Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Oregon, United States

5Adam 5:00 PM Mar 14, 2022

Fun and full of activities
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) was amazing. There was so much to see and many activities to do with the kids. For a full in depth experience I recommend taking a few days to really experience each specific area. The submarine USS Blueback was a definite highlight. There aren't many organizations that operate a post WWII submarine for public tours. OMSI and the volunteers aboard the Blueback have a very well organized tour and the submarine is in great shape. Aside from the access that has been cut through her outer and pressure hulls in order to board the sub, she appears as if she's ready for another patrol. Due to the size of the submarine and the tight spaces inside, all tours are guided and are spaced apart to avoid groups from overlapping. Our docent Jane-Clair was very courteous, professional, and did great with the kids in our group. If you don't mind being in tight areas, visit the Blueback next time you go through Portland, OR.

4Nostalgiyeah 5:00 PM Oct 22, 2020

Memorable submarine tour!
We specifically visited the USS Blueback submarine at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The submarine tour was insightful and excellent! Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the tour groups are limited to 6 persons and masks are mandatory. It was definitely fun to be inside a submarine and to see around - this was the final diesel powered combat submarine to leave the US Navy. The amount of electronics she carried is indeed fascinating, I was amazed at the engineering that would have gone into the design and manufacture of this sub in the Cold War era. The tour included visits to the control room where the submarine was steered from, the torpedo room, kitchen, sleeping quarters and engine room. It was fun to sit in the "driver's seat" and go through the enormous instrument panel cluster that steered this sub. Our tour guide was quite nice and he gave us a lot of interesting information about life in a submarine including food, rest and recreation of personnel on board etc while we were seated in the mess decks. Like for instance how showers were time-limited to two minutes, only available once a week for sailors! Or that the cooks in submarine undergo extensive culinary training and thus, food on submarines is one of the best in the US Navy. The tour also included the torpedo room where he talked about the torpedos used in the Cold War era and the ones that are deployed in modern day subs. The tour is priced at around $12 per person and the parking is $5 per vehicle in front of the OMSI building.