San Francisco - USS Pampanito SS-383 Submarine

We checked out from Travelodge on Sunday. It's time to head back to Torrance. The cashier gave dear Hubby a pamphlet of the San Francisco Maritime Museum. It is the USS Pampanito SS-383 Submarine, a WWII era submarine located at Pier 45 (again, within walking distance with our hotel), a maritime museum since 1982. Since Los Angeles is only about 6 hours drive from San Francisco, we decided to visit the maritime museum.

All of us were quite excited. We have never been in a submarine, let alone a submarine which has survived the World War II!

A little info on USS Pampanito:
USS Pampanito (SS-383), a Balao-class submarine, was a United States Navy navy ship, the only one named for a variety of the pompano fish (see gafftopsail pompano). She completed six war patrols from 1944 to 1945 and served as a Naval Reserve Training ship from 1960 to 1971. USS Pampanito's keel was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, on 15 March 1943. She was launched on 12 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. James Wolfender, and commissioned on 6 November 1943, with Lieutenant Commander Charles B. Jackson, Jr. in command.

After shakedown off New London, Connecticut, Pampanito transited the Panama Canal and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 14 February 1944. Her first war patrol, from 15 March to 2 May, was conducted in the southwest approaches to Saipan and Guam. She served on lifeguard duty south of Yap, then scored two torpedo hits on a destroyer before sailing for Midway Island and Pearl Harbor for refit and repairs to a hull badly damaged by depth charges.

Pampanito’s second war patrol, from 3 June to 23 July, took place off Kyūshū, Shikoku, and Honshū. On 23 June, a submerged Japanese submarine fired two torpedoes, just missing Pampanito. On 6 July, Pampanito damaged a Japanese gunboat, and 11 days later headed for Midway Island.

Pampanito’s third war patrol, from 17 August to 28 September, a "wolfpack" operation with submarines Growler (SS-215)Template:WP Ships USS instances and Sealion (SS-315)Template:WP Ships USS instances, was conducted in the South China Sea. On 12 September, she sank 10,509 ton transport Kachidoki Maru and the 5,135 ton tanker Zuihō Maru, and damaged a third ship, which unbeknownst to them was a "hell ship" carrying POWs. On 15 September, she moved back to the area of the original attack and found men clinging to makeshift rafts. As the sub moved closer, the men were heard to be shouting in English. Pampanito was able to pick up 73 British and Australian survivors and called in three other subs, Sealion, Barb (SS-220)Template:WP Ships USS instances and Queenfish (SS-393)Template:WP Ships USS instances, to assist with the rescue. She then set course for Saipan, disembarked the survivors, and steamed on to Pearl Harbor.

Pampanito’s fourth war patrol, from 28 October to 30 December, took place off Formosa and the coast of southeastern China with Sea Cat (SS-399)Template:WP Ships USS instances, Pipefish (SS-388)Template:WP Ships USS instances, and Searaven (SS-196)Template:WP Ships USS instances. Sinking 1200 ton cargo ship Shinko Maru Number One, 19 November, she damaged a second ship before putting in to Fremantle for refit. Her fifth war patrol in the Gulf of Siam, from 23 January to 12 February 1945, with Guavina (SS-362)Template:WP Ships USS instances, was highlighted by two sinkings, the 6,968-ton cargo ship Engen Maru 6 February and the 3,520-ton passenger-cargo ship Eifuku Maru on 8 February.

Refitted at Subic Bay, Pampanito returned to the Gulf of Siam for her sixth war patrol. Operating with Caiman (SS-323)Template:WP Ships USS instances, Sealion, and Mingo (SS-261)Template:WP Ships USS instances, she sighted only one target before sailing for Pearl Harbor.

From Pearl Harbor the ship proceeded to San Francisco for overhaul, departing for Pearl Harbor again 1 August. With the end of the war, she was ordered to return to San Francisco. She was decommissioned at Mare Island on 15 December 1945. She remained in reserve until April 1960 when she was assigned to Naval Reserve Training at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Reclassified AGSS-383, 6 November 1962, she served as a Naval Reserve Training ship at Vallejo, California, until she was stricken from the Navy Register on 20 December 1971.

Pampanito earned six battle stars for World War II service.

You can visit her official website here.

The tour through the USS Pampanito descends into the rear of the sub, and it's actually just a short walk through the compartments. Into the rear torpedo room, the 2 engine rooms that reek of diesel fumes, the eating quarters, the tiny galley, the sleeping quarters, and the forward torpedo room.

It's remarkable on how small the place is within the subs. The inner walls are only a few feet apart. The inside of the submarine is sectioned off into small compartments, all separated by tiny water tight doors. To think 80 men lived for months on end within these cramped quarters takes a bit of visualization. And the smell...arghh..for me who is a bit of a claustrophobic and an anxiety disorder patient, it was quite a task to finish up the tour. But the historian in me get the best. Thanks to my dad's gene who was a History teacher. :)

Have a look at a few snaps inside the submarine.

The torpedo room. Yeah, that yellow and black things are torpedos. KABOOMMM!

We could see hundreds of meters and other sorts of control 'thingy'.

So small!

Gadgets again.

Dining area

Water tight doors between compartments.

The service men.

The tour was an educational one. Especially for Harith and dear Hubby who are interested in anything to do with gadgets, meters and all. Me, I'm just interested in the historical part. Hey, it's the WWII submarine ok! Even my Dad was just a little toddler at that time. For Adik Hannah, it was just a small playground. She had fun going through the submarine, climbing the stairs, lying on the bunk(although that wasn't allowed, of course), hehe..

So if any of you folks happened to be in San Francisco, go ahead and take the trip down to Pier 45. The ticket only cost USD7. But I can assure you what you will experience will worth much more than that.

San Francisco Cable Car

One of the attractions of San Francisco are the cable car, the street car and the MUNI bus. Harith, (who is a gaga of trains and tramps and whatever that have anything to do with the rails) was obviously so excited when he saw all the cars. So after a little rest and Adik Hannah was all cleaned up and pretty again, hehe..we went out. We went to the Fisherman's Wharf by foot. There's a cable car station over there. The ticket cost USD5 per person per way. Children ages 5 and below are free. We had to stand in a long line before it was our turn (almost one hour!). But it was worth the wait. The cable car took us on a route which practically covers most part of the city.
The cable car's driver (the Sikh man in the second picture above) kindly obliged when I asked him to snap our family pic. We even had a little chat and I was pleased to know that he knew where Malaysia is. Hehe.. Most people know about Singapore and Thailand, but not Malaysia...so that was kind of refreshing.

We walked around the city for a little bit. The city was bright with night-lights. Since it was weekend and just after Black Friday, most stores are still open. Kira happening laaa.

We promised to take Harith on the MUNI bus too. So we took the bus ride to go back to the hotel. In case you're wondering, MUNI stands for 'Municipal Transportation Agency'. This is how a MUNI bus look.
The MUNI bus runs on electric. It has cables and rails all around the city. I think it is very unique and cost-saving. Obviously Harith was really excited. Gosh...two rides in one night! That's too much to handle. Hehe.. The ticket only cost USD1.50 per person.

We reached the hotel at about 9 p.m. Took the car and drove to BangsanThai, a local Halal Thai restaurant. We haven't had rice for the past 3 days and I told dear hubby that we would definitely have to search for a Halal restaurant. I wanted a proper hot meal. No more bags and bags of French Fries. Grrr.... We googled and found the restaurant which was only 6 minutes drive from Travelodge. Alhamdulilah...told you, our hotel was near to almost every destination :-D
I went back to the hotel feeling very satisfied. Phew...the food was marvelous. So for any Muslims out there who are visiting San Francisco, I definitely recommend this place. You can view their website here.

Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco

Saturday morning, we woke up feeling fresh and excited. Dear hubby and I decided that our first destination would be the historic Golden Gate Bridge. Yeah..you know, that big red suspension bridge with two towers which is a visitor attraction recognized around the world. Surprisingly, it was only about 10 minutes drive from our hotel. From the bridge, we could also view the Alcatraz, one of the most famous prison in the world (no longer a prison now, I think).
From the park, we walked to the bridge. Yes, we are allowed to walk across the bridge. There's a pedestrian walk. I was focusing the camera to snap the pictures of Abah and the kids when suddenly I felt a pat on my shoulder. I was surprised to look up and see a friendly Mat Salleh face asking "Would you like to be in the picture too? I can snap it for you." Of course, happily I said yes. So, this was the picture taken by the kind-hearted Mat Salleh :D

So that was one of the few examples of how friendly an American is. When I first came here, I was quite skeptical on how they would address me, you know....me wearing a Hijab as it has been portrayed that Americans don't respond well to Muslim people (with the 9/11, Osama Laden and all...haihh). But for the past almost 4 months I've been here, I can safely say that I've been treated well and fair. And you won't believe how polite they are! For example, when you're paying for your stuffs at the counter, the first thing that the cashier will say to you is, "Hello, how're you doing?"and before we leave, they will say "Have a nice day, will ya!" with that big bright smiles. Now, tell me if you've ever seen that in Malaysia (yang 'terkenal' dengan adat resam dan budi bahasanya?? Agak-agak pernah tak jumpa cashier yang tanya Apa khabar? Kalau yg muka masam tu banyak la kan) (chuckle)

Anyway, back to the Golden Gate Bridge. Below is some info that I have googled.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and State Route 1, it connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. The Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1937, and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and California. Since its completion, the span length has been surpassed by eight other bridges. It still has the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States, after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. In 2007, it was ranked fifth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.

The Golden Gate Bridge spans the Golden Gate, a narrow, 400-foot (120 m) deep strait that serves as the mouth of the San Francisco Bay, between San Francisco at the northernmost tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, and the Marin Headlands at the far southern end of Marin County. Although close by proximity, the two sides of the strait are separated by significant natural obstacles. Crossing the strait directly by boat is dangerous because of strong currents and lack of suitable landings. Ocean tides drive an average of 528 billion gallons (2 billion cubic meters) of water every six hours, at peak currents exceeding 5.6 miles per hour (2.5 m/s). Circumnavigating the Bay, however, involves a trip of several hundred miles and crossing several major rivers.

You can visit the bridge's official homepage at Golden Gate Bridge.

Above is the statue of Joseph Baermann Strauss who was responsible for the building of the bridge. He was the Chief Engineer in charge of overall design and construction of the bridge project. Construction began on 5 January 1933. The project cost more than $35 million. Strauss remained head of the project, overseeing day-to-day construction and making some groundbreaking contributions. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, he had placed a brick from his alma mater's demolished McMicken Hall in the south anchorage before the concrete was poured. He innovated the use of movable safety netting beneath the construction site, which saved the lives of many otherwise-unprotected steelworkers. Of eleven men killed from falls during construction, ten were killed (when the bridge was near completion) when the net failed under the stress of a scaffold that had fallen. Nineteen others who were saved by the net over the course of construction became proud members of the (informal) Halfway to Hell Club. The project was finished by April 1937, $1.3 million under budget.

Below are some snaps taken from the bridge. Look at the amazing construction and engineering. It was built in 1937 . Made me sad to think how far behind our country was in 1937 :(

Unfortunately, the Golden Gate Bridge is also a favorite place for suicide. So much so that now they're having a study on how to prevent the suicide here. The Golden Gate Bridge is the most prevelant place in the USA to commit suicide and one of the most popular in the world. The deck is approximately 245 feet (75 m) above the water. After a fall of approximately four seconds, jumpers hit the water at some 86 miles per hour (138 km/h), which is nearly always fatal. As a suicide prevention initiative, this sign below promotes a special telephone available on the bridge that connects to a crisis hotline.

Later, we crossed the bridge by car and went for a scenic drive in Marin Headlands. The Marin Headlands is a hilly area at the southernmost end of Marin County, California, above the Golden Gate. The Headlands are located just north of San Francisco, immediately across the Golden Gate Bridge. Again, another kind-hearted Mat Salleh offered to take our family picture.

Oh, before we went up there, we stopped at the store. It was lunch time and we were quite famished. So we grabbed some snacks and had lunch on top of the hill while viewing the great Golden Gate Bridge. Haihh...I wish we can do that often. Now, we will have to move to San Francisco if we want to do that, won't we? ;)

We stayed there for almost one hour. Thought of wondering about the city, but then Adik Hannah had some business in the car, hehe.. So we had to go back to Travelodge to finish up the 'unfinished business' of Adik Hannah.

Great Salt Lake and Crossing to San Francisco

Friday morning. Another day of adventure. Our next destination was San Francisco. It would be another 12 hours drive. We left Best Western around 10.30 a.m. We took the I-80 West highway. It meant we would left Utah, crossed Nevada desert and enter California through Reno. A few miles into the highway, we made a short stop at Exit 104. That was the entrance to view the Great Salt Lake.
The lake is the saltiest in the world after the Dead Sea. As a result, no fishes can survive in the lake. We can only find shrimps there. Too bad for dear hubby. Hehe...I could practically see his brain working out the times to spend if he decided to fish there. It was quite smelly too..the lake I mean. It had some kind of sulfur odor to it. Not sure what it actually was.

After about half an hour, we left the Great Salt Lake and continued our way to San Francisco. Along the way (still in Utah) we could see some factories. I assume those are the salt factories??

The salt area was so huge! When dear hubby researched for the ski area, he looked at the satellite photos. He saw a big white spot in Utah, so he assumed that was the snow. That's how he decided to take us here. But now he thinks that was actually the Great Salt Lake and the dried salt area. Thank goodness Utah turned out to be the most perfect ski spot in America. Hehe..
And so we headed to San Francisco. Crossed over the Nevada desert, and again...the most spectacular, breathtaking views. Since we couldn't go faster than 75 m.p.h anyway, we took our own sweet time. I was glad that the kids were behaving very well. We played in the car, made some jokes, exchanged some laughter, sang some nursery rhymes (Intsy Wincy Spider being their favorite rhyme and yeah, my little princess Hannah has memorized some other rhymes such as Humpty Dumpty, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Mary Had A Little Lamp..I think for a 2 year old, she is amazing....Ummi loves you so much, Hannah!), popped up some quizzes and guessing games. That long drive was one of the best memories forever stamped in my heart :)

We reached San Francisco at about 9.30 p.m. Oh, we booked a room at the Heritage Marina hotel. But when I called to check in, they said they're over booked. I knew they were some kind of scam. I read the bad review of the hotel but dear hubby insisted to book it because of the low rate but good location. Grrr....looked around and luckily managed to get a room at Travelodge At The Bay. It turned out to be perfect. Only a few minutes walking distance from the Fisherman's Wharf which is a great tourist sport. Our adventure in San Francisco will be in another entry. Hmmm...tomorrow perhaps? If I'm still in the mood to blog. ;)