SUBMARINEMUSEUMS.ORG Forum
Individual Submarine Boards => USS Batfish (SS-310) => Topic started by: Rick on May 16, 2008, 05:15:14 PM
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Ok old timers disease is kicking in again. No offense......
Does anyone have any information onf the Sherwin Williams deal that Cavalla was working for free paint. I am talking hard and heavy with a gentleman about painting the boat. He has connects and seems to be very interested in the boat. We may have to purchase some sponsor signs before this is all through though. (no problem there).
any input would be appreciated.
Rick
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Does anyone have any information on the Sherwin Williams deal that Cavalla was working for free paint.....
I didn't know the Cavalla was doing this. The Drum is (or has) worked with Sherwin-Williams on a paint deal, however. Ask Tom Bowser about it.
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Neal Stevens, the owner of www.subsim.com, works with the Cavalla, if memory serves me correctly. Drop by their website and drop him an email.
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I don't know about the Cavalla either but I worked the deal with Sherwin-Williams and they are going to provide up to $5,000 at their cost in paint. I mentioned to them that they needed to consider doing this in other regions for the other boats, I will check and see if that idea is being considered. You might find out the name of the district manager in your area and talk with them and tell them what we have going, I will do what I can down here.
Tom Bowser
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Thank you this helps out. The guy that I am working with right now actually worked in the Louisiana area after katrina. I am hopeing that this will help out on the paint situation. The superstructure still remains to be a major consern. I anticipat a lot of restoration that will need to occure there.
your continued help is apreciated.
Rick
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The superstructure and deck supports is going to be a major headach for us too because when they hauled the boat and put it high and dry 7 years ago they didn't sand blast under the deck, only where it was visable to tourists and of course thast wasn't done right either, they just painted over the rust underneath and it is really getting bad now. We are hoping to start sand blasting and painting after next week.
Thats what volunteers are for-to help and our boundries don't stop at the local fence.
Tom Bowser
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preservation has been the same problem for us. Right now, we do not know how much of the suppersturcture will be left after the sand blasting. As with everything, there is a high dollar inital cost to stabalize things. Once that is done mantenance will be easy and cost effective.
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Your are right there, I am also lucky to get a local steel company to donate all the steel I will need, of course with two of us doing all the work it will be spread out over several years. Be glad you don't have a battleship and two dozen planes.
Tom Bowser
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Speaking on the superstructure: Does the fact that the Batfish is on land with water sometimes around it accelerate the decay rather than if it was perfectly dry or sitting in water?
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The fact that it's not exposed to salt water is a big bonus. I don't know if sitting in fresh water would be any more or less of a benefit than sitting on semi-dry/muddy land. The paint is what protects the metal at the end of the day and water is no friend of steel. One bonus for us is that it is mostly accessible for maintenance. The boats in the water must pay for an expensive dry docking for overhaul every time.
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I knew that salt water kills metal. Look at cars in Floridia where I used to live and that tells ya they don't mix. As for paint just get all you can in any and all colors. We can make it a tye dye boat. :2funny: or a rainbow boat (don't think that would go well with Navy jokes though) or paint some racing stripes. Or we can be traditional and paint it the original color. It's all up to Rick.
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It's really up to the museum/boat board and the vets. They are insisting on sand-blasting before painting, which will require them to raise double the money that they currently have saved up. We're talking tens of thousands, but it sounds like we might have some help from Sherwin-Williams on the paint side. Do you know any oil barons with money to burn? :)
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Ironically ya....I do. His son races with me (but in a different class) all over the country. But good luck getting a dime out of this guy.
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Some of the richest people are also the cheapest people - that's how they got rich. We need some generous old lady that wants to make a final mark on civilization before she gives up the ghost. Restoring an old fleet boat would be like taking a walk down memory lane. We need a billboard that reads: "Generous widow needed to restore WWII boat to former glory".
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This is just a thought and I am sure others have thought about it, but why not ask bussiness's to sponsor. Say that they will be in the news paper and mentioned in any publicity on it and the like. Tens of thousands.....anything would help it seems like.
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Yes, rich people can be stingy people but they're also smart about their money. The problem unfortunately is that many military museums do not do a very good job of getting out their message and promoting the virtues of donating to their museum. That's one reason why the D-Day memorial in Virginia has been troubled. Donors need to see that their money is going to be well spent, so they need to see clean financial balance sheets. They need to see a genuine effort taking place. These are some of the reasons the Cavalla folks have gotten some major donations to bring that boat figuratively back from the dead. Sad to say, no one's going to sign big checks just in the name of patriotism or especially to anyplace that looks and feels like it's being run like a clubhouse.
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That's very true. We're reaping the past sins of previous caretakers/clubhouse owners. Rick has been doing a pretty good job of finding new alliances and help from places that weren't considered in the past.
My dad's company, Grundfos, wants to help the Batfish, too. They are currently mulling over the request for assisting us with a 250 VDC rectifier. They enjoy the positive publicity from helping the community. I told him that we need help in just about every area of the boat imagineable. I told him to have them come down and see what it's all about. It's the old puppy dog sales close. Once you see it, you have to take it home... or help, in this case.
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Good on your dad and his company!
You know, one strategy is to take out a road atlas and ruler and measure how far away it is to the nearest historic ship of any kind and how unique Batfish is to Muskogee and the entire state.
What would be the closest? The battleship Texas? The ships at Mobile? Omaha?
Fred
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Judging from our map:
http://www.submarinemuseums.org/map.html
the nearest submarine on display as a museum is the USS Razorback. It is also a Balao class sub, but I'm sure it's been much more heavily modified than the Batfish.
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Good catch, Lance. I forgot about the Razorback. Anyone successfully gotten to see her yet?
Fred
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Mark Allen and Rick have been out to the Razorback. I haven't, yet. I want to see all of the gauges in Turkish. :) I am also curious to see what changes and improvements they came up with compared to some of our cold war fleet boats.
Every May they have a Medeival Renaissance in Muskogee and Rick says that that it usually brings in extra visitors to see the boat on the weekends.
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Anyone successfully gotten to see her yet?
I'll be there on the 29th
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I offered to paint the name of donators on the side of the boat like the good year blimp, Lesley won't let.
Tom Bowser
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Yeah. Just like NASCAR. ;D
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Once again the benevolent Batfish Gods speak........ ;D
Sorry, had to do it. Here is the most recent update on the boat paint. I am working with a guy that owns A Clean Environment. This guy is a former submariner and seems to be very interested in the boat. He has been out 2 time s now to look around and do his thing. The first time he came it was just him and the second time he brought 3 of his crew members. He is already talking about doing this over a 1 week period during October. This guy worked in the Katrina releif effort and has several contacts with Sherwin Williams as well as other groups. Both times he has been out here he told me that he had to do some thinking on this project and both times he has come back and not disapointed me. His prognosis is not the greatest, about the conditionn of the superstructure, but he has not told me anything that I did not expect or already know. With all that said, I am playing him out to see what he can do. I would not be suprised to see what he comes back with.
As far as donations to painting the boat, they all need to be forwarded to the Batfish Memorial Foundation (www.ussbatfish.org) If someone/company wishes to make a large donation to the museum, I will be more then happy to take that donation and place a lovely brass plaqueon the Batfish or even a large sign at the entrance stating the value of their support for the boat.
John, talk to your guy. Maybe he has a favorite uncle that was in the military. this is a good way to get folks interested....
Rcik
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As far as donations to painting the boat, they all need to be forwarded to the Batfish Memorial Foundation (www.ussbatfish.org)
Is http://www.ussbatfish.org supposed to work?
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It should. I just checked the link and was not able to get there. I will have to check with the foundation for more info on this. An alternate link is http://www.orgsites.com/ok/batfishmemorialfoundation/index.html . You can also get there from our web site. just click on the memorial foundation buttone.
Rick
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http://www.ussbatfish.org/
That's going to be confusing...I hope they link to the submarine site from the foundation site :idiot2:
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ussbatfish.org is not even purchased by anyone yet. It's still available for purchasing...
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I need to investigat this. They did have the .org site for a while. I am not sure what happened here.
Mark A. They do have a link to our site. You do a better job though, and that is not just fatherly pride...
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They do have a link to our site.
Yes, I know, but that is not what I meant. ussbatfish.com (official) vs. ussbatfish.org (foundation) vs. batfish.org (subvet base)...I'm already confused :idiot2: Maybe they should consider ussbatfishfoundation.org...or something more descriptive. My 2 cents.
You do a better job though, and that is not just fatherly pride...
Thanks pappy!
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I agree here. This is a problem that has plagued me from the beginning. Unfortuenately I do not have a contact with there web designers.
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THis may seem like a trival point, but in time, it will be an issue...
Resist the temptation to place plaques honoring donors aboard the submarine. Find a very nice spot ashore. The reason is simple -- if you're successful, and you should be, the boat will be covered with "thankyou" plaques in time and the historic fabric will be covered and altered. There is one "Honor Roll" plaque aboard COD, placed there before we understood fully what was best for COD. It will soon be moved because it covers the spot where COD's builder's plaque was mounted and I am working on getting it replicated.
You should honor your donors, but remember, in 10 or 15 years you will need to repaint, sandblast, etc., and having a boat already covered in plaques makes the new ones less visible... This is an issue with other, older ships that have gone through many donor "cycles" -- its best if you have a wall of honor elsewhere.
Me, personally, I am working on the opposite side of the coin -- I'd like to have a wall of dishonor for the president of a local foundry company who told his manager to NOT help USS COD make a replica builder's plaque!!! :tickedoff:
It might be floating in the blue water inside our PortaJohns!
PF
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That is a clear given. I have already decided that the park is not going to look like the back wall of a baseball field. I am happy to our supporters. My grand theam is to creat a sign post at the enteranc, or some other noticalbe location and place a love me board as it were.
Rick
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a sub that shall remain nameless was covered in brass plaques that were drilled onto the bulkheads for -- get this -- subvets who cleaned compartments!!!
The boat floated about 8 inches higher in the water when most of the plaques where removed.
PF
:buck2:
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I know that sub USS TimesSquare......
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For the sponsors maybe you could have a plaque at the entrance that says, "Thanks to our generous donations by: Blah blah blah."
It's not on the boat or museum at all, but still seen by patrons so the companies are happy. Keeps away from it being on the sub, or like Yankee Stadium.
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Definately. This is the idea that I had in mind. This way too we can standardize the sponsor signage so we keep that nice military uniformity.
Rick