Messages

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USS Batfish (SS-310) / Re: For the BLHA Crew part 1 of ??

« on: September 10, 2014, 02:06:49 PM »

That is mostly true, but USNS Observation Island (AGM-23) just entered the Beaumont NDRF about 5 months ago, I doubt she was stripped out yet and she is early 1950's construction.

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USS Batfish (SS-310) / Re: For the BLHA Crew part 1 of ??

« on: August 28, 2014, 12:30:22 PM »

The only WW2 ships left in any Government Reserve Fleet are the 2 Bouy Tenders in Suisun Bay (Iris WLB-395 and Planetree WLB-307)

The next closest is the Observation Island AGM-23, which dates from 1953 and there are only a small handfull of 1950's era ships left. Once in a while, you can find WW2 parts on a 1950's/1960's era ship if the ship was built using parts already onhand/in stock and those parts were procured in WW2.

The best remaining chance for WW2 parts will be when the Navy disposes of the Shadwell (LSD-15). But who knows when that will be, if the ship will even be safe for boarding at that point and if the parts you want are in a section that they didn't reconfigure or burn up?

3

New Member Introductions / Re: Old sub in San Pedro

« on: February 29, 2012, 10:20:11 AM »

That was a Diesel Boat, but not a Fleet Boat. That would have been Barbel (SS-580). She was stricken on January 17, 1990 and sold in the early 90's to Southwest Recycling at Terminal Island, the same firm that scrapped Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) and Chicago (CG-11). They went bankrupt after starting on Barbel and she was left there for about 9 years with no sail. She was used in the movie Crimson Tide as a mockup of the Alabama (with a wooden conning tower and deck) and eventually sunk as a target on January 30, 2001.

http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08580b.htm
Scroll down to the last two pictures to see what I'm talking about.

Roncador was sold on October 21, 1982 to National Metal & Steel of Terminal Island btw.

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Museum Submarine Discussion / Re: US subs preserved overseas

« on: December 08, 2009, 04:44:16 PM »

There are no other former US subs preserved overseas. (Peru has a boat built in Groton open as a museum though) Brazil for a time was working on preserving the former Greenfish (SS-351), but in the end, she deteriorated and was replaced by an Oberon before being scrapped.

The only intact ex-US subs you will find overseas outside of Turkey are the 2 active Taiwanese subs. There are parts though that are preserved (sails, props, ect) around the world though.