Happy Wanderers

  • Thursday, September 24th, at 9:15 a.m. at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, CT

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN ITS ENTIRETY IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THIS WANDERING TO THE U.S. NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE

On Thursday, September 24th, the Wanderers will drive to the U.S. Naval Submarine Base New London (SUBASE) in Groton, CT, known as the “Home of the Submarine Force,” and enjoy a visit to the Submarine Force Museum and Historic Ship Nautilus, a Windshield Bus Tour including a brief wandering on the Upper Base and lunch on the SUBASE.  As a retired Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve, DMA member Paul Hendrickson was able to open the door to this exciting opportunity.

This visit to the SUBASE will begin at 9:15 a.m. with a self-guided tour and wandering through the Museum and onto the Nautilus.  At 10:15 a.m., a Public Affairs representative of the SUBASE will welcome us in the Museum Theater and provide an overview of the U.S. Navy, the Submarine Force and the SUBASE.  Following this presentation, a highlight of this wandering will be a bus tour of the Upper Base that will offer views of the Submarine School, galley, barracks, medical facilities, other key support structures and the Lower Base.  A Public Affairs representative of the SUBASE will be with us on this bus tour and wandering and will provide historical insights.  The tour will conclude with a brief wandering on the Upper Base followed at noon by a pizza buffet lunch at REUNIONS PUB on the SUBASE.  Lunch is expected to include assorted pizza, salad, cookies and soft drinks/water and social engagement with SUBSCOL Sailors.  Following lunch at 1:00 p.m. a bus will transport Wanderers to the parking lot adjacent to the Museum where Wanderers will have parked their cars upon arriving at the SUBASE and will drive home.   

Sign-ups for this tour and wandering will begin in person at the DMA meeting on Wednesday, September 2.  If interested in participating in this tour and wandering, please sign up in person at the September 2 meeting and provide when you sign-up the information and payment required below.  Sign-ups by email for this tour and wandering will not be accepted until after 1:00 p.m. on September 2, at which time an email signing up for this tour and wandering with the information required below should be sent to Harry Bergen at bercom100@gmail.com.  

The size of our group has been limited by the SUBASE to 36 participants so, if interested, please sign up in person at the meeting on September 2.  Sign-ups will be accepted on a first-come basis.  Due to the anticipated popularity of this tour and wandering and the group size limitation, we unfortunately are unable to include the spouses of DMA members.  A waiting list will be established if this tour and wandering is over-subscribed.  

All visitors to the SUBASE must be U.S citizens with a real ID or U.S. passport and must be ambulatory.  When signing up for this tour and wandering, you will be required to provide your full name, social security number, date of birth, place of birth, real driver’s license number including state of issuance or U.S. passport number as such information is required to be submitted to the SUBASE on Thursday, September 3.

The cost to each Wanderer to participate in this tour and wandering including lunch is $40 and is non-refundable.  Please pay such amount in cash when signing up.  The deadline for receipt of payment is Wednesday, September 17.  

For those who want to car-pool, we will rendezvous at the DCA parking lot at 7:15 a.m. and then organize into groups for the drive to the SUBASE.  Those interested in car- pooling from Darien should plan to park their cars in the rear of the parking lot at the DCA.  We will depart from the DCA parking lot by 7:30 a.m. and arrive at the SUBASE at 9:15 a.m. as the self-guided tour and wandering will start at 9:15 a.m. in the Museum.   We will park our cars just outside the entrance to the SUBASE in the parking lot that is adjacent to the Museum.  We will gather inside the entrance to the Museum to begin our tour and wandering.    

Contact:  Chet Cobb, Harry Bergen, or Paul Hendrickson