The Academy at Wilburton Visits Living History

The students at The Academy in Wilburton recently took a trip back in time to honor and learn more about our remaining World War II veterans.
 

The students went on a field trip to Muskogee and toured the museum of the USS Batfish submarine.  Mr. Dennis of the War Memorial Museum guided the tour.  He visited with the students and shared the stories of veterans of the USS Batfish. 

The tour began in the main building with artifacts and explanation of those artifacts and their significance in history.  The memorabilia included personal items, which were used by the veterans of WWII, as well as submarine items. 

Moving outside, the grounds included many larger items that were used in combat.  An inactive torpedo along with large guns used against other submarines and aircraft were available for close inspection.

The tour then moved to the USS Batfish.  Mr. Dennis explained the history of the submarine, which included its commanders and war patrols and what the purpose of the USS Batfish was in the war.  He also explained how the USS Batfish came to exist in Muskogee and how it was placed in its current position.

Following the history description, the group then went inside the submarine with an explanation of how each part of the submarine worked.  The students were able to observe how conditions on a submarine were not the most comfortable compared to their current lives.

Concluding the tour, the students enjoyed a final visit of the memorabilia and the submarine.  The group gave a final thank you to Mr. Dennis and they continued to discuss how interesting the tour was about the WWII submarine and the veterans that manned that submarine.

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