How to Visit Portland’s Submarine

If you’ve ever gazed out at the Willamette River from downtown Portland, you're sure to have noticed its most eye-catching feature, the giant submarine. The 219-foot USS Blueback was an active naval submarine for over 30 years. It appeared in the film The Hunt for Red October before being decommissioned. Now, it’s found new life as an educational exhibit. Whether you have a burning passion for naval history or just want to get out of the house on a rainy day, here’s everything you need to know about touring Portland’s submarine.

Woman looks through submarine periscope — *The periscope on the USS Blueback*

Know before you go

You can see the outside of the USS Blueback anytime for free. To go inside, tours cost $8.50.
Submarine tours are through the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). The tour ticket is separate from the museum admission and can be a standalone excursion.
Parking at OMSI is metered at around $2/hour. Download the Parking Kitty app to pay for parking.
Use the restrooms in OMSI before starting the tour. There aren’t any on the submarine.
Wear closed-toed flat shoes. You’ll be walking on grating.
To enter the submarine, you’ll walk down a steep flight of stairs. Once inside, you’ll need to pass through a few narrow doors about the size of a large bathtub. There’s some bending and ducking involved.
If you get claustrophobic in enclosed spaces, I wouldn’t recommend the submarine tour. If you’re fine in an elevator, you’ll be good.

Portland submarine tour — *Submarine tours involve climbing through a few hatches*

Regular tours on the USS Blueback

OMSI offers regular tours of the USS Blueback daily from 10:10 AM to 4:30 PM. Tours last about 45 minutes and explore almost all areas of the submarine. Tickets cost $8.50 for all ages. Kids must be at least 3 years old and 36 inches tall to tour the submarine. Strollers aren’t allowed. Since tours are limited to 12 people, it’s a good idea to buy tickets online ahead of time. The regular tours will satisfy the curiosity of most visitors. If you have a very strong interest in the technical workings of the submarine, consider taking the tech tour.

Tech tours on the USS Blueback

USS Blueback knobs — *Learn what the knobs do on the tech tour*

On the second and fourth Sundays of the month, OMSI offers the Advanced Tech Tour of the USS Blueback. A submarine veteran leads these in-depth three-hour tours. Unlike the regular tours, the advanced tour goes into the workings of the submarine’s knobs and levers. Speaking as someone without any unusual interest in submarines, the regular tour was perfect for me. If you have specific questions about the mechanics of the USS Blueback, the guide for the advanced tours can answer them. Reservations are required for the tech tours. Visitors must be at least 12 years old. Tour groups are limited to six people.

Starting the tour

*Meet in the OMSI lobby for submarine tours*

Before heading to the submarine, tour groups meet in the lobby of OMSI. The meeting place is to the right of the ticketing counter. You’ll get a quick orientation and walk through a practice door to make sure you’ll be able to access the different areas on the submarine. Then, you’ll head outside and walk a short distance down the East Bank Esplanade. On your way, you’ll pass the submarine’s propeller, which was removed and mounted to make a display next to the sidewalk.

Submarine propeller OMSI — *Propeller from the Blueback*

Then, head down the dock to the submarine, where you’ll meet your tour guide.

Portland submarine — *Head down the ramp*

Inside the USS Blueback

Most of the USS Blueback looks the same as it did when it was active. The entrance is one of the few modifications for visitors. Rather than clamber through the original porthole at the top of the submarine, you’ll use a staircase. Go slow. It’s a steep descent.

USS Blueback entrance — *Staircase to enter the submarine*

Once inside, your guide will bring you through the different areas of the submarine, from the crew’s sleeping quarters to the control room and the torpedo room. Except for a few difficult-to-reach areas, you’ll get to see everything.

USS Blueback tour — *Inside the USS Blueback*

The regular tours don’t dwell much on the technical details of the submarine. Instead, you’ll get a sense of what life was like for the soldiers living on it. To sum it up in a few words, it was pretty grim. Day and night cycles would have lost all meaning. Personal space was nonexistent. Each narrow bunk was shared between three men in rotating sleep shifts. After shuffling through the tour shoulder to shoulder with 11 other visitors, it seems incredible that 85 people would have been living in the submarine. Then, on top of the lack of space and privacy, there would have been the constant threat of attack during wartime.

Crew’s quarters USS Blueback — *Crew’s quarters*

The USS Blueback was an active US Navy submarine from 1959 to 1990. It was the last to have a traditional engine before the Navy transitioned to a nuclear fleet. Much of the machinery on the Blueback is still functional. One of the highlights of the tour is peering through the periscope to surveil the downtown waterfront.

USS Blueback periscope Portland — *View through the periscope*

Feel encouraged to ask questions on the tour. Our guide didn’t bat an eye when my friends and I asked some pretty silly ones (how does the septic system work, are the torpedos active, how much could the torpedos blow up, did the soldiers make moonshine, and so on). I got the feeling there wasn’t anything we could come up with that he hadn’t heard before. Overall, the submarine tour was an interesting glimpse into a hidden world. Although the military life of the USS Blueback is historical, the same can’t be said about submarines generally. Around 400 active submarines are still in the ocean, all with crews operating them, their lives unseen in the underwater depths.

Enjoy your tour of Portland’s submarine!

With love,

Emma

Getting there

Address: 1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR 97214

OMSI and the USS Blueback are on Portland’s southeast waterfront. The museum has two metered parking lots. You can also reach it on the MAX, streetcar, or bus.