In the mid 1980’s I was an E5 in the USAF stationed at Hickam AFB in Hawaii.

At the time I was taking a college class at Submarine Base Pearl Harbor. Class ended at 2200hrs (8:00 pm). Edit: yes you are all correct. In the day or two since I was in the Air Force I have occasionally had some serious brain farts. 2200 is 10:00pm.

One evening when I exited the building after class there was a submarine docked directly across the street.

Being the curious individual that I was and being someone who’s knowledge of waterborne vessels was limited to the fact that some travel on top of water and some travel under water, I walked across the street to take a look.

I was wearing civilian clothes.

As I approached the gangway a young male member of the Navy (I have no idea what rank he held) asked if he could help me. The first thing I noticed was that he was armed.

My response was along the lines of, “I don’t suppose a tour would be possible.”

He asked if I was in the military. I told him I was in the Air Force.

He asked to see my ID card. I handed my card to him.

He told me to wait a moment and contacted someone by radio.

A short time later someone arrived with a gold bar on his collar.

The first young sailor handed him my ID card and spoke quietly enough that I could not hear the conversation.

The officer spoke to someone on the radio and then handed me my ID card while telling me to follow him.

He told me there were very few parts of the submarine he could show me, but at least I would be able to say I had been inside the submarine.

He was right, we went through a hatch and down a ladder at which point he said that was as far as I could go.

He escorted me back up to the gangway and told me the only reason I had been allowed on the submarine was because he was bored and it gave him something to do for a few minutes.

The submarine was USS New York City.

Edit: As some comments pointed out, In the day or two since this happened, I have forgotten how to tell time. 2200hrs is correct, but it translates to 10:00 pm for civilians and those few young Airmen I knew who didn’t believe the 24 hour clock was a real thing.