The hatches of the 12 vertical-launch Tomahawk missile tubes stand open on the bow of the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS OKLAHOMA CITY (SSN-723)

Beginning in ancient times, humans sought to operate under the water. The legendary origins of the submarine stretch back to 332 BC with a tale about Alexander the Great being lowered into the sea in a glass barrel to study fish. The submarine concept was thereafter consigned to the backwaters of history for some 1,800 years. This collection presents various submarines: from small and simple to nuclear-powered underwater behemoths.