USS Nautilus, Nuclear submarine museum in Groton, United States.
USS Nautilus is a nuclear submarine in Groton, Connecticut, now serving as a museum vessel at the Submarine Force Museum. The craft measures 97.5 meters long and 8.5 meters wide and houses several levels with a command center, torpedo rooms, crew quarters, and engine compartments.
The vessel launched in January 1954 and became the first submarine powered by a nuclear reactor instead of diesel engines. It reached the North Pole beneath the ice in August 1958 and was decommissioned in 1980 before becoming a museum.
The name refers to Jules Verne's famous underwater vessel from his novels about ocean exploration. Visitors today walk through the narrow corridors and chambers where sailors lived and worked for weeks without seeing daylight.
Admission is free and a visit typically takes between one and two hours depending on how thoroughly you explore the compartments. The interior connects through narrow hatches and steep ladders, so visitors should be comfortable on their feet.
If you look carefully, you can still find original equipment like kitchen utensils and bunk frames that were used in the cramped spaces back then. Some control panels and instruments carry handwritten notes from the active service days of the vessel.
Location: Groton
Inception: January 1, 1954
Length: 97.5 m
Width: 8.5 m
Reference: SSN-571
Address: 1 Crystal Lake Rd, Groton, CT 06340, USA
Opening Hours: Montag 09:00-16:00; Mittwoch-Sonntag 09:00-16:00
Phone: +18606943174
Website: http://ussnautilus.org
GPS coordinates: 41.38722,-72.08833
Latest update: December 5, 2025 12:53
This collection brings together warships that shaped naval warfare across three centuries, from wooden sailing vessels to nuclear-powered submarines. The ships represent turning points in maritime military technology, including the age of sail, the transition to steam and iron hulls, and the advent of nuclear propulsion. Preserved vessels such as HMS Victory and USS Constitution demonstrate life aboard warships during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, while USS Missouri and USS Nautilus illustrate the strategic role of naval forces during World War II and the Cold War. Visitors can explore the decks where historic battles were commanded, examine artillery from 18-pound cannons to modern naval guns, and walk through the cramped quarters where crews lived during extended deployments. The collection spans continents, with museum ships located in Portsmouth, Pearl Harbor, Stockholm, and Saint Petersburg. Each vessel tells the story of its nation's naval ambitions and the sailors who served aboard, offering a tangible connection to maritime history that no textbook can match.
These preserved submarines open their hatches to visitors who want to see where sailors lived and fought beneath the ocean surface. From World War II patrol boats that hunted across the Pacific to the first nuclear-powered vessel that changed naval history forever, each submarine reveals the cramped reality of underwater service. You walk through narrow steel corridors, peer into bunks stacked three high, and stand where officers once studied charts and gave orders in near silence. The collection includes vessels from harbors across the United States and around the world, each one a working museum where the instruments, torpedo tubes, and engine rooms remain as they were during active duty. Some of these submarines sank enemy warships and rescued Allied prisoners during the Second World War. Others served through the Cold War, carrying crews on patrols that lasted weeks without seeing daylight. A few pushed the limits of technology, proving that nuclear reactors could power a vessel across thousands of miles and even under the polar ice. Whether docked in a busy port or resting beside a quiet lake, these submarines bring you face to face with the men who descended into the deep, closed the hatch, and did their work in spaces smaller than a city bus.
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