Submarine Voyage

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Submarine Voyage

Locations, openings and status
Disneyland June 6, 1959
Closed - September 9, 1998

The Submarine Voyage was an attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

Inspired by the 1954 Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, it opened on June 6, 1959 as the Submarine Voyage (one of the first rides to require an E ticket). Part of a major expansion of Tomorrowland, which also included the Matterhorn Bobsleds roller coaster, an expanded version of Autopia, the Disneyland Monorail, and the Motor Boat Cruise, the attraction was originally planned to feature glass-bottom boats. It closed on September 9, 1998, with then-Disneyland president Paul Pressler promising that a new attraction would open in 2003 (purportedly based on Disney’s 2001 animated feature Atlantis: The Lost Empire, a box-office failure); it never did. The attraction will reopen in 2007 with a Finding Nemo theme, and will be called the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

1 The attraction
- 1.1 The vehicles
  - 1.1.1 Original nuclear submarine names (1959–1986)
  - 1.1.2 Exploration submarine names (1987–1998)
- 1.2 Auctioning
2 Similar attractions
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] The attraction

As initially conceived, the Submarine Voyage was to feature live fish and other sea creatures, though the idea proved to be unfeasible. In the summers of 1965–1967, female cast members dressed in mermaid suits could be seen sunning themselves and performing synchronized swimming and underwater stunts for about four hours each day. A major portion of the ride simulated the voyage under the Arctic Ocean's polar ice cap undertaken by the attack submarine USS Nautilus (SSN-571) on August 3, 1958.

[edit] The vehicles

The Submarine Voyage in 1995.

The hulls (eight in all) for "one of the world's largest peacetime fleets of submarines" were fabricated at Todd Shipyards in San Pedro, California, then trucked to the "Disneyland Naval Yard" in Anaheim for outfitting under the direction of retired Admiral Joseph Fowler. Technical data and advice regarding the design were provided by General Dynamics' Electric Boat Division, builder of the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered submarines. The vessels were painted in two-tone military gray until 1986, when the attraction was remodeled and the exterior color was changed to bright yellow.

The vessels were not actual submarines as they did not submerge, but were in fact boats wherein the 38-passenger seating area was positioned below the water level. Portholes along the sides allowed guests to view the many underwater sights. Above the seating area was the conning tower, where the operator stood and controlled the sub's speed. The "diving" effect was made by bubble screens and using the waterfalls at the entrance to the caves that led the submarines into the cleverly-disguised show building. Atop the building, which still remains, are the majority of the Autopia tracks, some monorail tracks, trees and the currently empty Rocket Rods/PeopleMover track.

[edit] Original nuclear submarine names (1959–1986)

301 Nautilus
307 Triton
308 Sea Wolf
302 Skate
303 Skipjack
304 George Washington
305 Patrick Henry
306 Ethan Allen

A giant clam seen through a submarine porthole.

[edit] Exploration submarine names (1987–1998)

301 Nautilus
307 Triton
308 Sea Wolf
302 Neptune, formerly Skate
303 Sea Star, formerly Skipjack
304 Explorer, formerly George Washington
305 Seeker, formerly Patrick Henry
306 Argonaut, formerly Ethan Allen

[edit] Auctioning

In a recent auction at Disneyland, several pieces of the original attraction's scenery were sold, such as the sea serpent, the shark fighting with the octopus on a rock and two fighting lobsters. They were cleared out to make room for new scenery for the updated Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

[edit] Similar attractions

The first offspring of this attraction was the Jules Verne themed 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The attraction was given a Nautilus theme and a narration by Pete Renoudet, doing a very good James Mason/Captain Nemo impression. The attraction was closed in 1994 for a "rehabilitation" period, but never reopened. The attraction was cost-prohibitive to maintain and rehabilitate annually. Also, the lagoon leaked.

A similar voyage attraction is now at the Tokyo DisneySea in Japan, using the same Nautilus theme from Florida, except instead of boats in water, it is a dark ride through a show building, in enclosed suspended cars ("mini-subs"). There was a walk-through of the film at Disneyland in the 1950s, but it has since closed. However, a new version appeared in Discoveryland in Disneyland Paris, known as Les Mystères du Nautilus, a walk thrugh attraction through a full size replica of the Nautilus with squid.

A new attraction similar to Submarine Voyage called The Seas With Nemo And Friends will open at Epcot in Late October. It will include live animals swimming along with characters from the Pixar movie Finding Nemo.