Winter Hours Have Started

With the return to Standard Time, AIMM has also returned to it's Winter Schedule.

We are now open on the following schedule:

Friday - 10:00 a.m. to Dusk
Saturday - 10:00 a.m. to Dusk
Sunday - 1:00 p.m. to Dusk

The last tour will start approximately 30 minutes before closing each day.

We are still available for school groups and other group tours by appointment during the week.

USS Razorback Featured in Bank Travel Management Magazine

Central Arkansas has become a significant destination for corporate travel, including annual conferences such as the upcoming Bank Travel 2009, to be held at the Peabody Hotel in February 2009.

In preparation for the conference, the current issue of Bank Travel Management Magazine features a multi-page article about Central Arkansas. A picture of Razorback is featured prominently on the first page of the article, and a description of the museum takes up nearly the entire last page of the article.

New References in the Library

The AIMM Library has three new reference works:

• Submarine Fleets of the World, 1863 to the Present by Norman Henderson

• Japanese Submarine Losses to Allied Submarines in World War II by Vernon J. Miller

• Chronology of U.S. Submarine Operations, 1939-1942 by David L. Kimble
  

All three of these references are in Adobe PDF format, so bring your laptop.

Mail Delivery by Helicopter

This photograph shows mail being delivered to Razorback via helicopter in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the Pacific Northwest between Washington state and British Columbia, Canada.

The large circle in the deck with the numerous bolt holes is almost certainly the foundation for the aft deck gun, as the men are standing next to the hatch leading to the After Engine Room. The aft torpedo loading hatch is visible behind them.

Razorback, although home ported in San Diego, was a frequent visitor to the Pacific Northwest.

USS Razorback Visits Subic Bay, Philippines - 04 September, 1949

This picture is from a collage donated to the museum by former Razorback crewmember Richard Winchell.

It shows Razorback during a visit to Subic Bay, Philippine Islands on 04 September 1949.

This picture gives a good view of Razorback as she looked during World War II.

USS Razorback on TV

USS Alhena (AKA-9) was an attack cargo ship during World War II.

This past Saturday, seven surviving World War II crewmembers and their families had dinner at the museum. Many, including several of the WWII veterans, toured Razorback.

Stories about their visit were broadcast on Channel 4 (KARK) during both the evening and the late news. The evening news broadcast featured live footage from the ceremony. The story can be found on the Arkansas Matters.com website. Channel 11 also aired a story, but it is not available on line.

Alhena saw service in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. After ferrying American troops and equipment to Ireland, She participated in the Battle for Guadalcanal and was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.

After repairs in Australia, she returned to the fight, taking part in the Bougainville operation, the invasion of Luzon in the Philippines and even the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. She earned a total of five battle stars for her WWII service.

Like Razorback, USS Alhena was present at Tokyo Bay when the surrender was signed, officially ending World War II.