submarine tour in san diego

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San Diego Museum Council

Maritime Museum of San Diego

A VISIT TO THE MARITIME MUSEUM IS A SEA AND SHIP LOVERS TREAT!

General Admission – Step Back In Time With 500 Years of Seafaring History! 

(NOTE: H.M.S. Surprise will be closed to visitors for maintenance and restoration starting next Monday, August 19, 2024 . A replica of a 18 t- century British frigate Rose, the Man of War H.M.S. Surprise was featured in the award-winning film Master and Commander and Pirates of Caribbean movie series.)

Visit the Maritime Museum of San Diego to tour our fleet of vessels listed on the National Register preserved and operated right here by the staff and volunteers. This is a must see popular waterfront attraction for locals and visitors alike!

On-the-water Bay Tour Savings Continue!

Start with a walk through the fleet and exhibits then set out on San Diego Bay for only $10.00 with purchase of general admission. This narrated 45-minute cruise takes place aboard the preserved and well-maintained 1914 Pilot boat. Book in advance at sdmaritime.org or check with Ticket Booth staff for availability. We offer four runs at 11:00 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. daily. On weekends, also a 3:45 Pilot boat tour to enjoy.

Are you a Naval History Buff and want to head out on the water? For a limited time for only $15.00 with purchase of general admission you can experience the 75-minute narrated Naval History Bay tour aboard the restored Vietnam-era PCF 816 Swift boat. Be a part of history, ride the only active passenger carrying Swift Boat in the country. Feel the power of the twin 12 cylinder 2-stroke Detroit Diesels as you take a behind the scenes tour of San Diego’s military history. Tours available Saturdays and Sundays at 12:45 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. Reserve online in advance or walk up to book at the Ticket Booth open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily on the embarcadero in front of the Museum fleet.

Ready for more time on the water and true tall ship sailing adventures! Reserve your ticket for a 4-hour weekend sailing adventure aboard the topsail schooner Californian or Spanish galleon San Salvador . Tickets include general admission to tour the entire fleet of historic ships from sail to steam to submarine! All the fascinating exhibits below deck and your entry into the USS Dolphin sub included!

The Maritime Museum of San Diego’s visitor tour includes a walking self-guided exploration of our historic fleet, including below deck exhibits and galleries. This one-of-a-kind collection includes the  world’s oldest sailing ship, Star of India , the Navy frigate replica H.M.S. Surprise , featured in the award-winning film Master and Commander,  California’s official tall ship schooner Californian,  Spanish galleon replica San Salvador, Victorian – era steam ferry boat Berkeley, 1904 steam yacht Medea, and USS Dolphin submarine.

See the Museum like never before! Sign up for a Docent-led Guided Tour today to participate in a small group as one of our knowledgeable historians provides in depth study of the fleet’s history and exhibits. Tours are scheduled most Wednesdays at $35.00 per person. Advance registration is required.

Looking for an activity in the great outdoors and on-the-water that is educational and entertaining?

The Museum Gift Shop is open most days 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Museum Ticket booth hours are daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. No guest admittance permitted after 4:00 p.m. daily. Credit/Debit cards may be used to purchase tickets at the Museum Ticket Booth machines located on the embarcadero. Cash will not be accepted at this time. Offer may not be combined with any other offer.

Love the museum and want to visit often? Become a member and enjoy unlimited annual visits, gift shop savings, member discounts, and much more! Visit https://sdmaritime.org/support-the-museum/membership/

Current & Upcoming Exhibitions

Move from ship to ship to discover these fascinating exhibits nested aboard the Museum’s historic fleet. All exhibits are included with general admission. Make sure to take enough time to visit them all!

NEW! Art of Navigation now open in the Gould Eddy Gallery of the steam ferry Berkeley

Rising Tide: The Human Crisis of Rising Sea Levels  – located on the steam ferry Berkeley and Star of India

T he Model Gallery: Celebrating the Art Model Making  – located on the aft deck of the steam ferry Berkeley

San Diego’s Naval History – located on the steam ferry Berkeley

Harvesting the Ocean – located on the steam ferry Berkeley

Age of Steam – located on the steam ferry Berkeley

Age of Sail – located on the Star of India

Charting the Sea – located on the steam ferry Berkeley

Man-of-War – located on H.M.S. Surprise 

Upcoming Events

Sep 15   |   2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Haydn Voyages: Music at the Maritime “Light and Shadow”

Hosted by: Maritime Museum of San Diego

Sep 21   |   10:30 am - 12:00 pm

BOARDED! A New Pirate Adventure presented by San Diego Pirate Adventures

Sep 21   |   10:30 am - 12:45 pm

Oct 19   |   10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Oct 19   |   12:45 pm - 2:15 pm

Nov 24   |   2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Haydn Voyages: Music at the Maritime “Revolution”

Nov 30   |   10:30 am - 12:15 pm

Nov 30   |   12:45 pm - 2:15 pm

Dec 28   |   10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Dec 28   |   12:45 pm - 2:15 pm

Visit Maritime Museum of San Diego

1492 North Harbor Drive San Diego, CA 92101-3309

(619) 234-9153

Open daily 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Last guest entry at 4pm and must exit by 5pm daily.) Save on Fun! Take the 45-minute historic bay cruise FOR ONLY $10.00 when you purchase general admission. On weekends take the 75-minute PCF 816 Swift boat Naval History Bay tour for ONLY $15.00 with general admission. Check with Ticket Booth staff for availability on our narrated boat tours. On weekends, for only $24.00 when you purchase general admission. Check with Ticket Booth staff OR plan early and reserve your ticket online at sdmaritime.org for 12:15 and 2:15 Swift boat tours. For tall ship sailing schedules and reservations visit sdmaritime.org.

https://sdmaritime.org/

1492 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA

San Diego Museum Council PO Box 371322 San Diego CA, 92137 (619) 957-4660 Email Us

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After 15 years as a San Diego tourist draw, rusty Soviet sub is headed to the scrap yard

A retired Soviet attack submarine known as B-39 shown here in 2016. (San Diego Maritime Museum/Facebook)

SAN DIEGO (Tribune News Service) — For 15 years, visitors to the Maritime Museum on San Diego’s downtown waterfront could climb aboard a retired Soviet attack submarine known as B-39 and learn about the hidden world of undersea warfare.

Now the sub is destined for a place where it will disappear for all time — the scrap yard.

The outer skin of the 1970s-era Foxtrot-class vessel has been deteriorating for some time, its once sleek black profile disfigured by holes, rust and orange protective netting. Salt water and the occasional severe storm have not been kind.

Museum officials said the sub is not as bad as it looks — that the pressure hull remains stable, making B-39 as seaworthy as it was when it debuted at the Embarcadero in 2005.

“But that doesn’t make its condition cosmetically acceptable in so prominent a location,” said Raymond Ashley, president and CEO of the museum.

It detracts, he added, from the beauty of the other ships in the museum’s collection. They include the iron-hulled sailing ship Star of India, the steam ferry Berkeley, the replica frigate HMS Surprise, and another submarine, the USS Dolphin.

So B-39, closed to the public since the coronavirus pandemic started more than a year ago, is headed to Ensenada, where it will be scrapped and recycled, Ashley said. The museum is awaiting approval from the U.S. Coast Guard for a towing permit.

Although it was never the most celebrated of the museum’s holdings, the 300-foot-long sub proved popular with tourists — so popular that what had been planned initially as a two-year stay in San Diego got extended indefinitely.

Visitors immersed themselves in “To the Brink of War,” a dramatic exhibit based on events during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when other Foxtrot submarines armed with nuclear-tipped torpedoes got into a nervy cat-and-mouse game with U.S. Navy ships lobbing practice depth charges.

B-39 also had its moment in the Hollywood sun. In 2013, it was used to film large chunks of “Phantom,” a box-office dud starring Ed Harris and David Duchovny.

This was believed to be the first movie about a submarine actually filmed on one. Some of the cast and crew could attest to the realism — they suffered from claustrophobia during the three weeks they spent working in the cramped quarters.

“Phantom” was based loosely on another bit of history, this one involving the Soviet submarine K-129. It sank in deep waters off Hawaii in March of 1968, setting of a search that the Soviets eventually abandoned but the U.S. pursued with the clandestine help of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes and a ship called Glomar Explorer. In 1974, it retrieved part of the sub.

To Maritime Museum visitors, the B-39 got some of its goose-bump appeal from the likelihood that the sub, when it was active, spent a fair amount of time stealthily stalking U.S. Navy ships homeported in San Diego.

Launched in 1967, the diesel-electric powered sub spent about 20 years in the Silent Service while assigned to the Soviet Pacific fleet and based in Vladivostok. It carried 78 crew members, 24 torpedoes, and could dive to 985 feet. The museum’s website describes it as “low-tech but lethal.”

After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, various pieces of military hardware wound up in private hands. B-39 was sold in the mid-1990s to a Canadian consortium, which brought it to Vancouver with plans to put it on display. It went from there to Seattle and then to San Diego, towed here on a 7-knot journey that took eight days.

Museum officials never expected it to be a permanent part of the collection. In 2010, plans were announced to add it to San Diego’s Wreck Alley, a group of vessels sunk off Mission Beach to form artificial reefs and attract recreational divers. But the popularity of B-39 among museum-goers scuttled the scuttling.

Now it awaits a tow date to Ensenada.

“We have determined not to shift scarce resources away from the historic vessels in the (museum’s) fleet that we intend to keep in perpetuity, in order to extend the life of the Foxtrot,” the museum says on its website.

Coast Guard officials did not respond to requests from the Union-Tribune for information about the removal permit.

Other Soviet submarines were given post-military reprieves as tourist attractions and have met a similar fate. The B-143, which spent 20 years at a maritime museum and theme park in Brussels, was scrapped in 2019.

In Long Beach, city officials are trying to dispose of the B-427, which was a dockside attraction next to the Queen Mary for almost two decades, drawing about 8,000 visitors a month. It closed to the public in 2015 after a hull ruptured and a ballast tank was flooded, causing the sub to list to the port side. Before long, raccoons moved in.

City officials say the vessel is now an environmental hazard, taking on water and threatening to roll over and damage the Queen Mary.

They’d like the owner to remove the submarine, according to recent media accounts, but years of lawsuits and bankruptcy proceedings have left them with a dilemma: It’s unclear who the owner is.

©2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Visit  sandiegouniontribune.com .

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC .

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• Marías, The
• August 18, 2024 Setlist

The Marías Setlist at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, San Diego, CA, USA

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• Intro / Hamptons Play Video
• Run Your Mouth Play Video
• Real Life Play Video
• Only in My Dreams Play Video
• Little by Little Play Video
• Un millón Play Video
• Blur Play Video
• Ay no puedo Play Video
• Lejos de ti Play Video
• Ruthless Play Video
• Lovefool ( The Cardigans  cover) Play Video
• No One Noticed Play Video
• Care for You Play Video
• Love You Anyway Play Video
• Heavy Play Video
• Over the Moon Play Video
• Vicious Sensitive Robot Play Video
• Otro atardecer ( Bad Bunny  cover) Play Video
• Echo Play Video
• Hush Play Video
• Paranoia Play Video
• If Only Play Video
• Just a Feeling / Ride Play Video
• All I Really Want Is You Play Video
• Cariño Play Video

Edits and Comments

5 activities (last edit by anahipn98 , 19 Aug 2024, 19:42 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Ay no puedo
• Lejos de ti
• Love You Anyway
• No One Noticed
• Run Your Mouth
• Vicious Sensitive Robot
• All I Really Want Is You
• Little by Little
• Over the Moon
• Care for You
• Intro / Hamptons
• Just a Feeling / Ride
• Lovefool by The Cardigans
• Otro atardecer by Bad Bunny
• Only in My Dreams

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Who Are The Marías?

Cal coast credit union open air theatre.

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• Aug 16 2024 Twilight Concert Series 2024 Salt Lake City, UT, USA Start time: 8:05 PM 8:05 PM
• Aug 18 2024 Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre This Setlist San Diego, CA, USA Add time Add time
• Aug 19 2024 Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre San Diego, CA, USA Add time Add time
• Aug 22 2024 Hollywood Forever Cemetery Los Angeles, CA, USA Add time Add time

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Soviet B-39 Submarine

Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden San Diego follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!

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Maritime Museum of San Diego

Explore historic ships, tour the bay and sail.

Maritime Museum of San Diego serves as the community memory of our seafaring experience by collecting, preserving, and presenting our rich maritime heritage and historic connections with the Pacific world.  Daily self-guided tour admission includes boarding the fleet & exploring exhibits!Discover  Star of India , the 16th-century galleon  San Salvador,  tall ship schooner Californian , Victorian - era steam ferry Berkeley and  USS Dolphin submarine!( HMS Surprise temporarily closed )

Visitor Deal!  $10 45-minute sightseeing Pilot boat tour when you book general admission.   On weekends, book the $15 Swift boat Veteran narrated 75-minute Naval History Bay tour with admission.

Californian  and San Salvador  Tall Ship Sails available most weekends (each include general admission.)

Open daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.(Last visitor entry is at 4:00 p.m.)

Plan ahead for our Wednesday two-hour Docent Historian Led group tour activity most Wednesdays for general public. Advance reservations required at sdmaritime.org.

NOTE: HMS Surprise temporarily closed for maintenance and restoration.)

Want the freedom to explore at your own pace? General admission self-guided tour tickets let you stay as long as you like. 

Visiting on the weekend!? Plan in advance to book your reservation at sdmaritime.org for a Tall Ship Adventure Sailing package on the state's official tall ship, the topsail schooner, Californian, or the 16th-century Spanish galleon replica San Salvador package ! (Includes general admission to tour all ships and exhibits before or after sailing.)

Tickets may be purchased online at sdmaritime.org or at the Museum ticket booth open daily 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Note: Visitors who arrive BEFORE 4:00 p.m. may tour the museum until 5:00 p.m.

The Museum Ticket Booth is located at 1492 N. Harbor Drive, Star of India Wharf, on the embarcadero between Grape and Ash Street, next to Portside Pier.

Top tip: Take the time for a bit of sightseeing on the Bay.

FOR ONLY $10.00 Add a 45-minute narrated Historic Bay Cruise to your general admission ticket purchase. 

Historic Bay Cruise check-ins offered daily Monday through Sunday. Weekdays tours are 11:00 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. Weekends, 11:00 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.  Please check availability.

FOR ONLY $15.00 Add a 75-minute narrated Naval History Bay Tour aboard the historic restored US Naval PCF 816 Swift Boat to your general admission ticket purchase. 

These Naval History Bay boat tours are available weekends only at 12:15 and 2:15 p.m.

Come aboard and hear the stories from our Swift Boat Veteran sailors!

Neighborhood: Downtown

1492 N Harbor Drive San Diego, CA 92101

Contact Info

(619) 234-9153 [email protected]

Open daily 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Last guest entry and ticket sold at 4:00 p.m.

Deals just for you

$10 off tall ship sail experiences.

Join the Maritime Museum of San Diego Sail Crew for a 4-hour sail aboard the state tall ship Californian or the Spanish galleon San Salvador and save $10.00 with this promo code TALLSHIPSAILFUN24! ...

Kids Free October

Learn about our Pacific Maritime Heritage! Visit Maritime Museum of San Diego at Star of India wharf in downtown San Diego and experience a one-of-a-kind adventure as your explore the fleet of...

75-minute Naval History Bay Tour Only $15***

Join us at the Maritime Museum of San Diego for a high-speed 75-minute narrated Naval History Tour! The US Naval Vietnam-era PCF 816 Swift Boat Listed In National Register Of Historic Places is...

Show Your Badge & Save at the Maritime Museum!

Come and explore our connection with the sea at the Maritime Museum of San Diego! Spanning 500 years of seafaring history, your visit to the Museum will give you a chance to step aboard an historic...

$10 Historic Bay Cruise with General Admission*

Purchase general admission to the Maritime Museum of San Diego and add a 45-minute narrated Historic Bay Cruise for only $10 more! MOST DAYS. SCHEDULE MAY VARY Daily tours at 11:00 a.m., 12:45 p.m.,...

Events to check out

Californian tall ship adventure..

The Maritime Museum of San Diego invites you to join us for Tall Ship adventure sailing! This is a four-hour adventure history sail aboard the schooner Californian. The Californian is a...

San Salvador Sailing Adventure Package

The Maritime Museum of San Diego is the only attraction to offer this popular day sail adventure experience aboard San Salvador, a replica of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s ship that arrived at the...

Guided Docent-Led Tours

Guided Docent Led Tours at the Maritime Museum of San Diego is your opportunity to learn of the ships in-depth stories from our trained knowledgeable historians, and enjoy the waterfront sights...

$10.00 Historic Bay Cruise w/general admission!

This boat tour provides visitors with an educational tour of San Diego Bay. The 45-minute Bay sightseeing tour takes guests out on the water in a large loop first heading toward North Island and the...

$15 Swift Boat Naval History Bay Tour w/ Admission

Are you in town for the weekend? Or are you a local San Diegan and want to get out on the Bay to learn about Naval History? Be a part of history and ride the only active passenger carrying Swift...

Haydn Voyages: Music at the Maritime

Hausmann Concerts at Maritime Museum of San Diego Offer a Unique Mix of Music on the Water. The Hausmann Quartet and Maritime Museum of San Diego partner to present the ninth season of Haydn...

Boarded! A New Pirate Adventure

Maritime Museum of San Diego partners with San Diego Pirate Adventures to bring to you this Pirate - themed Bay cruise and 90-minute performance staged aboard the Spanish galleon replica San...

BOARDED! A New Pirate Adventure Experience

These popular 90-minute performances are staged aboard the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s 16th-century Spanish galleon San Salvador . Guests will be fully engaged in pirate theatrics at the...

Top of List: Things to Do In San Diego

• Tours available daily. Self-guided
• Come aboard and step back in time; 500 years of seafaring history
• Waterfront Museum Offering Boat Tours, Tall Ship Sailing and Private Charters
• Guided Tours led by Docent historians also available on select days
• Educational, Entertaining and Immersive

Explore the fleet & below deck exhibits

• Daily Historic Bay Cruise affordable treat w/ general admission ticket purchase
• Weekend Tall Ship Sailing Experiences with onboard historians
• Home to world's oldest active sailing ship Star of India
• Walking distance from Little Italy and downtown restaurants.
• Weekend Narrated Naval History Bay Tours affordable treat with general admission

More Information

• Destination Weddings
• Historic Landmark
• Narrated Bay Tours aboard vessels on the National Registry of Historic Places
• Home to the USS Dolphin submarine! Step in and see how sailors lived below sea!
• Kid Friendly
• General Admission - Adult
• General Admission - Child
• General Admission - Senior
• Restaurants
• Private Room Capacity: 50
• Boat Excursions
• Other Languages Available
• Self-guided

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After years as a San Diego tourist draw, rusty Soviet sub is headed to the scrap yard

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For 15 years, visitors to the Maritime Museum on San Diego’s downtown waterfront could climb aboard a retired Soviet attack submarine known as B-39 and learn about the hidden world of undersea warfare.

Now the sub is destined for a place where it will disappear for all time — the scrap yard.

The outer skin of the 1970s-era Foxtrot-class vessel has been deteriorating for some time, its once sleek black profile disfigured by holes, rust and orange protective netting. Saltwater and the occasional severe storm have not been kind.

Museum officials said the sub is not as bad as it looks — the pressure hull remains stable, making B-39 as seaworthy as it was when it debuted at the Embarcadero in 2005.

“But that doesn’t make its condition cosmetically acceptable in so prominent a location,” said Raymond Ashley, president and chief executive of the museum.

It detracts, he added, from the beauty of the other ships in the museum’s collection . They include the iron-hulled sailing ship Star of India, the steam ferry Berkeley, the replica frigate HMS Surprise and another submarine, the USS Dolphin.

So B-39, closed to the public since the pandemic started more than a year ago, is headed to Ensenada, where it will be scrapped and recycled, Ashley said. The museum is awaiting approval from the U.S. Coast Guard for a towing permit.

Although it was never the most celebrated of the museum’s holdings, the 300-foot-long sub proved popular with tourists — so popular that what had been planned initially as a two-year stay in San Diego got extended indefinitely.

Visitors immersed themselves in “To the Brink of War,” a dramatic exhibit based on events during the October 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when other Foxtrot submarines armed with nuclear-tipped torpedoes got into a nervy cat-and-mouse game with U.S. Navy ships lobbing practice depth charges.

B-39 also had its moment in the Hollywood sun. In 2013, it was used to film large chunks of “Phantom,” a box-office dud starring Ed Harris and David Duchovny.

This was believed to be the first movie about a submarine actually filmed on one. Some of the cast and crew could attest to the realism — they suffered from claustrophobia during the three weeks they spent working in the cramped quarters.

“Phantom” was based loosely on another bit of history, this one involving the Soviet submarine K-129. It sank in deep waters off Hawaii in March 1968, setting off a search that the Soviets eventually abandoned but the U.S. pursued with the clandestine help of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes and a ship called Glomar Explorer. In 1974, it retrieved part of the sub.

To Maritime Museum visitors, the B-39 got some of its goose-bump appeal from the likelihood that the sub, when it was active, spent a fair amount of time stealthily stalking U.S. Navy ships based in San Diego.

Launched in 1967, the diesel-electric powered sub spent about 20 years in the Silent Service while assigned to the Soviet Pacific fleet and based in Vladivostok, Russia. It carried 78 crew members and 24 torpedoes, and it could dive to 985 feet. The museum’s website describes it as “low-tech but lethal.”

After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, various pieces of military hardware wound up in private hands. B-39 was sold in the mid-1990s to a Canadian consortium, which brought it to Vancouver with plans to put it on display. It went from there to Seattle and then to San Diego, towed there on a 7-knot journey that took eight days.

Museum officials never expected it to be a permanent part of the collection. In 2010, plans were announced to add it to San Diego’s Wreck Alley , a group of vessels sunk off Mission Beach to form artificial reefs and attract recreational divers. But the popularity of B-39 among museum-goers scuttled the scuttling.

Now it awaits a tow date to Ensenada.

“We have determined not to shift scarce resources away from the historic vessels in the [museum’s] fleet that we intend to keep in perpetuity, in order to extend the life of the Foxtrot,” the museum says on its website.

Coast Guard officials did not respond to requests for information about the removal permit.

Other Soviet submarines were given post-military reprieves as tourist attractions and have met a similar fate. The B-143 , which spent 20 years at a maritime museum and theme park in Brussels, was scrapped in 2019.

In Long Beach, city officials are trying to dispose of the B-427 , which was a dockside attraction next to the Queen Mary for almost two decades, drawing about 8,000 visitors a month. It closed to the public in 2015 after a hull ruptured and a ballast tank was flooded, causing the sub to list to the port side. Before long, raccoons moved in.

City officials say the vessel is now an environmental hazard, taking on water and threatening to roll over and damage the Queen Mary.

They’d like the owner to remove the submarine, according to recent media accounts, but years of lawsuits and bankruptcy proceedings have left them with a problem: It’s unclear who the owner is.

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John Wilkens joined The San Diego Union-Tribune as a staff writer in February 1988. He writes news features and human interest stories. He’s won numerous local, state and regional awards. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, he worked for the Santa Barbara News-Press for almost nine years before coming to San Diego.

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Meet the sailors behind the submarines that President Biden visited at Naval Base Point Loma

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Naval Base Point Loma is home to some of the most capable attack submarines in the world.

"Squadron 11 is in charge of the submarines here," said Lt. Cecilia

It’s also the squadron President Joe Biden visited Monday to announce a major submarine deal with Australia and the United Kingdom.

Lieutenant Cecilia Cajandig works on mission and training during the summer and a program that brings other countries in to perform exercises.

"The boat we have here is the USS Missouri. The Missouri is actually the boat that President Biden highlighted during the AUKUS announcement," said Lt. Cajandig.

World leaders toured the USS Missouri after the AUKUS deal was announced.

"The exact details are still being worked out by the three nations. But they are looking at home ports like San Diego and other places where we have submarines to see how we do business to determine what portions of that they are going to adopt," said Captain Kenneth Douglas.

The squadron is responsible for equipping and training six submarines to provide combat forces to the Indo-Pacific.

Captain Kenneth Douglas is the commodore of the squadron and says his 1,500 sailors work tirelessly.

"To make sure that any of these submarines, if called upon by the president, are ready to deploy at a moment's notice," said Capt. Douglas.

During wartime, the submarines at squadron 11 are tasked with sinking enemy ships.

During peacetime, the submarines conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

He called the visit an honor and was even able to meet the commander and chief.

"We shared a couple of hometown stories since we both grew up in the northeast," said Capt. Douglas.

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Sails and subs: A tour of the San Diego Maritime Museum

Get up close and personal with a 154-year-old windjammer sailing ship, a Soviet submarine, a Victorian-era ferryboat and more at the San Diego Maritime Museum.

Holy ship, that's a lot of boats!

This innocuous sign marks quite the collection of ships and boats. Some restored, some replicas, all interesting. Let's check 'em out.

For the full story behind this tour, check out This San Diego museum has a ship-ton of breathtaking boats .

Star of India

Launched in 1863 as the Euterpe and renamed the Star of India in 1906, this windjammer was in service for 60 years.

Still sailing

The Star of India is one of the oldest ships in the world to still sail regularly.

Steer around the world

In her service, the Euterpe sailed around the world 21 times.

As one of the last generations of sailing ships, windjammers were much larger than their older counterparts. As such, there was much more space for staterooms (small though they are) and lots of cargo.

Captain's quarters

As you'd expect, the captain's quarters are the largest.

Passenger cabin

Rich passengers, which she carried in her life as the Euterpe, got much smaller living spaces, but still pretty reasonable compared to earlier ships. Less well-heeled folks got berths down below (which you'll see later).

Square footage

I've toured a number of sailing ships , but even so, the size of the open spaces on the Star of India are impressive (even though they most certainly had more "stuff" in them when sailing).

The large galley is up on the main deck.

Here you get a sense of how large she is, at least for a sailing ship. Cargo was raised and lowered through here.

Economy sleeping

Immigrants to New Zealand that couldn't afford the cabins above got berths down here, though they're still fairly comfortable looking compared to some ships I've seen.

The steel hull was stronger and thinner than wood, allowing for more space for cargo, passengers, or whatever owners wanted. Also, check out the Cutty Sark , built a few years later. A different design of ship, but a similar hull construction.

As the Euterpe, she was a " full-rigged " ship, but when she was bought and renamed Star of India, her aftmost mast was converted so she became a barque . Apparently that reduces the crew requirements, along with some other advantages.

Ship of the line

The HMS Surprise looks like an historic sailing ship of the 18th-century British Empire... but is a replica built in Canada in 1970. She was used for the filming of "Master and Commander."

Though recently built (compared to her design), you wouldn't know it on the inside, except for the modern head .

Set behind scratched plastic, the cabin looks beautifully furnished.

Not as classy

As in any ship, the lesser crew gets lesser accomodations.

The Maritime Museum keeps her in sailing condition.

The Soviets

One of the best aspects of the Maritime Museum is the variety of ships and boats on display. This is the diesel-electric Soviet submarine B-39 .

The B-39 was an attack sub, active during the Cold War. There are 6 torpedo tubes in the bow and 4 more in the stern.

Officer's wardroom

The Foxtrot class of subs was big, for its day. Not quite the mammoth size of the later nuclear vessels like the Redoutable though.

Control room

Hatches like these are every few compartments, helping to seal if necessary.

Rig for red

The chart shows the sub's trip to San Diego for its new life as a museum ship.

There were four meals a day, and like its American counterparts, the food was supposedly quite good.

This was a nice touch by the museum, a display of some Soviet/Russian food and drink.

Dials and gauges

The various controls and gauges for the engines.

Engine room

The B-39 had three diesel engines with 2,000 horsepower each. Top speed was 16 knots on the surface, and 15 when submerged.

In total there were 78 men aboard the B-39 on each voyage.

What struck me most going through the B-39 was how simplified (or at least, seemingly less complex) a lot of the controls seemed. Huge controls like these were common.

A different kind of sail. Like nearly all submarines you can tour, the sail is off limits.

San Salvador

This is a replica of the San Salvador, the ship sailed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo when he "discovered" California for Europeans.

Built to sail

The San Salvador is an interesting replica. Where the HMS Surprise could pass for an old ship, San Salvador feels new. OK, it is new -- it just opened for tours last year. But it also has a lot of materials that seem anachronistic.

Presumably the decision to use certain materials over others is that this ship is intended to be used regularly .

The San Salvador is a galleon , an even older design compared to the other ships in the museum.

Certainly built and for a warm climate, these bunks can't be closed off for warmth.

Captain's cabin

This captain found the cabin acceptable.

The tiny bed is off to the side of the cabin, against the outer hull. Seems cramped.

This is the steam-powered Medea, built in 1904. Though originally (and now) a pleasure yacht, she was modified with guns and gear and used in both world wars.

Dining saloon

Walls of oak paneling make for a lovely place to dine (it seems).

Beautifully ornate

No access below decks, but down there are two cabins and a head.

The cramped galley could have easily passed for something in a small, well-decorated house.

Smoking saloon

A place to chill. Below are two more cabins and a head with a bathtub.

USS Dolphin

The USS Dolphin was in service for nearly 40 years.

The Dolphin is a small sub, and the interior is correspondingly cramped. Interestingly, the sub is one single compartment, lacking the many watertight bulkheads of traditional submarines.

A research sub, the Dolphin has no internal weapons (though she launched with one torpedo tube, but was soon refitted without it). Instead there's lots of space for test equipment.

Yes, you can look through the periscope. It's fixed onto the nearby San Diego County Administration Center.

She holds the record for the deepest dive of a traditional submarine (more than 3,000 feet, or 914 meters).

Power and air

The various dials and controls for the power coming off the batteries, status the ballast tanks, and so on.

Officers' quarters

Room for two, but they have their own sink. Cameo by yours truly.

Galley and mess

One of the more open galley and mess areas I've seen on a sub, especially one of this size.

The 1898 ferryboat Berkeley is almost mundane next to the sailing ships and submarines. Inside there's a treat, though...

I love this era of design, and the Berkeley doesn't disappoint. Beautiful wood and stained glass transports you to another era.

The age of steam

The Berkeley was in service for 50 years, ferrying thousands of passengers between Oakland and San Francisco. I can only imagine that while her design is historically beautiful today, in the mid-1950s it must have looked exceptionally dated.

Big pistons

After the lovely wood upstairs, the steampunk engine room seems out of another world.

It takes a lot of heat to make enough steam for the engines. These are just two of the gigantic boilers in the ferry.

The side of the boiler has been cut away so you can see the brick-lined interior.

The sun sets

The San Diego Maritime Museum 's best aspect is its variety. Sailing ships, submarines and a historic ferry. I recommend spending a day by combining this museum and the fantastic USS Midway museum , which is just a few minutes walk away.

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This City In New York Was Named The Number One City In America, Here's Why

10 scenic upstate new york road trips that should be on your bucket list, 10 small towns in the great smoky mountains to visit in winter.

• The United States has a wide array of naval museums, including submarines. Some notable US submarine museums include the Maritime Museum of San Diego and the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
• Submarines like the USS Cobia and USS Albacore have rich histories, having served in World War II and the Cold War. They are now preserved as National Historic Landmarks.
• Unique submarines like the H. L. Hunley, built during the Civil War, and the U-505, a captured German U-boat, are also on display in museums such as the Losch Conservation Center and the Museum of Science and Industry.

The United States has by far and away the most impressive series of naval museums in the world. The United States has 5 aircraft carrier museums , many battleship museums (including the dreadnought USS Texas) , and many more retired naval vessels preserved as museums.

But not all of the museum ships are surface vessels. The USA is also home to many submarine museums. Here are some of the best submarine museums around the United States to visit.

10 USS Dolphin

The USS Dolphin is one of the more modern submarines to be preserved in the United States. It was a diesel-electric deep-diving research and development submarine that was in service between 1968 and 2007.

She served for the longest period of any submarine in the Navy. Today, she can be seen at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, one of the best submarine museums in America to visit.

• Class: Dolphin Class
• Museum: Maritime Museum of San Diego

9 USS Cobia

The USS Cobia is one of several preserved Gato-class submarines built by the United States Navy. Today, the USS Cobia has been listed as a National Historic Landmark.

The USS Cobia served in World War II (she was commissioned late in the war in March 1944), and she went on to earn four battle stars.

• Class: Gato-Class
• Museum: Wisconsin Maritime Museum

8 USS Becuna

The USS Becuna submarine served during the late World War II and early Cold War (1944 to 1969). She was named after a pike-like fish found in Europe and operated in the Pacific War, sinking two Japanese tankers.

After the war, she was mostly used as a training ship and is now a National Historic Landmark.

• Class: Baleo-Class
• Museum: Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia

Related: These Are 10 Of The Mightiest Battleships Preserved As Museums Around The USA

7 USS Albacore

The USS Albacore was a unique research submarine that pioneered the modern hull of American subs. She was built post-war (commissioned in 1953) and served in the Navy during the Cold War.

Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1980 and is today a memorial in New Hampshire.

• Location: Albacore Park, 600 Market Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

6 USS Growler

The USS Growler was built to carrier cruise missiles (one of the first submarines built for cruise missiles). She was the second of only two Grayback class submarines.

She was a conventional diesel-electric submarine and offered an early capability to provide a nuclear deterrent during the early Cold War. Today, she is preserved at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City .

• Class: Grayback-class
• Museum: Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Related: USS Constitution: Visit America's Most Historic Navy Ship

5 H. L. Hunley

The H. L. Hunley is the most unique submarine on this list. It was built by the Confederacy during the Civil War and was the first combat submarine to sink a warship (the USS Housatonic).

She was sunk before being able to get back to port but was raised, brought back into service, and sank again. She was raised again in 2000 and is on display.

• Museum: Warren Lasch Conservation Center, North Charleston, South Carolina

Visitors can also see the remains of the legendary USS Monitor of the Civil War at the Mariner's Museum in Virginia.

4 USS Marlin

The USS Marlin was a training submarine that served the Navy for 20 years between 1953 and 1973.

She also has the distinction of being one of the smallest submarines ever built for the US Navy.

• Class: T-1 Class Training Submarine
• Location: Freedom Park, Omaha, Nebraska

3 USS Requin

The USS Requin is a Tench-class museum submarine on display in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is among the best preserved submarines in the US. She was built during World War II in Maine and was part of the massive war effort of the USA.

She was too late to participate in the war as the Japanese surrendered just three days before she was scheduled to begin her first war patrol.

• Class: Tench Class
• Museum: Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Related: HMS Victory: Visit The UK's Most Historic Naval Ship

2 USS Nautilus

The USS Nautilus is a rare example of a nuclear-powered submarine to be preserved as a museum ship. She was one of the world's first nuclear-powered submarines to be built and was the first to complete a submerged transit of the North Pole in 1958.

She was commissioned in 1955, decommissioned in 1980, and made a National Historic Landmark in 1982.

• Class: Tang-Class
• Museum: Submarine Force Library and Museum, Groton, Connecticut

Not all the modern and historic submarines in the United States are of American origin. Go to Chicago, and visitors can see a rare surviving German U-boat of World War II, making her one of the most interesting naval museums in the USA .

U-505 was built for the Kriegsmarine but was captured by the US Navy on 4 June 1944 (around the time of D-Day). She had an unlucky career and, at one point, was called the most heavily damaged U-boat to return to port.

• Class: Type IXC
• Museum: Museum of Science and Industry , Chicago
• Destinations

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SEA & LAND ADVENTURES

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Join us on san diego seal tours to view america’s finest city on a boat with wheels..

Ready to see the best of San Diego on sea and land?  Your 100-minute, fully narrated SEAL Tour departs from Seaport Village or the Embarcadero. Wind your way through picturesque San Diego streets before splashing down for a cruise through the waters of the San Diego Bay. Experience the history and ecological wonders of San Diego in the comfort and security of our virtually unsinkable Hydra-Terras. Here you will learn first-hand of our rich military history and cruise through the waters that are the playground of the California Seals and Sea Lions.

San Diego tours depart from two locations, Seaport Village or Embarcadero. Your land and sea adventure is led by one of our experienced sightseeing tour guides. Our captain and crew are locals who love this beautiful city, so they know about the best things to see and do!

View some of San Diego’s most famous points of interest including the Maritime Museum, Star of India, The U.S.S. Midway, Lindbergh Field, Seaport Village, Shelter Island and many other San Diego attractions!

Once on the water, the boat tour glides past resident San Diego seals and sea lions, a few California brown pelicans, and several other wildlife species from the safety and comfort of our amphibious vehicles.

Enjoy a leisurely cruise and witness various San Diego attractions including Point Loma, the North Island Naval Air Station, Point Loma Submarine Base, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Marine Mammal Training Center, Shelter Island and much more!

FREE Self-Guided Walking Tours (adult ticket) Enjoy San Diego your way with our self-guided walking tours. As you finish your SEAL Tour, the adventure continues at your own pace, using your smartphone for turn-by-turn guided audio tours. Explore rich history, discover hidden gems, and immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of America’s Finest City. Even after you disembark, the fun keeps going, ensuring an unforgettable experience that’s uniquely yours.

Select Your Journey

Whether you’re just breezing through or enjoying an extended stay, we’ve got several options to choose from to help you maximize your time in San Diego and still see the best first!

1501 reviews

San Diego Seal Tour 4.6

San Diego SEAL Tour

• 100-minute, fully narrated SEAL Tour
• State-of-the-art U.S. Coast Guard certified Hydra-Terra vehicles
• Wind your way through picturesque San Diego streets
• Cruise through the waters of San Diego Bay
• FREE Self-Guided Walking Tours (adult ticket)

Old Town Trolley Pass & SEAL Tour

• 1 day of free unlimited re-boarding aboard the Old Town Trolley
• Only hop-on and off tour over the bridge to Coronado
• FREE Self-Guided Walking Tours

Whaley House Evening Guided Tour

• Be part of the historic legacy, mystery and legends of the Whaley Family, and hear of their myths and misconceptions
• Approximately 30-minute guided tour through the historic Whaley House and the surrounding grounds
• Regale in the tales of the spirits from the past and perhaps even experience the paranormal

Whaley House Daytime Self-Guided Tour

• Self-paced tour through the interior and surrounding grounds of the House
• Immerse yourself into the history that makes the property a unique legacy site
• Discover the heritage that leads many to believe that the Whaley House is America's Most Haunted
• Get an unparalleled peek into early California history

Ghosts & Gravestones

• Join our spirited & entertaining tour built on stories, history, mystery and legends
• Travel back and hear about the spirits of characters who lived & died in San Diego
• Hear stories of how Pioneer Park changes to the darker side when the sun goes down
• Includes outside of the Whaley House and grounds. Tour does not enter the house.

San Diego City Lights Night Tour

• Open-air sightseeing perfect for taking pictures
• Approximately 1 hour and 40 minute tour
• See San Diego’s famous sights illuminated at night
• Take in romantic views of the city and cruise past notable landmarks

1-Day Old Town Trolley Tour

• 1 day of free unlimited re-boarding
• Hop on & off at 11 Old Town Trolley stops
• San Diego’s largest fleet with the most frequent service

ADVENTURE TOUR

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DID YOU KNOW...

The Star Of India is the World’s Oldest active iron clad sailing ship, sailing since Abraham Lincoln was President.

Seaport Village was built on landfill over Punta de los Muertos, Dead Man’s Point, where the Spanish expedition of 1782 buried those who had died of scurvy.

Artist Pae White designed the Visitor INFO Center with colored glass in hues that mimic the dawn and dusk hours of the San Diego Bay

There are 33 different species of seals? The largest of these is the elephant seal, weighing up to 8,800 pounds.

The foam flotation system in the SEAL has side sections of 100% aluminum, the hull is divided into small compartments and filled with foam material.

The Naval Base located at Ballast Point was originally a Spanish Fort.

The USS Midway was America's longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century, from 1945 to 1992.

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Tour schedule, the seal tour departs daily.

Wind your way through picturesque San Diego streets before splashing down for a cruise through the waters of the San Diego Bay. The sightseeing tour is approximately 100 minutes; 40 minutes on land and 60 minutes on the water. 

Click BUY TICKETS to see our Calendar

Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Schedule subject to change due to weather and low tide conditions or city events.

Download Brochure

Points of Departure

• Seaport Village Map
• Embarcadero Map

SAN DIEGO TRAVEL GUIDE

Navytown, USA: 12 must-visit naval sites in San Diego

As one of the largest fleet concentration areas in the world and home to the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet, San Diego’s temperate climate isn’t the only draw for tourists and transplants. The Navy snagged some of the best oceanfront real estate in America’s Finest City, but due to security measures, opportunities for the general public to access military bases nationwide are limited. For those who want to experience naval activities in San Diego that aren’t camouflaged, there are still many opportunities to say “hooyah!”

1. Perhaps the most popular Navy attraction is the USS Midway Museum , a decommissioned aircraft carrier-turned-museum that sees more than one million visitors annually. As the Navy’s longest-serving carrier of the 20th century, the USS Midway (CV 41) was in active service until 1992. Today visitors can explore 60 exhibits, see 29 restored aircraft and complete a self-guided audio tour. The museum hosts about 400 active-duty military events onboard annually, which the public is welcome to observe.

San Diego, so close yet so far from L.A.

2. Adjacent to the Midway, get in line to take a picture of the iconic 25-foot Unconditional Surrender sculpture replicating the famously photographed embrace of a sailor and nurse celebrating the end of World War II in Times Square. Nearby, the USS San Diego (CL 53) Memorial is a sculpture honoring the service and sacrifice of the World War II-era light cruiser and her crew.

3.  Fleet Week San Diego (Sept. 3 to Oct. 1, 2016) takes place annually during the fall, featuring public events like Navy ship tours, the Sea & Air Parade with Navy assets on San Diego Bay, the Coronado Speed Festival auto show and exhibition held on Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI), and the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) Air Show flight demonstration, among others. Fleet Week events are typically the best opportunities for the general public to visit a military installation.

4.  Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a military cemetery and California Historical Landmark in Point Loma, located on the grounds of a former Army artillery station. Spanning 77 acres, the cemetery holds more than 100,000 graves, including those of many notable Medal of Honor recipients. Memorial Day is one of the most popular times to visit.

5. Just past the cemetery, Cabrillo National Monument is home to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and a statue of Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. At 422 feet above sea level, the monument is a great vantage point to see the entire military footprint in San Diego, spanning the submarine, surface ship and aviation hubs.

6. Once a Naval Training Center, Liberty Station in Point Loma opened in 1923 as a training facility for Navy recruits. After the Cold War, the Navy eventually closed the base, which was later acquired by the City of San Diego. Today, Liberty Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a popular shopping, arts and culinary district with much of the original Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture still intact. The district’s layout still closely resembles a Navy base, with nods to its earlier life in many of the design elements.

7. Located within Balboa Park, the San Diego Air & Space Museum has a large collection of fully restored military aircraft from both World Wars, the Korean War and Vietnam War. While there, test-drive one of the flight simulators or take a guided tour of the museum to hear about the history of aviation.

8. Over the landmark bridge in Coronado, much of the island belongs to the Navy, including NASNI and Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado, making it a major site of naval activity. Navy SEAL candidates endure a rigorous course called Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training at NAB Coronado. Guests at Hotel del Coronado usually know when candidates make it to week four of training, also known as Hell Week, because the exercises are done on the beach near the hotel. The teamwork exercise “rock portage” is one of the most visible, where candidates simulate landing a boat on rocks, then carry the boat out of the water above their heads. A prime viewing spot, the same beach also falls along the flight line for aircraft landing at NASNI, recognized as the birthplace of naval aviation and home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Naval Air Forces.

9. The 1986 blockbuster movie Top Gun is perhaps the naval aviation community’s best recruiting tool. Audiences watch Tom Cruise train at the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School at MCAS Miramar, one of many local filming locations. Known as the “Top Gun bar” downtown where several scenes were filmed, Kansas City Barbeque is where the memorable jukebox serenade takes place with Kelly McGillis. To visit the “Top Gun house” where McGillis lived in the movie, drive north to the Oceanside cottage that still stands today on an empty lot in front of Hello Betty Fish House.

10. Owned by a former Navy SEAL, McP’s Irish Pub in Coronado is a favorite off-duty hangout among the Navy community. Previous patrons include Prince Harry and his British military brethren in 2011.

11. For the best views of San Diego Bay, head to Harbor Island, Shelter Island or Coronado Ferry Landing to see ships as they transit the harbor. Typically Mondays and Fridays are the best opportunities to spot a ship in action. In years past at Naval Base San Diego, homeport to the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Naval Surface Force, the base has opened to the public for a holiday lights open house when ships along the waterfront are aglow from bow to stern.

12. The Navy’s Marine Mammal Program is only visible by water from a few vantage points. The enclosure of dolphins and sea lions is located on Naval Base Point Loma, home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Naval Submarine Force, where the mammals are trained to detect sea mines and other harmful underwater objects. Take a harbor cruise or ride a stand-up paddleboard through the channel between Liberty Station and Marine Corps Recruit Depot to get a peek of the enclosures and — just maybe — the top of a submarine.

News | 1,400 sailors and Marines from USS Somerset…

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News | 1,400 sailors and Marines from USS Somerset back in San Diego after long deployment

The navy said the 684-foot amphibious transport dock sailed into san diego bay on tuesday, after traveling as far as india and thailand..

Upwards of 1,400 sailors and Marines aboard the amphibious warship USS Somerset have returned to San Diego from a seven-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific, where they participated in various drills and war games, including the recent Rim of the Pacific multi-nation exercises off Hawaii.

The Navy said the 684-foot amphibious transport dock sailed into San Diego Bay on Tuesday, wrapping up travel that took it to such distant locations as India and Thailand. The Somerset carried the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Pendleton, the largest Marine base on the West Coast.

Nearly 60 surface ships and five submarines are officially home ported in San Diego, a number that fluctuates due to the commissioning, decommissioning and transfer of Navy vessels.

Two of San Diego’s three locally-based aircraft carriers, the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Theodore Roosevelt, are currently deployed. The Pentagon said earlier this week that the Lincoln has been ordered to accelerate its trip to the Middle East in case it is needed to help Israel repel a potential attack by Iran. The Navy’s third local carrier, USS Carl Vinson, returned to San Diego Bay on Saturday afternoon.

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