Author Topic: Depth guages  (Read 13177 times)

Offline Travis McLain

  • USS Batfish Volunteer
  • Petty Officer 1st Class
  • *
  • Posts: 301
  • Total BZs: 2
    • View Profile
Depth guages
« on: March 15, 2008, 07:10:24 PM »
Just wondering if any of the museum boats have spare depth guages, because the Batfish does not have the real depth guages. The ones in the Batfish are paper inside a painted circle of wood, it looks fairly realistic, but when up close you can see it is just painted wood. So if any museums have spares it would be a great addition to the Batfish's control room
"Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue" Adm. Nimitz on the Marines at Iwo Jima.

"USS Batfish relentlessly tracked down the enemy and in three separate, brilliantly executed attacks, launched her torpedoes with devastating speed and skill and demolished three Japanese submarines."

Offline Tom Bowser

  • USS Drum Restoration Foreman
  • Petty Officer 1st Class
  • *
  • Posts: 442
  • Total BZs: 12
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2008, 07:19:36 PM »
Are you talking the deep or shallow or both?
Tom Bowser

Offline Travis McLain

  • USS Batfish Volunteer
  • Petty Officer 1st Class
  • *
  • Posts: 301
  • Total BZs: 2
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2008, 07:40:14 PM »
I believe the shallow depth guages, but now I think about it, I do not recall a deep guage at all.
"Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue" Adm. Nimitz on the Marines at Iwo Jima.

"USS Batfish relentlessly tracked down the enemy and in three separate, brilliantly executed attacks, launched her torpedoes with devastating speed and skill and demolished three Japanese submarines."

Offline MWALLEN

  • Military Historian / Former Batfish Volunteer
  • Forum Administrator
  • Chief Petty Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 629
  • Total BZs: 11
    • View Profile
    • The Official USS Batfish SS310 Website
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2008, 01:04:54 AM »
Quote
Are you talking the deep or shallow or both?

Travis is referring to the gauges as the diving station (stern and bow gauges).  We couldn't locate the real ones so had some made.  Better than an empty hole, but not as good as the real thing.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" - Edmund Burke

Offline Tom Bowser

  • USS Drum Restoration Foreman
  • Petty Officer 1st Class
  • *
  • Posts: 442
  • Total BZs: 12
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2008, 06:30:20 AM »
I will take a look, I know we have a couple and will see what they look like and what we can do. No promises yet.
Tom Bowser

Offline Travis McLain

  • USS Batfish Volunteer
  • Petty Officer 1st Class
  • *
  • Posts: 301
  • Total BZs: 2
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2008, 02:08:31 PM »
That would be great Tom, thanks. Like Mark Aleen said, they look ok, but it's just not the real thing.
"Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue" Adm. Nimitz on the Marines at Iwo Jima.

"USS Batfish relentlessly tracked down the enemy and in three separate, brilliantly executed attacks, launched her torpedoes with devastating speed and skill and demolished three Japanese submarines."

Offline Mark Sarsfield

  • Former USS Batfish Volunteer
  • Chief Petty Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 1514
  • Total BZs: 9
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2008, 11:29:19 AM »
Rumor has it that the barge captains that hauled the boat up the river helped themselves to a few goodies, some of which were the depth gauges.  All nine H-9 diving horns are missing, as well, but the Navy may have salvaged those.  Other items have been looted and broken over the years.

Originally, the boat was not intended for public viewing.  An American Legion post put a ton of money together to bring it up the river for their own personal viewing pleasure.  The original Post is supposedly on the verge of extinction and another Am. Legion post is supposed to start helping out with the museum.

In other news, Rick located a ton of money set aside for the Batfish, but I guess he has some policital and legal hoops to jump through.  I won't disclose the amount or its location, but it's plenty to get the outer hull looking brand new.

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 Travis McLain

  • USS Batfish Volunteer
  • Petty Officer 1st Class
  • *
  • Posts: 301
  • Total BZs: 2
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #7 on: March 17, 2008, 04:56:27 PM »
Rumor has it that the barge captains that hauled the boat up the river helped themselves to a few goodies, some of which were the depth gauges.  All nine H-9 diving horns are missing, as well, but the Navy may have salvaged those.  Other items have been looted and broken over the years.

Originally, the boat was not intended for public viewing.  An American Legion post put a ton of money together to bring it up the river for their own personal viewing pleasure.  The original Post is supposedly on the verge of extinction and another Am. Legion post is supposed to start helping out with the museum.


Just interested in where you got that info from, because from what all I have read and talked to the Sub-Vets that helped get here there she was intended for public viewing.
"Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue" Adm. Nimitz on the Marines at Iwo Jima.

"USS Batfish relentlessly tracked down the enemy and in three separate, brilliantly executed attacks, launched her torpedoes with devastating speed and skill and demolished three Japanese submarines."

Offline Mark Sarsfield

  • Former USS Batfish Volunteer
  • Chief Petty Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 1514
  • Total BZs: 9
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2008, 05:15:34 PM »
One of the older guys.  Ask Rick who brought the tube box to the boat.  He was the source of information about the Am. Legion.

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 Travis McLain

  • USS Batfish Volunteer
  • Petty Officer 1st Class
  • *
  • Posts: 301
  • Total BZs: 2
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2008, 05:23:31 PM »
Huh, that is kind of odd. Because I have always heard she was brought for public viewing. I did know of the Am. Legion problems though, there was something awhile back about one post did not want the Sub-Vets at their post for some reason.
"Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue" Adm. Nimitz on the Marines at Iwo Jima.

"USS Batfish relentlessly tracked down the enemy and in three separate, brilliantly executed attacks, launched her torpedoes with devastating speed and skill and demolished three Japanese submarines."

Offline Mark Sarsfield

  • Former USS Batfish Volunteer
  • Chief Petty Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 1514
  • Total BZs: 9
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #10 on: March 18, 2008, 08:57:08 AM »
Rick often alludes to political issues, but he never reveals any details, which is fine.  It just makes me appreciate what he's able to accomplish and his determination, despite certain people.

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 MWALLEN

  • Military Historian / Former Batfish Volunteer
  • Forum Administrator
  • Chief Petty Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 629
  • Total BZs: 11
    • View Profile
    • The Official USS Batfish SS310 Website
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #11 on: March 18, 2008, 09:10:17 AM »
Quote
Rick often alludes to political issues, but he never reveals any details, which is fine.  It just makes me appreciate what he's able to accomplish and his determination, despite certain people.

You guys should have been around about 5 years ago when a certain individual (who was on the board) decided to wield his power and just about killed the volunteer program.  One guy left and has never been back.  Me and another took a leave of absence.  The guy tried to kill my website and other stuff.  Thought we were trying to "take away his power" by working on the boat.

Fortunately he's in a different state and we no longer have to deal (or worry) about him.  Rick has been the best thing that's happened to the park in a long time.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" - Edmund Burke

Offline Mark Sarsfield

  • Former USS Batfish Volunteer
  • Chief Petty Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 1514
  • Total BZs: 9
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #12 on: March 18, 2008, 09:24:15 AM »
It definitely sounds that way.  What's really a shame is how much they've let the boat deteriorate and get looted over the years.  Paint is really flaking badly below decks and the interior needs to be scraped and repainted as badly as the exterior does.  This is mainly the result of the lack of environmental controls for years, which is what the Navy does when they mothball a boat.  I'm glad that Rick installed air conditioning, but I noticed how damp it was on Saturday inside the boat when it was too cold to run the A/C.

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 Fred Tannenbaum

  • Unofficial Independent USS Silversides Historian
  • Petty Officer 2nd Class
  • *
  • Posts: 151
  • Total BZs: 7
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2008, 03:51:14 PM »
Sadly, what you describe occurs more often than we would like to believe and its the valiant boat that often suffers. What frequently happens is that there's a group of people in control that just want to preserve the boat for themselves and people of their ilk, and anyone else who wants to do something different or more professionally can go straight to hell. They want the museum boat as their "clubhouse." That's definitely what happened when the Silversides was in Chicago and led her to move. Anyone who would like further 411 is welcome to contact me off-line at ft236@hotmail.com

Offline Travis McLain

  • USS Batfish Volunteer
  • Petty Officer 1st Class
  • *
  • Posts: 301
  • Total BZs: 2
    • View Profile
Re: Depth guages
« Reply #14 on: March 18, 2008, 05:37:35 PM »
Quote
  Rick has been the best thing that's happened to the park in a long time.

You are certainly correct there Mark. But back to the original topic, Tom have you checked for those depth guages?
"Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue" Adm. Nimitz on the Marines at Iwo Jima.

"USS Batfish relentlessly tracked down the enemy and in three separate, brilliantly executed attacks, launched her torpedoes with devastating speed and skill and demolished three Japanese submarines."