Sails and subs: A tour of the San Diego Maritime Museum

This innocuous sign marks quite the collection of ships and boats. Some restored, some replicas, all interesting. Let's check 'em out.

For the full story behind this tour, check out This San Diego museum has a ship-ton of breathtaking boats.

Launched in 1863 as the Euterpe and renamed the Star of India in 1906, this windjammer was in service for 60 years.

The Star of India is one of the oldest ships in the world to still sail regularly.

In her service, the Euterpe sailed around the world 21 times.

As one of the last generations of sailing ships, windjammers were much larger than their older counterparts. As such, there was much more space for staterooms (small though they are) and lots of cargo.

As you'd expect, the captain's quarters are the largest.

Rich passengers, which she carried in her life as the Euterpe, got much smaller living spaces, but still pretty reasonable compared to earlier ships. Less well-heeled folks got berths down below (which you'll see later).

I've toured a number of sailing ships, but even so, the size of the open spaces on the Star of India are impressive (even though they most certainly had more "stuff" in them when sailing).

The large galley is up on the main deck.

Here you get a sense of how large she is, at least for a sailing ship. Cargo was raised and lowered through here.

Immigrants to New Zealand that couldn't afford the cabins above got berths down here, though they're still fairly comfortable looking compared to some ships I've seen.

The steel hull was stronger and thinner than wood, allowing for more space for cargo, passengers, or whatever owners wanted. Also, check out the Cutty Sark, built a few years later. A different design of ship, but a similar hull construction.

As the Euterpe, she was a "full-rigged" ship, but when she was bought and renamed Star of India, her aftmost mast was converted so she became a barque. Apparently that reduces the crew requirements, along with some other advantages.

The HMS Surpriselooks like an historic sailing ship of the 18th-century British Empire... but is a replica built in Canada in 1970. She was used for the filming of "Master and Commander."

Though recently built (compared to her design), you wouldn't know it on the inside, except for the modern head.

Set behind scratched plastic, the cabin looks beautifully furnished.

As in any ship, the lesser crew gets lesser accomodations.

The Maritime Museum keeps her in sailing condition.

One of the best aspects of the Maritime Museum is the variety of ships and boats on display. This is the diesel-electric Soviet submarine B-39.

The B-39 was an attack sub, active during the Cold War. There are 6 torpedo tubes in the bow and 4 more in the stern.

The Foxtrot class of subs was big, for its day. Not quite the mammoth size of the later nuclear vessels like the Redoutable though.

Hatches like these are every few compartments, helping to seal if necessary.

The chart shows the sub's trip to San Diego for its new life as a museum ship.

There were four meals a day, and like its American counterparts, the food was supposedly quite good.

This was a nice touch by the museum, a display of some Soviet/Russian food and drink.

The various controls and gauges for the engines.

The B-39 had three diesel engines with 2,000 horsepower each. Top speed was 16 knots on the surface, and 15 when submerged.

In total there were 78 men aboard the B-39 on each voyage.

What struck me most going through the B-39 was how simplified (or at least, seemingly less complex) a lot of the controls seemed. Huge controls like these were common.

A different kind of sail. Like nearly all submarines you can tour, the sail is off limits.

This is a replica of the San Salvador, the ship sailed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo when he "discovered" California for Europeans.

The San Salvador is an interesting replica. Where the HMS Surprise could pass for an old ship, San Salvador feels new. OK, it is new -- it just opened for tours last year. But it also has a lot of materials that seem anachronistic.

Presumably the decision to use certain materials over others is that this ship is intended to be used regularly.

The San Salvador is a galleon, an even older design compared to the other ships in the museum.

Certainly built and for a warm climate, these bunks can't be closed off for warmth.

This captain found the cabin acceptable.

The tiny bed is off to the side of the cabin, against the outer hull. Seems cramped.

This is the steam-powered Medea, built in 1904. Though originally (and now) a pleasure yacht, she was modified with guns and gear and used in both world wars.

Walls of oak paneling make for a lovely place to dine (it seems).

No access below decks, but down there are two cabins and a head.

The cramped galley could have easily passed for something in a small, well-decorated house.

A place to chill. Below are two more cabins and a head with a bathtub.

The USS Dolphin was in service for nearly 40 years.

The Dolphin is a small sub, and the interior is correspondingly cramped. Interestingly, the sub is one single compartment, lacking the many watertight bulkheads of traditional submarines.

A research sub, the Dolphin has no internal weapons (though she launched with one torpedo tube, but was soon refitted without it). Instead there's lots of space for test equipment.

Yes, you can look through the periscope. It's fixed onto the nearby San Diego County Administration Center.

She holds the record for the deepest dive of a traditional submarine (more than 3,000 feet, or 914 meters).

The various dials and controls for the power coming off the batteries, status the ballast tanks, and so on.

Room for two, but they have their own sink. Cameo by yours truly.

One of the more open galley and mess areas I've seen on a sub, especially one of this size.

The 1898 ferryboat Berkeley is almost mundane next to the sailing ships and submarines. Inside there's a treat, though...

I love this era of design, and the Berkeley doesn't disappoint. Beautiful wood and stained glass transports you to another era.

The Berkeley was in service for 50 years, ferrying thousands of passengers between Oakland and San Francisco. I can only imagine that while her design is historically beautiful today, in the mid-1950s it must have looked exceptionally dated.

After the lovely wood upstairs, the steampunk engine room seems out of another world.

It takes a lot of heat to make enough steam for the engines. These are just two of the gigantic boilers in the ferry.

The side of the boiler has been cut away so you can see the brick-lined interior.

The San Diego Maritime Museum's best aspect is its variety. Sailing ships, submarines and a historic ferry. I recommend spending a day by combining this museum and the fantastic USS Midway museum, which is just a few minutes walk away.

For the full story behind this tour, check out This San Diego museum has a ship-ton of breathtaking boats.