Submarine Becuna, Independence Seaport Museum

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Visit our  “Tour Destination: Philadelphia” page to see the entire walking tour of the first Philadelphia cluster of Save America’s Treasures sites.

Submarine USS Becuna (SS-319).
Photo courtesy of Independence Seaport Museum.

USS Becuna, Independence Seaport Museum

Penn’s Landing

Philadelphia, PA

Website:  Explore the Historic Ship Zone

The Treasure:  The submarine Becuna (SS-319) is both a good example of the standard fleet-type Balao class submarine of World War II and (following a 1951 conversion) the streamlined fast underwater submarine known as a GUPPY (Greater Underwater Propulsion Project) type 1A. The Becuna was commissioned in May 1944 and was used for service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War before being decommissioned in 1969.

Interior view of the Workshop on the Water at the
Independence Seaport Museum.
Photo courtesy of Independence Seaport Museum.

Accessibility: Check the Independence Seaport Museum website for up-to-date information on available tours of the Becuna. This winter, tours are limited to Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with regular daily tours scheduled to resume in April.

The Independence Seaport Museum is open daily from 10 to 5.

Notes:  Built in New London, Connecticut, the USS Becuna is 307 feet long and carried 10 officers and 80 enlisted men. During the final two years of World War II, the Becuna was used in five wartime patrols with the U.S. Special Fleet. Modernized in 1951, the Becuna continued to serve, mainly on Cold War missions tailing Soviet submarines in the Atlantic.

Notes from the Editor:  Named after a Mediterranean pike-like fish called the becuna, the submarine inspired several affectionate nicknames from its crew including Becky (sometimes expanded to “old Becky B, queen of the sea”) and Becuna Maru.

Poking around the internet, I found an old Becuna Guest Book which provides a wonderful glimpse of submarine nostalgia, recording the visits of many men who served aboard the Becuna. Also, the Independence Seaport Museum has led an oral history project to record the memories of the men who served on the ship.

Other Recommended Sites:  If you’re still in a maritime mood, check out the view through the Becuna’s periscope. That’s the neighboring Mosholu, a floating restaurant inside a turn-of-the-century tall ship. Consider splurging on dinner there after your visit to the Independence Seaport Museum.

On the other hand, if you want a historical change of mood for dinner (retreating 200 years prior to the Becuna), the City Tavern at 2nd and Walnut offers Philadelphia’s recreation of an 18th century colonial tavern.

The forward torpedo room on the submarine USS Becuna.
Photo courtesy of Independence Seaport Museum.

Tour America's History Itinerary

Friday’s destination:  Mother Bethel, AME
Monday’s destination:  American Philosophical Society

© 2012 Lee Price