Author Topic: Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna  (Read 42055 times)

Offline JTheotonio

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Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna
« on: August 30, 2008, 10:39:54 AM »
I got this from the SVWWII Delware Valley Chapter President Ken Spaar.  However, Ken gave me the date at 20 October 2008.  Since the 20th is not a Saturday, does anyone know what the correct date is for this event?  I checked the museum's website and found nothing, in fact I'm not sure that its calendar of events is even for this year.  It's not well kept up for sure.

The Becuna is another of our museum boats in need of repairs.

Quote
The Seaport Museum is sponsoring a reenactment onboard the USS Becuna SS-319 on 19 October 2008.  If anyone is interested in participating in this event contact the WWII Sub Vet’s COB Frank Young at 856.354.1186.  Frank will be filling out the watch bill for this event so please let Frank know if you want to participate.
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From the Forward Torpedo Room

John

Offline JTheotonio

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Re: Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2008, 12:10:03 PM »
I just got confirmation that the actual date of the reenactment is 11 October 2008.
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John

Offline Ctwilley

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Re: Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna
« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2008, 01:18:25 PM »
I wish we could make it. You all are always welcome at any of our events. If you give us a heads up a few weeks out, we'll make provisions for you in the mess...and we eat good!

Offline JTheotonio

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Re: Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2008, 06:42:16 PM »
One of these days...thanks
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Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2008, 04:09:14 PM »
How did the reenactment go?

Regards,
Mark Sarsfield
USS Batfish reenactor



"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline Avery Boyer

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Re: Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2008, 09:58:59 PM »
I'm sorry I missed it, was out of town that day.

Offline JTheotonio

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Re: Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna
« Reply #6 on: October 29, 2008, 07:25:26 AM »
I was trying to post this at home and my old fingers just kept hitting the touch pad and poof my post went off into space. 

We had a good time at the Reenactment on the Becuna.  There were a few issues.  One is that the museum just does not bother to do much advertising.  Most of the old timers complained about it too.  The WWII guys were not all that organized.  COB has his watch bill, in pencil, and had a hard time remembering names (mine just flat stumped him - until he finally just said OH John Right?) There was a Becuna crew reunion going on at the hotel next to the museum and most of us had no clue about it,  So we were expecting a bunch of tourists and instead we got a bunch of submariners.  No one tried to explain what we should be doing and pretty much left us on our own.  Some of the WWII guys stood watch in compartments for ease and not those that they were rated in.  I had a MM with me in the forward torpedo room who admitted that in all his time during WWII he only got into the torpedo room to get a hair cut.  Other than these it went well.

We did have a lot of tourist.  Hard to believe how dumb some questions can be - my best actually got asked 3 times.  "Submarines don't really go 'all the way' under water do they?" It was hard to suppress a laugh.  We had a lot of people that seemed to enjoy being down in a submarine.  One couple said that the Becuna was their second submarine in two days - having just come from Baltimore and visiting the Torsk. 

On the Becuna reunion - they had two former skippers and an XO, several officers and a lot of crew guys.  None from WWII, but one guy was on the last crew when Becuna was decommissioned.  We had one of the officer's stewards, who had found memories.  It seems that on the Becuna, at times, stewards sleep in the forward torpedo room, and along with any extra officers.  I don't know how many guys pointed to the bridle suite to say that's where I sleep.  Sure must have been crowded in that bunk.

Becuna also had the conning tower opened, which is rare.  I finally got a chance to get up there.  And with about 6 not-so-lean tourists it got real crowded.  I had a crowd around the periscope after I showed one young lady how to look through it and move it around.

Anyway we had a good time - about 15 or so of us came out to stand watch.  We had all compartments manned with at least two men.  Unfortunately the museum and WWII guys don't do this that often.  I never got to talk to anyone from the museum, in fact I don't remember seeing anyone except the young girl that brought us down sandwiches that the museum provided.  Chow in the crew's mess - don't get much better on a Sunday afternoon.
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John

Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2008, 08:34:40 AM »
Just keep at it and you guys will work out the bugs.  The first time that the Batfish did a reenactment several years ago, everybody was in dress uniforms.  We had a lot better experience last December.  This year it was quickly figured out that the museum/board, the radio operators, the repair volunteers, and the reenactment volunteers needed to do a better job of communicating.  Rick set up a command structure where three people report to him and we report to our respective leader(s).  Now the left hand knows what the right hand is doing and we're really getting good at getting the word out for events and work parties, now.

Regards,
Mark Sarsfield
USS Batfish reenactor



"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline nomad66

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Re: Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna
« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2014, 01:26:23 PM »
We stopped there while traveling with friends, but unfortunately could not take the time to tour. The boat looked great from the outside. If we get back in the area, we will definitely tour the boat.

Offline Evil Tracey of Torsk

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Re: Reenactment Day onboard the USS Becuna
« Reply #9 on: October 11, 2014, 05:39:18 PM »
Becuna had a detailed hull survey and got a great paint job a few years ago.