James Adams, Ship's Manager and Historic preservation denotes the act of keeping safe, maintaining unchanged and intact, preventing decay or spoilage, protecting whatever is important in or exerted influence on past events, and documenting the lives of those involved in said events. Working from this point of view, preservation of the USS Pampanito, SS-383, a Baloa class World War II submarine, requires more than merely maintaining the boat's structure and technology. For the Pampanito embodies more than just a metal hull and the mid-20th century technology housed inside; she also embodies the naval architects and shipbuilders who constructed her, the submariners who sailed aboard her and their experiences during six War patrols, the POWs who found an unexpected and sorely needed haven within her walls, the Naval Reserve sailors who trained on her during the 1960s, the individuals who rescued her from the scrap yard and began the long process of restoring her to her summer 1945 condition and appearance, and, finally, the visitors and school children who board her to learn, taste and feel a little of a past they will never completely know. It is our mission, therefore, to preserve and interpret the vessel and the lives she touched and, by doing so, bring maritime history to life. Pampanito's keel was laid on March 15, 1943 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, New Hampshire as part of an expanded wartime production effort. One hundred and nineteen days later, the USS Picuda (SS-382) and the USS Pampanito were launched in a double ceremony. Following outfitting, commissioning, sea trials and a practice war patrol, the Pampanito was assigned to the Pacific Theater where, between March 15, 1944 and April 24, 1945, she completed six war patrols, with a record of six kills, four vessels damaged, and 73 POWs rescued. Following the war, Pampanito was decommissioned and placed in the Mare Island "mothball fleet" where she underwent regular maintenance and inspections until 1956. During the 1960s, she served as a training platform for Naval Reserve Submarine Division 11-12 and, unfortunately, received no maintenance beyond minimal housekeeping activities. Pampanito remained part of the reserves until 1970 when she was opened for industrial stripping by the Navy and several key pieces of equipment were removed. She was stricken from Navy records in 1971 and five years later, the Navy turned the submarine over to the Maritime Park Association for use as a World War II submarine Memorial and Museum. Determined to preserve and prevent problems rather than merely repair them, the Association developed a preservation plan that incorporated two basic work forces - one on-site group consisting of staff and volunteers and one off-site group supplied by a shipyard or outside contractor - and two basic maintenance schedules - a schedule of weekly work plans and a schedule of regular dry docking - to insure the continued maintenance and restoration of the vessel. The Pampanito's summer 1945 configuration was chosen as the restoration profile and the work of documenting that configuration began. It was quickly determined that while normal ship repair practices and standards presented a cost effective approach to the maintenance process, they did not take into account our desire to maintain the boat indefinitely, to restore her to her summer 1945 configuration, and to preserve the boat's historic fabric as well as the original construction techniques and materials. The Pampanito and other historic vessels required the same type of standards that were applied to historic artifacts or historic buildings. With the publication of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Vessel Preservation Projects in 1990, the Pampanito and the historic ship community had its standards. All the work done on the Pampanito since 1990 has strictly adhered to the Secretary's Standards and is thoroughly documented with photographic images - both still and video - and detailed written reports. Regular cyclic dry docking helps us insure the maintenance and integrity of the Pampanito's hull. During her first scheduled dry docking in 1987, workers removed 30 years of marine growth and allowed us to survey the entire boat and formulate a long-term plan of action. Since all the torpedo tube doors had been welded shut, we took this opportunity to clean, disassemble, fabricate new rollers and pins to replace missing ones, and reinstall the torpedo tube doors, returning them to working condition. Before she went back into the water, we painted out her hull using the Devoe two part epoxy system. This proved to be an excellent decision, one that has protected the boat for almost 20 years. In 1993 Pampanito returned to dry dock for her cyclic maintenance and for repairs to the outer shell caused by a severe wind storm that swept through the Bay Area in 1988. Unfortunately, the storm damage required the replacement of over 200 square feet of historic shell plating and several historic frame sections. These replacements followed the guidelines set forth in the Secretary's Standards and were thoroughly documented. Pampanito's third dry docking occurred in 1999. During this dry docking the underwater hull was inspected, cleaned and painted, all 38 zincs were replaced, and the superstructure was painted. Pampanito will next go to dry dock in January 2006. Preserving the boat's historic fabric, however, is just one aspect of our preservation strategy. Over the past 24 years, the staff and crew of the Pampanito have managed to locate, restore, and reinstall nearly every piece of equipment originally assigned to the submarine. And, to date, she is approximately 80% functional. The search for equipment was complimented by an on-going search for personal artifacts, historic photographs and documents, and the men who served on board. We have accumulated a vast collection of oral histories taken during Pampanito crew reunions and an array of artifacts that support the boat's restoration and preservation, once again fills her compartments with life, and documents the lives of those who served aboard her. From the Pampanito's log, first war patrol:
Since the Pampanito opened her hatches to the public in 1982, approximately 200,000 visitors a year have boarded her and we have attempted to insure that each one leaves with a better understanding of the sub, her time, and the role she and her crew played in history. Armed with an audio unit, visitors wander through the submarine and back in time guided by those who knew her best - Pampanito crew members - who describe each compartment and their experiences on the tape. This personalized tour is augmented by the presence of our volunteer sub vet docents stationed in various compartments throughout the Pampanito and on the pier ready and willing to answer questions and share their experiences in the Silent Service. In addition to the visitors who come to the sub every day, the Pampanito hosts thousand of school children and scout or youth groups on educational day programs and overnights. Our education staff encourages and guides older students attending the Pampanito Science Academy as they discover some of the scientific principles that govern the theory and practice of submarines. These students learn about light, mirrors, and refraction as they create their own periscope. The importance of gathering accurate information becomes apparent when they attempt to decode operation orders and then plot the sub's position. They come to understand elements of electricity when they construct their own chemical batteries and they discover the laws of buoyancy by making and testing their own submarine. The education staff also runs numerous day and overnight history programs geared for children ages 6 through 18 that teach team-building while immersing the new hands in the lifestyle of a World War II submariner. By the end of their tour of duty, these students have a greater appreciation for and understanding of the men of the Silent Service and the World War II era. The Pampanito's preservation is an on-going effort that will take her into the next century afloat and alive with her historical and scientific lessons. This past September the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association signed an historic 25 year lease with the Port of San Francisco, which gives us approximately 8,000 square feet within historic Shed A at Pier 45 where we will build our museum. Within the walls of this museum we will interpret the Silent Service in general, the Pampanito in particular and honor all submariners. Our future preservation course is charted: preserve and maintain the historic fabric, restore and interpret the historic technology, pass on an understanding of the past and the individuals who lived it, encourage research; in short, stay the course by bringing maritime history to life.
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