Field Trips are Fun

I remember as a kid we used to go to businesses on field trips to get a glimpse into what our parents and others did for a living. One year it was a bakery with all of the delicious smells you might expect. Another trip brought us to Menzie Dairy where we all got free samples. Of orange juice.  I was grateful for the gift but have to admit being a bit confused why it wasn’t milk.

I was cruising through the archives the other day and saw this story in The Key West Citizen newspaper (Key West, Fla.), dated Monday February 15, 1960. In the section where school news was reported, a nice story about a recent field trip by the second-grade class got to visit a submarine. But not just any submarine. This one was a very special submarine.

The interesting thing about this particular submarine was that it wasn’t just any submarine.

I had to do some research about the boat because frankly I had never heard of this type of boat before. It was called a T-1 Boat.

From the Naval Encyclopedia:

“The T-1-class submarines were among the smallest operational submarines ever built for the United States Navy. Two experimental midgets designed for training submarine personnel, testing new equipment. They would have a career spanning 19 years, started under the programme SCB 68 experimental auxiliary submarine (AGSS-570) and later re-rated for training as T-1/2 and later SST-1/2, or USS Mackerel and USS Marlin from 1956. They replicated also to the coastal Soviet M-class, with a crew of 16, still in service in 1950. The latter were effective in the Baltic, Back and Mediterranean Seas. They had the secondary role to provide a suitable small submarine for frigates and destroyers training to US and NATO anti-submarine warfare. Both built at General Dynamics entered service in 1953, based in Florida and Caribbean waters, and decommissioned in 1973.

“The Mackerel class were quite odd as submarines, surrounded by large conventional attack models and even larger nuclear ones. Instead of using WW2 vintage subs, or even their modernized “fleet snorkels” the Navy wanted to develop a specific class of training submarines since technology went to great leaps since 1946. They would be the perfect tools for a rapidly growing fleet of modern submarines, tailored for their role, small and cheap to operate with all systems requited, a small nucleus crew acting as instructors and accommodations for would-be submariner cadets and offering all the latest panel of equipment developed in the 1950s.

“They also had other roles. Under the program project SBC 68, they were to test new equipment, shown how small a modern submarine could be built, and were to provide a more modern, more accurate small submarine target for frigates and destroyers training as well as provided NATO allied valuable anti-submarine warfare skills.

“Lastly, if the cold war was to turn hot, they constituted at the extreme a still valuable model that could be mass built in no time, as cheaply as possible, capable of crossing the Atlantic with 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) and serve in the Mediterranean, and small seas such as Baltic and Black Sea. They were certainly not as advanced as small attack submarines as were the Barracuda class though. As midgets, they were very much emulating the Soviet M-class. But their single tube limited effectiveness and single propeller, their agility as well as not the speed ideal to escape after detection.”

So, the children and some adult supervision went on a field trip, and these were their handwritten impressions. From the stories, it seems like Theodora Mauss’s father was the sailor or officer who was the sponsor. Either Wesley Malone or Wesley Arnold’s father drove the truck. Since there were at least 28 kids and a few adults, it must have been a big truck. But it was in the Keys, so I can imagine it was a pleasant day to ride to the subbase, even in the month of February.

News Of The Schools In Monroe County

Students Sight Sub,

Nicely Write Same

As a result of a trip to the submarine, U. S. S. Mackerel, in the navy yard, the second-grade boys and girls of Mrs. Frank’s class at Reynolds School were better able to understand the navy man as a community helper.

These are some of the stories the children wrote:

A T-BOAT

By Pete Lanier

A T-Boat is a submarine. It is not a regular submarine because it is smaller.

Only 30 men can work in it. And even then, there’s not much room.

WESLEY’S FATHER’S TRUCK

By Sharon Mazur

Wesley’s father took us on his truck to the submarine. We had fun and talked on the truck. We sang songs too.

We had to jump on and off the truck. We liked the ride so much that we thanked Wesley’s father.

OUR TRIP TO THE SUBMARINE

By Pamela Searer

We went on a submarine. We went on a truck. It was fun. Theodora talked through the loudspeaker.

I liked the submarine. My mother went on the submarine too and so did Mrs. Frank.

OUR TRIP TO THE NAVY YARD

By Leslie Hoick

We went on the submarine. We looked through the periscope. Theodora talked through the loudspeaker.

We went and came in Wesley’s father’s truck. We sang songs coming back from the submarine on the truck.

We had ice cream on the submarine and saw cartoons too.

THE NAVY MAN

By Wesley Malone

The navy man guards us with airplanes and ships and guns.

Sometimes the navy man works on a ship. Some men fly planes to guard us.

THE VISIT

By Luis Cobo

We went on a submarine. We looked through the periscope. We went through the submarine.

It was little but nice. We saw men loading a torpedo.

A TRIP TO THE SUBMARINE

By Susan Parker

A submarine has a kitchen. But the navy calls it a galley. It has many pieces of equipment.

I still do not know why they’re always calling “Up periscope” and “Down periscope.” 0, well, bye from the navy.

THE TRIP TO THE SUBMARINE

By Lauren Lujan

We were invited to a submarine. Theodora’s father invited us. It was fun. We ate ice cream.

We looked through the periscope. We looked at cartoons. I liked it.

THE NAVY MAN

By Gilda Lee Richardson

The navy man guards our country and protects our homes.

Theodora’s father is a navy man.

THE TRIP TO THE NAVY YARD

By David Einhorn

We went to the navy yard. We went in a truck. We looked through a periscope.

We had ice cream. We watched cartoons. We saw the torpedo tube.

We went in Wesley’s father’s truck. We went to Theodora’s father’s submarine.

OUR TRIP TO THE SUBMARINE

By Theodora Mauss

It was fun on the submarine. I liked it very much. The navy helps us.

THE SUBMARINE

By Andy Hamilton

We went to the sub. We watched cartoons in the submarine.

Theodora’s father invited us. Wesley’s father took us. We looked in the periscope.

THE NAVY MAN

By Dent Pierce

The navy man is on boats. I like the navy to be good and shoot torpedoes.

The T-boat is little. I went to the navy base three times. The navy is good to the country.

I like the Army, the Navy and the United States Air Force.

WHEN THE SUBMARINE IS OUT AT SEA

By Philip Holtsberg

When the submarine is out at sea, when the submarine is ready to dive a noise comes out of the grill.

Sometimes when the submarine is underwater, they fire torpedoes.

The navy guards our country too. And sometimes when they are underwater, they look through the periscope.

THE SUBMARINE

By Marilyn Saunders

We went in the submarine. Then we all looked and ate ice cream. It was good.

Then we all went on the truck and went to our room.

THE VISIT TO THE SUBMARINE

By Sarah Garda

We visited the submarine. We went with Wesley’s father in his truck.

And we had fun. We ate ice-cream. That was a nice time.

THE SUBMARINE

By Gail Laard

I have visited the submarine. Theodora’s father is nice.

I want to go on the submarine again.

THE SUBMARINE

By Tarrie Easterling

I went on a visit to a submarine. The navy guards our country.

We went on a submarine. Theodora’s father works on a submarine.

THE TRIP TO THE SUBMARINE

By Donna Henderson

The navy guards our country. On our trip we watched cartoons.

Theodora talked through the loudspeaker. We looked through the periscope.

Wesley’s father took us in the truck.

THE SUBMARINE

By Cynthia Marques

We all went to the submarine. We saw the periscope. We had ice cream. We had fun.

THE SUBMARINE TRIP

By Kathleen Kelly

I went on a trip. I heard a noise. That was Theodora.

THE NAVY MAN

By Karen Krouse

The navy man guards our country. The navy man watches our country.

Theodora’s father watches our country. He is a good man because he helps us.

THE VISIT TO THE SUBMARINE

By Karen Lynne Papy

We went to the submarine. We watched cartoons.

That submarine is little.

We had ice cream too. We looked all over the submarine.

THE SUBMARINE

By Peter Valde

We went to the submarine. Theodora’s father gave us ice cream. We watched cartoons.

SUBMARINE

By Wesley Arnold

We had ice cream. We saw cartoons. Theodora’s father was good to us.

I want to go on a submarine.

THE NAVY

By Geary Parks

The navy man helps to save many countries and many lands.

He saves girls and boys that cannot get out of the sea and helps boats to be saved.

THE VISIT

By Linda Sue Mauk

Theodora’s father took us to the submarine. We looked through the periscope.

We went in Wesley’s father’s truck. We had fun in the truck. We had ice cream.

THE TRIP TO THE SUBMARINE

By Edward Kreider

The submarine is a little one. It is not a big one. Wesley’s father took us on his truck.

We saw the cartoons too. We looked through the periscope. We had some ice cream.

Fast forward to 2026

The kids would have been between 7- 8 years old. That would make them between 73-74 years old. (about my age). I wonder if any of them actually went into the navy? Since it was a military town, more than a few probably moved away if their parents were in the service.

The historic brick schoolhouse that faces Reynolds Street was built in 1927 and will be restored during an upcoming project.

The Reynolds School property has been vacant for years, having most recently served as the headquarters for the Boys & Girls Club.

Submarine Base Decline and Closure

With the advent of nuclear-powered submarines, the base was redesignated the U.S. Naval Submarine Base Key West in 1946 but closed in 1974. On my first dream sheet out of sub school, I listed Key West Submarine base as my first choice. I also selected diesel boats. So of course, the navy sent me to Pearl Harbor and Guam on board a ballistic missile submarine.

The area where the submarine base once was is now part of the Truman Annex, a public waterfront with museums and parks.

I did finally make it to Key West at the end of my career. The USS Hunley was allowed to do a port visit just prior to decommissioning. It was a really nice visit and I am glad I at least got there once. The details of that visit are classified. Not by the Navy. But by those of us who made the visit.

Mister Mac