Submarine and Lumber Barons

The day started with a trip to the USS Silversides Submarine museum.

Although the submarine museum was only a few hundred yards from our campsite, it was nine miles by land as there is no bridge across the canal. There is an opportunity here for some entrepreneurial boat owner.

This is a map of our day trip around Muskegon.

Arriving early, we were the first people aboard this WWII Gato Class submarine commissioned in 1941.

Six polished brass torpedo tubes line the front of the forward torpedo room.

Brass gauges and stainless steel controls line the walls of the Control Room. The single wheel on the right is used to steer while the pair of wheels controls the fore and aft planes for controlling the depth and angle of the boat.

This box is a Dead Reckoning Analyzer, an analog calculator used to determine the position of the ship based on course, speed, and track. Beth and I both teach boating safety which includes manually plotting a dead reckoning position, thus our fascination with this instrument.

Dead Reckoning Analyzer: Close-up of course dial.

Dead Reckoning Analyzer: Close up of Latitude and Longitude dials.

Dead Reckoning Analyzer: Close-up of builder's plaque.

The Dive Station contains the valves used to flood and vent ballast compartments. The panel above is called the "Christmas Tree" with red and green status lights.

The communications room was stuffed with radio equipment along with a manual typewriter.

Arguably one of the most important machines on the boat is this large coffee maker.

Meals were served in the crews mess which seats twenty-four. Two cooks and a baker kept the crew fed.

Thirty-six men bunked in the berthing compartment. Each crew member had a permanent, if small, bed. No "hot bunking" was required on the Silversides.

Moving aft, we reached the control panel for the electric engines. Four million watts of power surged through this panel during peak operation. Seawater, metal, and electricity; what could possibly go wrong?

The after torpedo room has berths in very close proximity to the torpedoes. This is one of the few electric torpedoes carried on the sub.

Smaller than the forward torpedo room, eight torpedoes were available, four in the tubes, and four in racks.

A 50 caliber anti-aircraft gun sits on the slanting deck. The boat had a slight port list at the dock.

The USS Silversides sank more ships and took down more tonnage than any other surviving WWII submarine. The conning tower shows their record of 30 Japanese vessels sunk and 14 damaged.

As someone with a career in the photo industry this story, posted in the museum, caught my attention.

As we departed the submarine, this pleasure boat sailed past. It gave us pause to reflect on the freedoms and privileges we have today due to the sacrifices of past generations of sailors like those that crewed the USS Silversides.

The US Coast Guard Cutter McLane shares the museum dock with the USS Silversides.

The 125 foot McClain was commissioned in 1927 and served through the 1960's. Captain Beth stands with the traditional wooden wheel.

Wood was still used in the McClain's construction. Details like these drawers build into the stairs, make it worth exploring.

The bit on the bow is significantly stronger that the little cleats on our sailboat.

Displacing 220 tons with a crew of thirty men, the ship was diesel powered, but still carried one sail for tradition.

The USS Silversides museum is well worth visiting. We were reviewing the forecasted track of Hurricane Florence in the van and considering whether we might need a large anchor to to keep us moored.

One last view from the museum as four classic hot rods arrived and parked in front of the NOAA research vessel Laurentian.

Driving to downtown, we stopped to tour the Hackley and Hume homes. Arriving a half-hour before the tour started, we had time to visit this restored fire station.

And this depression era Victorian home. It was furnished as it would have been in the 1930's with the owner on the first floor and the second floor converted to an apartment.

The main tour is of two amazing Victorian mansions constructed by two lumber barons who were partners in the company. This is the Hackley house.

A shared barn, architecturally divided to match the styles of each house.

To the right is the Hume house. Both houses were built between 1887 and 1889 and have been meticulously restored.

Indoors, we found amazing stained glass windows.

The tour guide was gracious and answered all of our questions. We were the last tour of the day and had the guide all to ourselves. Being in the lumber business, Hackley and Hume commissioned amazing wood carvings throughout the homes.

Furnishing were unique. This chair was returned to the home by one of the descendants.

The Hackley house had more carvings. He was the older of the two partners.

Wood, round details, and stained glass make these homes unique and fascinating. For more information, visit the museum we site by clicking here.

The Visitor's Center was originally built in 1895 as Union Depot to serve the three railroads running through Muskegon.

Next door to the Depot, we thought Amazon Web Services had opened offices in town. Consulting the internet, we learned that the building was a mill for the Amazon Hosiery Company built in 1895, long before a web retailer had been envisaged. The mill is currently apartments with some retail on the ground floor.

Also within view of the Depot is LST 393. Now a museum, this "Landing Ship Tank" served in WWII, including 30 roundtrips to the beaches of Normandy in support of that invasion. The LST 393 web site notes that crew referred to the ships as "Large Slow Targets." The museum, along with another for a big passenger ship were closed by the time we arrived.

Walking around downtown we found more evidence of Hackley and Humes influence. This beautiful school building was built and donated by the pair.

Hackley also built a beautiful library for the citizens of Muskegon in 1888. A historic plaque notes Hackley stipulated the facility be "forever maintained as a library."

Looking for a place to eat dinner, there weren't many options open on a Sunday night in September. We ended up stopping at Bear Lake Tavern, in North Muskegon, about half-way back to the campground. It was a beautiful evening and we enjoyed delicious lightly fried Lake Perch on their patio.

Shadows were growing as we checked out the northern campground in Muskegon State Park. An old block house stands near the top of the hill at the campground entrance. This campground is more wooded than the canal campground, but doesn't have the canal boating activity.

Sand blowing over the road reminded us of the Outer Banks back home in North Carolina.

We parked at the State Park Beach to wait for the sunset. Not many others were out on a Sunday evening.

A flock of terns swooped in and joined the seagulls standing on the beach.

The outer light stands further out on the jetty than the round red light tower we photographed last night.

Dessert in the van was a treat while waiting for the sun to dip a little lower.

Fewer clouds than last night allowed us to see the entire sphere as the water of Lake Michigan rose to greet it.

One lone gull headed inshore after the suns rays were quenched by the sea.

We really enjoyed our time in Muskegon and hope to return some day.