- Submarine Voyage
Infobox Disney ride
name=Submarine Voyage
caption=Attraction Poster
park=Disneyland
land=Tomorrowland
designer=WED Enterprises
manufacturer=
type=Submarine ride
theme=Undersea voyage ]
control_system=
propulsion=Diesel-Electric
opened=June 6, 1959
closed=September 9, 1998
host=
music=
vehicle_type=Submarines
vehicle_names=
guests_per_vehicle=39
cars_per_vehicle=
guests_per_car=
duration=8
length=52
attraction_height=
track_height=1568
speed=
height_requirement=
site_area=
lift_count=
audio-animatronics=
custom_label_1=Ticket Required
custom_value_1="E"'
custom_label_2=Replaced by
custom_value_2=Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (2007)
custom_label_3=Total Water
custom_value_3=9,000,000 Gallons (Including Lagoon & Caverns)
custom_label_4=Cost Per Sub
custom_value_4=Approx. $80,625
custom_label_5=
custom_value_5=
sponsor=General Dynamics
fastpass=no
single_rider=no
accessible=no
transfer_accessible=no
assistive_listening=no
cc=The Submarine Voyage was an attraction atDisneyland inAnaheim, California .Designed to look like Navy nuclear submarines, the attraction opened on
June 6 ,1959 as the Submarine Voyage (one of the first rides to require anE ticket ). Part of a major expansion ofTomorrowland andFantasyland , which also included theMatterhorn Bobsleds roller coaster , an expanded version ofAutopia , the Disneyland Monorail, and theMotor Boat Cruise , the attraction was originally planned to feature glass-bottom boats. It closed onSeptember 9 ,1998 , with then-Disneyland presidentPaul Pressler promising that a new attraction would open in 2003 (purportedly based on Disney’s 2001animated feature "", a box-office failure); it never did. The attraction reopened in June 2007 with a "Finding Nemo " theme, and is called theFinding Nemo Submarine Voyage .The attraction
As initially conceived, the Submarine Voyage was to feature live fish and other sea creatures, though the idea proved to be unfeasible. 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. 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. Disney ended the live mermaid feature after several ladies reported health concerns related to the submarines' diesel exhaust fumes and the highly chlorinated water.The vehicles
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 retiredAdmiral Joseph Fowler. Technical data and advice regarding the design were provided byGeneral Dynamics ' Electric Boat Division, builder of the U.S. Navy's nuclear-poweredsubmarine s. 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 39-passenger seating area was positioned below the water level.
Porthole s along the sides allowed guests to view the many underwater sights. Above the seating area was theconning 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 disguisedshow building . Atop the building, which still remains, are the majority of theAutopia tracks, some monorail tracks,tree s and the currently emptyRocket Rods /PeopleMover track.The Closing and Re-opening
In 1998 the attraction closed and the Lagoon stood, filled with water, but otherwise empty, many rumors went around including a proposed attraction based on Atlantis: The Lost Empire or the Lagoon being filled in similar to the fate of Walt Disney World's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. but in 2005 the Lagoon was drained and construction began on the new attraction: Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.
Original "nuclear" submarine names (1959–1986)
*301 "Nautilus"
*302 "Seawolf"
*303 "Skate"
*304 "Skipjack"
*305 "Triton"
*306 "George Washington"
*307 "Patrick Henry"
*308 "Ethan Allen""Exploration" submarine names (1987–1998)
*301 "Nautilus"
*302 "Neptune", formerly "Seawolf"
*303 "Sea Star", formerly "Skate"
*304 "Explorer", formerly Skipjack"
*305 "Seeker", formerly "Triton"
*306 "Argonaut", formerly "George Washington"
*307 "Triton", formerly "Patrick Henry"
*308 "Sea Wolf", formerly "Ethan Allen"Auctioning
In an auction at Disneyland, several pieces of the original attraction's scenery were sold, such as the
sea serpent , theshark fighting with theoctopus on a rock and two fightinglobsters . They were cleared out to make room for new scenery for the updatedFinding Nemo Submarine Voyage .imilar attractions
The first offspring of this attraction was the Jules Verne themed at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The attraction was given a Nautilus theme and a narration by
Peter Renaday , whose voice was similar to that of actorJames Mason , who portrayedCaptain Nemo in the 1954 Disney film. The attraction was closed in 1994 for a "rehabilitation" period, but never reopened. Management felt that continual maintenance of the attraction was simply too costly. In 2004, ten years after closing, the water was drained and the lagoon area paved over.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 atDisneyland in the 1950s, but it has since closed. However, a new version appeared inDiscoveryland inDisneyland Paris , known asLes Mystères du Nautilus , a walkthrough attraction through a full size replica of the Nautilus with squid.In popular culture
*In the sing along songs video Disneyland Fun, during "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", the "Argonaut" was briefly seen.
ee also
*
List of past Disneyland attractions
*
*Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
*The Seas With Nemo And Friends References
*
* [http://www.yesterland.com/submarine.html Yesterland]External links
* [http://www.perry.com/disney/subs/subs.html Extensive page on the Submarine Voyage]
* [http://www.20kride.com Extensive page on 20,000 Leagues Florida ride]
* [http://www.disneysubmarines.com/ DisneySubmarines.com]
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