Galveston: Sea Wolf Park

The beach and pool were fabulous but we wanted to see the sights too!  We read about Sea Wolf Park that housed the USS Cavalla, a WWII submarine and the USS Stewart, a WWII Destroyer Escort - one of only two surviving in the US.  The destroyer escort was sunk and sat deteriorating in the ocean so they decided to bring it up and restore it.


This ol' destroyer didn't impress me much.  I can appreciate the fact that it served it's duty and many many men (and women?!) are owed my gratitude for fighting to protect our county.  BUT there wasn't much in there, everything was metal and painted grey and frankly their decorator should be fired.  They needed some dang curtains or maybe a picture or two on the walls.  Plus it was HOT HOT HOT and Alaina was about as impressed as me.  So between our un-impressed-ness (like that word?!) and the endless teeny tiny stair-ladders everywhere - the girl and I waited in the shadow of the crow's nest while Josh and Joseph explored it.

Excuse me while I itch my back on this huge missle. 

On it's maiden voyage, the USS Cavalla sunk a 30,000 ton Japanese aircraft carrier. 

The USS Cavalla sub on the other hand was SUPER cool!  It was mind blowing to think about how it operated.  Every single wall and space and nook and cranny was a dial or wheel to turn or switch to flip or missile to explode.  Then behind one area of dials and pipes and vents and switches, there was a whole other section of it.  The main thoroughfare was a tiny little walkway down the middle with machinery on either side of you , so with the massiveness of the sub from the outside, you can imagine how much of the interior was filled with these inner workings. It is essentially one huge engine that sailors happen to eat and sleep in.

It was very intimidating gazing at the missiles knowing that war is so ugly and devastating.  I kept feeling a sense of pride and amazement mixed with the eeriness of it all.      

It was all very industrial.  This vessel too could use a decorator.  ;)

The rear missile launch bay.  Those suckers were HUGE.

The galley had these wonderfully vintage tables and upholstery.  I loved it!  The game boards are painted on each table.  It screamed Americana. 

Joseph was equally impressed by the USS Cavalla and decided we needed to take a quick cruise.  They declined his offer to Captain the sub, though.

Now...let's hit the beach!