johnson. There is a plaque describing the heroic effort of another crewman to keep Andrew aloft; he managed to keep him alive for about seven hours before he became too exhausted. Andrew drowned before he could be rescued.

My favorite parts of the sub were the nostalgic photos of the crew and the pin up photos placed throughout. I can barely imagine the difficulty of these men living in tight quarters for months at a time. The vintage notebooks, magazines, and other personal affects gave the sub a more personal touch.

The tour of the sub is probably a safe bet for elementary and middle school kids, military buffs, and those interested in electronics and mechanics. For very young children or those who have limited physical abilities the sub may be a challenge. When I disembarked from the sub it was pouring rain and the ladder to topside was very slippery.