The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum in North Little Rock, Arkansas
Did you know that Arkansas is the final home for one of the only two surviving submarines that took part in the formal surrender of Japan at Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945?
This vessel, which was once used for regular patrols of the Pacific during WWII, is now docked in the Arkansas River. Since 2005, Arkansans have been able to explore the USS Razorback through open tours available through the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The museum offers a variety of experiences and educational opportunities for interested learners.
Tours:
The USS Razorback (SS-394) is 90 percent operational and museum curators work to keep the sub and the visitor experience as authentic as possible. Visitors climb down into the submarine from a 14 foot ladder and can experience what it might have been like to be stationed aboard as a crewmate. The museum also created various Museum Scavenger Hunts for all ages that can be completed while looking through the various exhibits at the museum. Larger groups can even plan a “submarine sleepover” where they can stay aboard the Razorback overnight and experience how crewmembers of the past would have lived, worked, and rested aboard the ship. There are a variety of additional exhibits and memorials surrounding the museum for those interested in further exploration.
Curriculum:
The Maritime Museum has also developed a variety of curriculums for K-12 students that they can use while exploring the museum on a field trip or researching the topics in their classrooms. The curriculums also cover a variety of subject areas: ELA, economics, geography, history, and more, all sorted by grade level with clear topics and instructions to guide learning. They can learn about the role of natural geography in wartime, read primary sources that explore military recruitment efforts using posters & other political propaganda, or hear an oral history interview with a submarine veteran discussing supply, demand, and resource allocation when living on a submarine.
More to Explore:
There are a wealth of resources to explore at the Maritime Museum and lots of unique tools offered to guide learning. To see all of the resource and exhibit offerings, review frequently asked questions, or plan your trip, visit the museum website at http://aimmuseum.org/. Summer hours for the site are Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm.
