Celebrate USS Hawaii Arrival with Submarine Tour
A submarine tour in Honolulu is a great way to celebrate the arrival of the USS Hawaii at Pearl Harbor.
Greeted by Governor Lingle and other dignitaries, the $2.5 billion attack submarine USS Hawaii and its crew arrived in its berth at Pier Sierra 9 on July 23. Draped with a huge blue and yellow lei, the submarine’s arrival was heralded with a flyover by three Hawaii National Guard F-15 fighters.
The USS Hawaii is a 377-foot-long state-of-the-art submarine with a crew of 134, and displaces about 7,000 tons. The sub travels 29 mile per hour and dives to depths of 800 feet.
The USS Hawaii has extensive sonar arrays that can do seafloor mapping, eavesdropping, and check for minefields. The sub can also launch Tomahawk land-attack missiles as well as MK48 torpedoes.
The USS Hawaii is capable of carrying out covert submarine operations as well as delivering mines and mapping minefields. There are berths for up to 30 SEAL commandos, with capabilities for quick deployment.
The USS Hawaii is one of at least three Virginia-class state-of-the-art submarines that will eventually be home-ported in Hawaii. The USS Texas will arrive in Hawaii in the fall, and later the USS North Carolina will be stationed here.
By the end of 2009 there will be a total of three US attack submarines at various Pacific locations (18 at Pearl Harbor) with another 22 in the Atlantic.
Atlantis Submarine Tours
Speaking of submarines, a great way to celebrate the arrival of the USS Hawaii is to take an actual underwater submarine tour with Atlantis Submarines. You will also get to see marine life up close and personal, including plenty of fish and probably also some green sea turtles.
Atlantis submarine operates two submarines offshore of Honolulu, leaving from the pier at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
The submarine tours visit a sunken plane and ship as well as an artificial reef. Keep an eye out for scuba divers at the shipwreck site 100 feet below the surface.
Atlantis has a larger submarine that holds 64 passengers and a smaller one that holds 48. Both are quite comfortable, but the larger submarine has slightly bigger seats and windows.
Some tips for this trip. If you are taking pictures, then 400-speed film is best, and turn off your flash. One oddity is that you can wear a bright colored shirt and then be amazed at how it seems to change color as you descend. By the way, make sure to validate your parking or it will cost you dearly.
To take the tour you have to be able to walk down a vertical 7-step ladder, and kids have to be at least 36 inches tall.
Check-in is at the Hilton pier 30 minutes before the tour leaves. Atlantis also provides audio headset narrations in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, and you can catch a shuttle to the sub from various Waikiki hotels.
There are many great hotel deals in Honolulu and Waikiki right now, with world class accommodations at extremely low prices, so enjoy this historic occasion of the arrival of the USS Hawaii, and perhaps journey underwater off Waikiki on your very own submarine adventure!