SUBMARINEMUSEUMS.ORG Forum
Individual Submarine Boards => USS Batfish (SS-310) => Topic started by: MWALLEN on April 05, 2008, 09:42:12 PM
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My wife and I today (4-5-08) began our work trying to restore the 40mm that Vaughn got moved to the aft bridge of the Batfish. Originally, it was pointed aft at about about 40O above level. Today, after a little elbow grease, were able to get barrel to raise from level to almost 60O above level. We were also able to get the gun to swivel on it's base. I've attached photos below.
This is pretty good (and much better than hoped for) since it's been sitting outside for who knows how many years. We opened several gear boxes and the grease needs to be removed and replaced. All grease zerks (sp?) were able to be removed (except one...and one more was missing) so it's just a matter of unplugging them and add more grease.
Both handles are missing and will have to be fabricated. The connecting rod from the upper gear box to the lower gear box (port side) is gone and will have to be fabricated. However we used a pair of channel locks and were able to move the gun horizontally and vertically.
One gun sight is there, the other is gone, so will have to fabricate it. Both seats are there (non-original) and those will be cleaned, primered and then repainted.
Overall we are happy as we were thinking that the gun would be totally locked up. Next time down (probably the 19th of April) we are going to clean out all the old grease we can get, unplug the zerks (sp?) and put new grease in the gear boxes. Hopefully Vaughn will be there and I'll discuss the fabrication of a connecting rod to the port gear boxes.
Lance - could I get this as a sticky in the BATFISH section for those who might want to keep track of this (like me so I can find it easily when I have updates :P )
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This is GREAT news, Mark. Bravo Zulu! I think Cod or Cobia recently fabricated some handles for their 40mm. I wish I could be down there to help on the 19th, but I'll be in K.C. that weekend and the following 2 weekends I have other commitments, as well. I guess the next step will be to pressure wash and paint the whole thing.
Mark, are you the welder for the boat? I was wondering if we could get foot holds put back on the sides of the superstructure to get up onto the bridge easier from outside?
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Yes, one of them did and I've seen that photo and have been researching it. The problem for us is that we are missing parts on the handle "stubs" (I don't know what they are called).
I'm hoping to talk with Vaughn and see if he can come up with something.
You'll be there for the reunion, right?
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Yeah, I'll be there for reunion weekend and Memorial weekend.
One of my near term projects is to install a new power cord on the receiver up in the museum and move it back to the Batfish radio room. I want to get an antenna connected to it and see if we can pick up any CW (morse code) - nothinmg fancy. Just a long wire. I'm guessing that it's a 20 meter receiver and it's reception can go around the globe - 20 meters is used a lot by amateur radio operators for trans-oceanic communications.
It would be nice to run some new antenna wire on the boat like was originally installed. Long wires are easy to install, too. I guess I just found myself another project. :)
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I guess I just found myself another project
Be careful or you'll have so many going on nothing will get done :D I think that's cool project. I love the fact that things on the BATFISH may actually be restored to working condition.
I'd love to get the SJ mast rotating again. The gear assembly is good, just need a motor.
Oh - and I"m no welder...that would be Vaughn and/or Ed.
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Okay. Vaughn is whom I was thinking of. I couldn't remeber which one of you Rick mentioned was the metal fabrication/welder guru.
1MC/7MC is on hold until I get a chance to talk to Derrick. The more that I read the manual, the more complicated it gets - construction-wise. Thing would have to be severly disassembled to replace everything that I want to replace.
The nice thing about a submarine is that a lot of the components were built for harsh conditions, including severe pressures from diving deep. So, I'm not surprised that a little TLC is all that it's taking to get things working again on her. You'd be surprised what still works, if we ever get power back to the I.C. switch board. I bet the motor order telegraph system would fire right up.
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This is GREAT news, Mark. Bravo Zulu! I think Cod or Cobia recently fabricated some handles for their 40mm....
It was the Drum. Here's Tom's post about it:
http://www.submarinemuseums.org/forum/index.php?topic=41.msg940#msg940
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My Brovo Zulu to Mark and Lalani today. It was very cool to see the 40 mm pointing to the sky again. You just do not realize the rang thoes guns have until you get to see them move.
Mark. Lets post that invormation to the Save our Subs web page too. Save photos as they will be good to take to tje USSVI convention this year.
Rick
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Save photos as they will be good to take to tje USSVI convention this year.
I can burn you a CD/DVD with all the photos you want...just let me know.
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...Mark. Lets post that information to the Save our Subs web page too. Save photos as they will be good to take to tje USSVI convention this year...
Good idea. Keep Rontini on his toes! This is the kind of stuff that SoS wants, especially if you have some "before" pics to go with your "after" pics.
Rontini's contact info is at the very bottom of the website:
http://www.saveoursubmarines.com
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some "before" pics to go with your "after" pics.
Lord knows I have plenty of "before" pictures...when I get some "after" pic's of the 40mm...I'll post them.
Maybe I should post the before/after of the SHARK Memorial we did. Thoughts?
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Definitely. We want to show progress.
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Lance,
I sent them some before pics of the deck. We are already starting removing the old deck on a limited basis. I am going to work some smaller sections until the big crews come on and tear into it. It is looking more and more like we can have this done by mid June.
Mark
I can use all the publicity photos that we can get. Especially ones from this time of year with everything in bloom. Next time you are down remind me to show you what I am doing with the brochure. We talked about it this morn, but never did show you the proto type. I am looking for photos of the park and museum as well as photos of the boat. inside and out.
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Not to be bossy, but if you guys are starting to rip up decking, the bridge is a good, out-of-the-public's-way location. This should allow us to paint before putting new wood down, since there is no hurry to install the new wood.
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good point. we defenatly not moving to fast on this right now...
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I can use all the publicity photos that we can get. Especially ones from this time of year with everything in bloom. Next time you are down remind me to show you what I am doing with the brochure. We talked about it this morn, but never did show you the proto type. I am looking for photos of the park and museum as well as photos of the boat. inside and out.
OK, I have sent Ron the before/after photos of the Shark Memorial. We'll see what happens.
I'll make a note to have you show me what's going on. If we can get a PDF format of the brochure, I can post it on the website.
Let me know what you are wanting of the boat/museum...I got TONS of photos.
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Great job on the 40mm guys, I will take some close ups of our cranks and post them for you.
Rick it is good to see a Park working so closely with the volunteers, You are or should be a great insperation to the other park managers.
Tom Bowser
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Thank you Tom. Fortunately I learn early on that this thing cannot survive without the volunteers. This is their park more then it is mine. I just try and get everyone to get along. Another fortunate aspect out here is that everyone does seem to get along. :police:
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What impresses me the most about this restoration project is that you restored the platform extension that makes up the "cigarette deck" and provides room for the 40mm. When they removed those from boats in the so-called "Pearl Harbor Guppy" conversions, they left the boats looking ... well ... naked. Any plans to replace the forward platform?
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Tom,
We still have our forward platform. There's a single 20mm on it. I'd like to see the gun get deflector plates, again. What we really need are foot holds on the sides of the superstructure.
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Any plans to replace the forward platform?
Vaughn did all that deck work...he is a genius in my opinion. I have plans to discuss this with Vaughn. He's got alot going on...and he previous project was putting A/C in the boat. Now that this has been completed, he might be up for it.
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this thing cannot survive without the volunteers
And we can't volunteer without a manager and board that allows us to work and supports us.
I've been on the opposite side where there volunteer programs was just about run off...
Rick is doing a great job and we finally have a board that, from my perspective, has the best interest of the park in their mind.
Times are good at the Batfish and it's a real joy to come out and spend the day.
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I would like to see the the deck restoed ont he front of the sail as well as the rungs to get to the decks. i would also like to see the lockers restored. (all long term goals)
I have to play bad guy here though. As you guys start toward these projects, I need to be aware of them. I am your biggest fan and biggest supporter, but I need to know what is going on to help you guys out.
Rick
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You're not the bad guy... you're just running interference so that we can get the ball into the end zone. ;)
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That is what I am talking about.
I wasn't going to respond, but I wanted that second strip......... :crazy2:
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While we are on the topic of guns, has there been any discussion as to the 20mm. I have been told that the barrel shaped support for the gun was more indicitive of the shore mounted batteries. The ones in WWII had more of a tripod configuration.
Most people will never know the difference. I was just currious.
Rick
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While we are on the topic of guns, has there been any discussion as to the 20mm. I have been told that the barrel shaped support for the gun was more indicitive of the shore mounted batteries. The ones in WWII had more of a tripod configuration.
I've noted that also...but a base would have to be made and the only one I know that could do it would be Vaughn.
I need to call him (will do it on Monday) and discuss this and other things with him.
Mark A.
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Only other recourse would be to start calling every Naval Reserve station in the U.S. and asking them if they would be willing to part with one of their outside display pieces.
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To make it simpler and closer, you might want to check with local American Legion, VFW and Amvets posts that might have one on their front lawn. There's actually an open-tripod 20mm (Mark 10) at a post near me. The bad news is that the mounting ring is embedded in concrete. Once someone were to get it free, it could use a good pin-chipping or stripping. It doesn't look particularly well cared for.
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Yeah, most of those VFW/Legion/Reserve display pieces get random coats of paint, but little other care.
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Last summer Nick guagliardo was telling me that he was an avid opponent to putting that 20mm on because it had that base, and told me that the actual open bases they had were just fabricated out of extra steel at the shipyards before commissioning.
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Actually, the open tripod bases came with the 20mm gun from Oerlikon. They were not manufactured by the shipyards.
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I would like to eventually get back to the original tripod configuration. I brought this up as a topic of discussion at this point. Vaugh in working on the masive sink hole that has developed under the sidwalk. He is going a great job. This may be somthing for him to look at after he has finished up with that....
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I was reading through the fleet boat manual about the armaments and it was standard doctrine to put the 40mm on the bow smoking deck, if one was installed on board the boat. I don't expect us to reweld the whole superstructure, though.
Speaking of welding, at some point we need to add ammo hatches to the foward smoking deck and I think a lot of boats had the detachable can storage on the aft smoking deck. Check out Pampanito, if you're not sure what I'm referring to. This is low on the priority list, but a necessary item, none the less.
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I was reading through the fleet boat manual about the armaments and it was standard doctrine to put the 40mm on the bow smoking deck, if one was installed on board the boat. I don't expect us to reweld the whole superstructure, though.
I've seen that configuration, I've seen 20's in both places, 40's in both places, and the configuration we have.
I think what was done was more from the perspective of available room. I'm not 100% sure the 40 would have fit forward or not.
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A lot of the museum photos of the boat show the 40mm on the front. I think Rick said that our forward smoking deck is a reconstruction and it looks smaller than the one from the period photos. I'm not losing any sleep over it, though. She still looks good.
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That sail has been heavily modified from construction. The first and most obvous change is the missing lockers that were located on it
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That sail has been heavily modified from construction. The first and most obvous change is the missing lockers that were located on it
That and both gun platforms have been cut way down. At least they didn't do the guppy conversion on it...keeping the WW2 bridge.
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OK, back to the 40mm update.
Got the starboard gear boxes greased up and worked the gun vertically and it is now raising and lowering much easier. Goes from almost horizontal (restricted by the railing) to vertical. Got about 1/2 of the top of the gun part painted and the whole barrel painted. Also primered and painted the railing. Put the seats back on but will still need to do some work on those. Didn't get to the port side gear boxes but will work them on May 3rd. Reinstalled the gun sights. Still alot to do. Vaughn is making the handles and is making the connecting rod between the port side gear boxes. With any luck, on the 3rd, we should be able to move the gun by hand.
Attached are some photo's of what the new paint job is looking like. Still alot to do, but you should see some improvement.
Killed 4 wasps...wounded a few more.
Mark A.
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Looking good guys, keep up the good work.
Tom Bowser
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Sorry about the enemy bogies. It is that time of year and being right next to a river bank we do get a lot of critters.
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That is looking awesome Mark, great job. And keep up the good work!!
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Yeah. It looks 10X better already. BZ!
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Thanks guys!! I appreciate the feedback.
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40mm update...got the port side gear boxes cleaned out and put new grease. Worked the gun both horizontally and vertically. Tried in vain to get the seats to lock in place, so had to have Vaughn tack weld them in place. Finished painting the top of the gun (sorry, no photos this time).
The plan is to meet Vaughn out there on the 17th and put the handles on. He didn't have them completed but said he would on the 17th.
That's about all we got done as we had to paint the underside of the cigarette deck and had to finish up on the SHARK Memorial.
Hopefully on the 17th, if we get the handles on, I'll take my video camera and try to get some video of it.
Cheers!
Mark A.
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Mark A...
Jerry Baker came out today and told me that the Shark Memorila looks better then it had in years.
BZ, Thanks for comming back and pitching in.
Rick
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Can't wait to see it. I'd still like to see it turned into a gas gun for events. :)
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Rick - guess it will be only me there tomorrow. Vaughn can't come and my wife has other things to do.
I'll be there around 9AM and plan to work on painting the 40mm. Vaughn said he'd be there NEXT weekend and put the handles on the 40mm. I'll be back the following weekend to finish up the paint job and any last minute stuff...then I anticipate being done with it.
My wife and I will be available for deck work beginning on June 14th.
See you tomorrow (with the new shirts).
Mark A.
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We will see you tomorrow. i am going to be here al night again. I think I am starting to live here. I do not know why I bought a house. ;D
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If I lived any closer I'd always be there, too. :)
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Rick,
My wife and I will be at the park on Saturday the 31st to finish up on the 40 mm. We'd like to get there around 9 AM if that is OK. Please let me know.
Did Vaughn come out last Saturday and put the handles on the gun???
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Vaughn was there, but I don't remember seeing the handles. That doesn't mean that he didn't do it.
He did pull me aside and emphasized that we have to be careful around the A.C. units when working on the deck. The units are only sitting on rubber mounts and the copper tubing is susceptible to damage.
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Good point. It would probably be best if he is onsite when we work on the deck around the AC units so he can point out what we should be watching out for.
Thanks for mentioning that.
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Vaughn was here, no handles though. He and Marry were on their moto cycle as gas is getting very expensive. I also talked to Vaughn about the AC units and what needs to be watched. I am in full agreement with Vaughn as I watched him and Marry run that copper tubing. Not an easy task. I am encourageing everyone to take part int he deck project as this is very important to me and needs to be done ASAP. the portions that are already don look 100,000% better then the old rotted wood. I am currently taking hatches home to work on them there in my free time. :2funny: This will leave the main deck to be worked on a section by section basis.
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Roger sent an email to a small group from our crew to see if anyone was available on Saturday, June 7 to work on the deck some more. At a minimum he wanted us to finish what we started last week. Only Roger and I will be available, so far, but I encouraged him to email the rest of the crew. He feels badly that we didn't get as far as we would have liked to and he doesn't want us to leave a hole in the deck. I encouraged him by saying that more volunteers were coming onboard to help with the deck as the summer gets under way.
Anyway, I'll be there next Saturday. Just regular clothing and I don't think that anyone plans on sleeping over this time. We'll give you a head count by next week (even if it's just me).
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That is good. Part of this was my mistake. I should have played a more active roll in helping out on the last work day. I halve to admit that I was a disapointed by the turnout over memorial day weekend, but I do understand the situation
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Rick
You must be slacking off, spare time? ;D Just kidding, you are doing a heck of a job up there.
Tom Bowser
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Shhhh......
I have a stash of torpedo juice I save for special occasions...... :2funny:
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Was able to spend about 3 hours at the sub today before the rain and lightning moved in. Got most of the gun painted, but still have about 2 hours worth of work to finish...plus any touch up once the handles get put on.
So on the 14th, we'll finish that up and then be able to start on the deck. Will be glad to work on something different for a while.
Also, got to meet Travis as he dropped by about the time we were leaving. Will be glad to have him around this summer.
Will have photos after the work on the 14th of the completed gun...hopefully with handles.
Mark A.
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Mark A
Wouldn't you know it the rain let up abotu 1 hour after you go out.
The 40 mm is looking great. It is nice to see something commig together.
Rick
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Here are two pictures of the 40mm and 20mm guns that were on fleet boats (from the 1946 Fleet Sub manual). Notice that the 40 has a railing like Paul posted the other day behind the seats. According to Vaughn, the one on the Batfish now isn't the correct version (and the vets really fought putting it on there). However, it's pretty close to what I see in the picture. Is there a place to mount a repro railing if Vaughn made one?
Also, notice the stand for the 20mm. Ours looks something like this, but we have that goofy locking wheel on the side.
(http://maritime.org/fleetsub/img/fig1-15.jpg)
(http://maritime.org/fleetsub/img/fig1-16.jpg)
In my opinion what we have is pretty good for the moment.
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According to Vaughn, the one on the Batfish now isn't the correct version (and the vets really fought putting it on there). However, it's pretty close to what I see in the picture. Is there a place to mount a repro railing if Vaughn made one?
Ours use to have that railing, Vaughn removed it due to space restrictions on the extended bridge. There is no room really to create and remount one.
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Ah, I see. We'd have to extend the aft cig. deck. We're looking at extensive bridge repairs, anyway. So, should we just give Vaughn the green light to build a lip extension? He'll have to modify the railing and probably wouldn't have to mess with the 40 to do the work. We have enough photos and hopefully original build plans. It's just a thought...
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We're looking at extensive bridge repairs, anyway
We are? I know about replacing some of the rusted out portions...what else?
I don't know about extending it...that would be Rick's call...and contingent on Vaughn wanting to re-do the work.
Rick - can you put out a list here or via email to the volunteers as to what is going on in regards to current work and planned work? There are so many ideas floating around that it's a bit confusing (at least to me) as to what is going on and who is doing what. I'm all for whatever needs to be done for improvements, but we need to be organized and focused. Thanks in advance. And yeah, I know that the deck gets first priority ;)
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Keep in mind that this board is primarily a place to exchange ideas and pontificate. By no means is what gets written on here a final list of things that must happen.
I talked with Vaughn a little bit about the bridge repairs and he agreed that a lot of work needed to be done. We never discussed his ideas/intentions/orders from Rick.
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MarkA
I am getting a letter together. I will send out a scuttlebutt letter by the end of the week.
Rick
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pontificate
Can't you get arrested for that? ;D
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If you could, most politicians would be behind bars.
I just want to make sure that the creative ideas continue to flow on here and I think that we've all done a pretty good job of exchanging ideas and opinions and keeping it civil. I don't want people to become "afraid" of voicing an idea with imminent verbal retribution coming around the corner. I'm learning a lot by throwing stuff out there for everyone to chew on and provide feedback on.
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Yes sir...and I wouldn't want it any other way. It's nice to get feedback from Paul and Tom and others with way more time put in than us. They've been down the road we are going and I for one value their advice, suggestions & knowledge.
However, with that said, I've been at the park a while and I know first hand what can...and will...happen if some type of plan isn't put in place. 100's of things going on and nothing gets completed. I'm excited about what Rick is doing and having you and others joining us there. Many hands makes the work light. Focused work gets the tasks done quicker, which makes the park look better quicker...which makes Rick look like the genius he doesn't claim to be.
Keep the ideas coming, most of them I haven't thought of. Rick can prioritze them and I think in the end, the sub will be the winner.
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:angel:
Yes.....
Can I hear a halleluah.........
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<cough> Ahem..... :angel:halleluah! :angel:
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THe 40mm guns may have been mounted on subs with the back railings, but most of them were cut off by the crews for good reason, they were in the way. The backrails were popular on single 40s mounted on PTs and LSTs where space an access wasn't a problem.
Check your photo record to see how the 40mm guns looked on BATFISH. DRUM has her backstops; we cut ours off the replacement guns we obtained in the mid 90s because COD never went on patrol with them. The spare backstop is going to a PT in SanFran.
The single 20mm mounts were mostly the open-legged tripod mounts, although some (early mounts?) were of the solid cone shapes shown in the FLEET SUB HANDBOOK.
:uglystupid2:
PF
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40mm update (6/14/08). We are 99.9% done with the painting. Got about 15-30 minutes of touch up painting to do. On the 28th, Vaughn will attach the fabricated handles...we'll paint them...and the 40 restoration will be complete. At that time, I will post several photos and will try to capture some video.
Now if can just keep the birds from pooping on it...I'll be happy.
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Now if can just keep the birds from pooping on it...I'll be happy.
LOL. One thing that I haven't noticed much of around the periscope shears is bird droppings - I know that Mark is joking. Maybe I haven't lookind hard enough, but that is pretty amazing. It must be the lack of pigeons in Muskogee. :)
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I know that Mark is joking.
No, we had to clean up several instances of bird crap from the seat to the end of the barrel. I'm going to put one of those dummies on the 40mm
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Maybe we need an owl on top of the SD platform. :)
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We have a live one that visits the boat occasionally, he leaves us dead bird parts.
Tom Bowser
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That's fine. A live owl is a good companion. Keeps the other poopy birds away. The occassional leftovers that he vomits up are probably easier to clean up.
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unfortunaely we live next to the Arkansas river were ther is a whole butt load of critters. We have confirmed sitings of snakes rabits dear beavers, armadillos and cyotes out here. I have even seen 2 hawks pearched on the radio antena one day. We get it all left behind............
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Nice... :buck2:
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Don't forget the WASPS!!!
I'll have plenty of bug juice on Saturday...I may gain ACE status again :coolsmiley:
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Well, it started off with rain this AM. So any painting was put off until July 12. Vaughn made it and finished the handles and they work GREAT!
There are a few things to do. 1) we need to paint the handles and finish the touch up painting that we didn't get to do today; 2) Vaughn is going to adjust the seats back (they are spot welded in place) as they are too close to the handles and they can't be used effectively w/o bruising your knees; 3) We are going to put a locking ring on the railing so that guests won't be able to play with it.
All of this will be completed on the 12th, assuming Vaughn can make it down.
I've included a couple of photos. One is of Vaughn, the second is the new handles. SWEET!! :smitten:
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BZ to all my help. Mark A is right, I just point and shout. Thank you all for your hard work.
Rick
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Great job on the 40mm handles! The deck is coming along great also, that is a rough job, now if you could get Rick to work a little harder--- :2funny: Just kidding Rick
Tom Bowser
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Mark A. the 40 looks awesome now, you and your wife have done a great job!
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I 2nd that! I will have to go up and really check it out. I have only got to look at it in passing. 10 kinds of cool.... 8)
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I learnde a long time ago that my job is to point and shout. I would like to get more hands on time though.
Rick
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Come on Rick, you never shout. If your going to shout get you a D.I. hat and some OD's and then shout. ;D
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Thanks guys! It's been fun. Just a bit more to do (paint mostly) and have Vaughn adjust the seats back a bit and we'll be done.
I think Vaughn is going to build some type of locking mechanism to keep the gun from being moved without authorization from Rick.
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So how would one move the gun? Educationally speaking of coarse. <Mischevious grin>
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Mark A
I took a little Park Manager liberty and tryed the 40 mm out. It is smooth. I expected to get a real work out on thiis thing, but not at all. I 7 yoa son was even able to move the handles with out help. This does bring us back to the original problem of security and maintenace we talked about earlier.
Don't worrie, we put it back into position, pointed right at the mayors office......... :angel:
BZ to Makr A again..
Rick
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Mark A. : JohnG and myself also tried out the 40, and it operates just great!! We hoped to give some people on the highway a scare by leading one of the cars with it. lol ;D
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This does bring us back to the original problem of security and maintenace we talked about earlier.
I have sent spec's to Vaughn about creating a realistic looking "gun rest" that will have a locking flange. It will be locked in place, pointing straight aft and the key will be kept in Rick's office. I will line the flange with rubber so that when tourists get up there, and they will get up there, if they decide to play with it, and they will play with it, it will only bang against the rubber inside the flange, keeping any damage to a minimum.
We will be back down on the 12th to finish up the painting on the 40 and then continue the deck work. I won't know until Thursday PM if Vaughn is coming. If so, then if he is able to build all of this for me, we should be done with it next Saturday.
Oh...and thanks for all the kind words. It's been a blast...but now I'm wanting to get working on the deck and kill some more WASPS. :knuppel2:
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I pointed out the 40mm to my wife on Friday and stated that it was the most recent item that has been restored on the boat and then I showed her the new deck that we're slowly laying down. She said that it was nice seeing we're come down to "play". I think she got a better appreciation for how much labor we're putting into the Batfish so that it doesn't turn into the U.S.S. Rustoleum.
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I just spoke with Vaughn and Marry. They will not be able to make it down until the 19th. They want to greet our visitors ( I will put a seperate posting).
Rick
MarkA,
How many Wasps did you killl. I think you are close to becoming an ace.......
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How many Wasps did you killl
After I got stung, I knocked down 2 "working" nests...each nest had 3-4 live targets. After I destroyed one of them I went down below decks and I think the remnants of the one nest decided to get some payback. Another can of Wasp Away and 5 more corpses littered the outer hull.
Give me about 12 "for sure" and 4 "probables". :D
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There you go. MarkA the Ace........
What other sub can claim one. :2funny:
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I'll try to remember to get some raid fogger for this Saturday. They seem to get pestier and grow in numbers as the summer progresses.
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The ROTC (?) kids took out a bunch of deck. We removed a bit more but spent most of our time removing bolts. Only so much 2 people can do.
I did knock down 2 big nests that were active with at least 15 of the %$^@! things...
I'm beginning to think the best time to do this is in the fall/winter...but then I'll complain about it being too cold. Well, my wife will...I like the cold.
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Hmmmm... I wonder if those bug bombs/foggers strategically placed on the boat at night would wipe out the buggers while they sleep? I've used them in garages and sheds before, but never in a semi-open area like the super structure.
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Went out to the sub today and you can see by the photos that it didn't take long for someone to damage the work my wife and I did on the 40mm. I was very upset about this. You can see from the two gun photos + the railing photos that someone has taken the gun and run it along the railing. What a bunch of idiots. >:( >:( >:(
I think Vaughn is coming out on the 6th and will be putting a lock on this and I will hide the key. What's wrong with people. >:(
Will have paint next time to touch up the damage. Yeah, it might not be that much and we can touch it up in about 10 minutes, it's just the fact that someone would do this.
OK...I'm off my soap box now.
Mark A.
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Same thing with ours. We have signs up all around the sail saying no climbing, no access permited, yet they still have to go up and play. We are about to lock down every thing that moves on the boat. People just don't have any respect for history.
Tom Bowser
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I will link this conversation and post it to the reenactors. I'm pretty sure that they didn't do it, but I'll let them know, none the less.
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I don't know who did it...but it was deliberate with the amount of damage done. The railing is scraped down to bare metal and is rusting. They had to know it was scraping. Idiots.
Like I said...it's going to get locked down and I'm hiding the key. I didn't work on it all summer to have some idiot come out and goof around on it and damage it.
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I jully understand everyones frustration. MarkA and I have already talked about this and I fully agree that a lock mech. needs to be added to the 40 MM to keep people from playing with it. I know that the damage did not come from one of our volunteers or volunteer groups. We all know what it is like to have something we worked hard on trashed. Once the lock mech is in place the key will need to be stored in the lock box in the museum office. This will keep a centrail point of control on it and available for use by museum staff...
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Thanks Rick. We'll touch up the damaged paint on the 6th. I'm going to call Vaughn and verify that he is coming on that day also and we'll get that taken care of.
Mark A.
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I know the frustration and feeling. A few weeks ago I was working on the boat and someone handed me a knob which I later determined came from the radio room - they found it in the galley. During our event weekend someone broke off a knob from the WCA stack and left it lying on the deck. Roger Hudgins told me that he found it and didn't know where it came from. Needless to say, the knob was damaged beyond repair and can't be reattached - the radio one can, thankfully. Often times as I work arund the boat, I see bolts, nuts, screws, knobs, etc. laying around with no idea where it came from. It's sad to see things get broken and discarded, but even worse when they do it on purpose.
I can see why some boats have put everything behind lexan. It's a tough choice to keep it open for everyone knowing that someone's "angel" will be along to break it at some point.
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touched up the paint. Vaughn says he'll be down on the 20th to help with locking the 40mm down.
More then.
MWA
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Vaughn stood me up...but will try to get him down on the 4th.
I noticed that a tourista had been playing with the 40 again as there was more scratches on the gun barrel. :knuppel2:
Anyway...there is where we stand.
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Before we install the lock mech. are we going to put the barrel guard on the railing? I haven't built the pole for the colors yet since the gun will beat it to death.
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it should all be one piece. I sent vaughn diagrams from the WW2 era photos telling him what I wanted. He told me last time I talked to him that he had them and could easily make it and install it.
We'll see.
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Why not put a guard on the rail so people could check it out? Mind you they aren't supposed to be up there but that something that would make it cool. I mean, how often does the average person get to learn how to use a 40mm cannon? I think something like that would be better than another, "Access Denied" spot. It's hands on. And hands on is something we need.
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So when he makes the barrel guard on the railing, he's just going to copy what was originally on the forward one and then put the locking mechanism on that. That's cool.
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So when he makes the barrel guard on the railing, he's just going to copy what was originally on the forward one and then put the locking mechanism on that. That's cool.
Yes, that is correct. I mailed him photos of what the actual thing looked like...now I just need to get him out to make it. :-[
Why not put a guard on the rail so people could check it out? Mind you they aren't supposed to be up there but that something that would make it cool. I mean, how often does the average person get to learn how to use a 40mm cannon? I think something like that would be better than another, "Access Denied" spot. It's hands on. And hands on is something we need.
Not sure what you mean by "guard on the rail". What I have in mind will be a replica of the real thing. The barrel of the gun will rest in a locking ring. Unfortunately, we can't allow "hands on" to everything. I've already posted what happens when touristas help themselves...what took my wife and me most of the summer to restore was damaged probably in one afternoon "learning how to use the 40 mm". Now, if Rick wants to let it out...that's his call. I would hope it's under supervision by him, a volunteer or a re-enactor to ensure it doesn't get damaged...plus to answer questions. I think the 40mm doesn't qualify for "hands on".
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By putting a guard on the rail I mean something that will keep it from scratching the paint off. As of right now there is nothing at the museum that is hands on. Yes you get to go through the sub but it's still a look and move display. Things that make the Tulsa Air and Space Museum or Omniplex great is the fact you get to touch, move, play, manipulate things. Not just a bunch of static displays. One could argue that it's for staff and re-enactors only, but they won't hardly ever use it and if so for what? The gun doesn't do anything but move. Me and Travis played on it one day and loved it. Do we play on it all the time. No. But for that one time it was great and for normal people that one time is what counts.
Plus, whats the point in having the gun restored to a working order if your just going to lock it down?
I have worked there 2 summers and the one thing that kids to adults always did was the Morse code in the radio shack. Sure every once in a while something messes up but all in all it's just routine maintenance. The gun gets scratched, it sucks, but it's no different then a knob missing on the Morse Code, someone gets a touch up brush and coats the area super fast. We have to remember this boat (and gun) survived World War 2 and 60+ years. Letting people have a once in a life time chance is not going to do irreparable damage. And as long as we keep a eye on it nothing bad will happen.
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John - I really don't want to get into a debate about this. Let me answer your questions.
Plus, whats the point in having the gun restored to a working order if your just going to lock it down?
The point is to have it like it looked during the war (as much as possible). I'm all for leaving it unlocked, but until your can trust people to use it and NOT damage it, then it gets locked down. And as soon as I can get Vaughn out, it will be.
Sure every once in a while something messes up but all in all it's just routine maintenance.
Restoring the gun wasn't routine maintenance. It was a lot of work by my wife and myself, and mostly by Vaughn and he built the support and the flooring and then got the gun up there.
The gun gets scratched, it sucks, but it's no different then a knob missing on the Morse Code, someone gets a touch up brush and coats the area super fast.
So, can I count on you to come out EVERY day to make sure it has paint on it from people working the gun? The last two times I was out I have had to repaint it. It works down to metal and then rust starts. I'm involved w/ the deck now and would rather not have to paint the barrel and railing EVERY time I come out.
We have to remember this boat (and gun) survived World War 2 and 60+ years. Letting people have a once in a life time chance is not going to do irreparable damage.
No, what we have to remember is that the submarine is a MUSEUM and people and volunteers need to treat it as such. If we are going to restore stuff just so some person can have a "once in a lifetime experience" and then damage it...then I'm all for locking it down. Why should one person get to damage it for all others?
And as long as we keep a eye on it nothing bad will happen.
Well, I'm open on how to do that? Rick can't sit out there all day. Can you? No, bascially it's me keeping an eye on it when I'm out every other weekend.
I don't want to be a stick in the mud here, I do want people to come and enjoy their visit. However I don't want work that is done by anyone to be ruined because of some person wanting to get their "experience". The problem is that only my wife, me and Vaughn put anytime into restoring this...so no one else seems to think it's a problem to go play on it.
Mark A.
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Well Mark A. you have hit the delimma of ALL of the museums around the world regardless if they are submarines or aviation..... Now that you have a project complete and you want to make sure that it looks pristine for many years to come you hate to see what happens when they scrape the barrel of the 40mm against the railing again damaging all of the hard work that you have done. You have a number of choices one of which is my least favorite is the chain and pad lock to make sure that the visitors don't operate your equipment that you worked so hard to restore or there is the making the area off limits.... again making all of the hard work that you and those involved was for near nothing because it will be nothing more then a static piece of equipment and at that point it didn't warrant having a full restoration of the 40mm OR you have a welder come out with some blanking material to make sure that the tourists are able to move the gun up and down, right and left but NOT being able to hit the railing, so that means that they would have to weld a stopper on the elevation gear to keep it from going all of the way down.. 99.9% of today's tourist's will never know that that wasn't origional and that will give them the once in a lifetime experiance of moving that 40mm and every time you see that 40 move you can say with a smile on your face that YOU restored that to working once more.
Just my .02 worth
Darrin
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have to weld a stopper on the elevation gear to keep it from going all of the way down..
That may be the option for us. Yes, I am on the fence on this one. I want to let people operate it, like John pointed out...and he is correct...it is a great experience and I don't want to deny someone of that. But again like you said...how to minimize damage.
The locking ring was just an idea since boats had them anyway. Welding a stop on the elevation gear teeth might work. As long as we can keep them off the railing, then I think we'll be OK.
Thanks for the insight and comments.
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One of the hardest things that I have done is gone to the museum's who have plexiglassed over EVERYTHING or made everything off limits, we are the protectors and biggest supporters of these museums and we make them live once more not only for us but for those whom are interested in it and for me it is to show the children of today what happened a few years ago and then they can hopefully bring their childeren down when it comes that time.
With Torsk it has been a labor of love to bring a empty steel tube back to life once more, granted when I got to her the TVA had been there for 5+ years and done so much and now ALL of the hard work by countless men and women is starting to come together (and not all of them have ever served a day in the military).. The biggest thing that I can say about Torsk is that she FEEL's like she is a working boat and not a static museum boat (overly sanitary and painted) we are rough on the inside and outside but she works more now then she has in 30+years and the more people that vol the better that she looks and feels.. In the last 4+ years that I have been onboard I have seen HUGE changes in her and the attitude of the crew.
Remember one thing with a good crew you can do anything, the sky is the limit on what you can do with your boat.. No matter how bad she looks on the inside and outside a determined crew can do maricles. KEEP YOUR CHIN up no matter what, you are giving your time to make sure the children of tomorrow can see what those of us did in the past.
To me the folks from the USS Slater and the LST 325 have lived that motto, as have other submarine crews (Cavalla and Torsk) all of these crews have done the near impossible to bring the once discarded ready for scrap vessels back to life once more and in the case of LST 325 she is once more back at sea doing what ALL of us wish we could do once more.... give a the public from many different states an inside look at what our fathers and grandfathers used to work on and live on.
You folks on the Batfish have my deepest respect for saving her before it is too late, keep up the good job... One day ALL of the boats will give the Pamp and the Bowfin and the COD a run for their money.. And to me IF we can give them a run for their money it will be bittersweet because we had not a whole lot of outside help and it was the VOLUNTEERS who made it all happen.
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Is there a way to wrap the railing with some sort of padding during open hours that would protect the 40mm yet let people play with in?
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This is a sticky issue. I have mixed feelings. The 40mm guns should have travel locks on the barrels, it was standard equipment. They are nothard to repro, so it would help. Cod's CT is off limits to all but crew (signs on the outside superstructure ladders keep all but the biggest numbskulls off)... be we have a 5 in. wet mount that our skipper expects folks to play on... that is fine, but after 16 years of kids playing with it, the knob cranks are wearing... and the gears are sloppy. Now the experts say that can be fixed easily. But the missing brass from the crank stems is going to require we make a casting and build up the missing collars... not cheap, but when the time comes to do this, I don't expect my skipper to question the expense... it is the cost of providind visitors with this "extra bit of fun." The safety mods on the 5 in. are easily reversible with a tool kit. We did not let anyone weld gears (damage!) and in fact we ground out the gear weldments created by the previous owners of the guns.
What might work is to keep the 40mm locked on it travel lock and when reenactors are availalble, they can supervise folks using the gun.
Take some solace in the fact the all the color movies and photos I've seen of Cod and other sub deck guns show considerable rust, scrapping, etc. These are not floats in a parade! Some subvet jokers asked me what I would do if visitors were to scrape up my recent paint job of the 5-in. gun... I told them that if it wasn't scraped sufficiently to make it look "used in combat" I would do the job myself!
Just my penny's worth! ::)
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I just think that if it is there the public should be able to check it out. Personally I hate going to museums where it is all look and don't touch. Right now the sub is just a static model. A building that people get to walk through. By making things interactive they get to see what it was like and get to "be there".
Once again, the most successful museums have these traits. We can't be so afraid of damaging the boat that we lock it up and make it our own little "club house". Like I said, when the reenactors use it, all they will do is shoot imaginary targets, but when a normal person does it that has a whole new meaning. As much as we love the boat and museum we have to look at it from a un-biased view. I'm not trying to piss anyone off, but unless we start trying to improve the museum (and I know we are hence the PR guy and the very awesome plans) the sub will stay pushed aside.
I'm not saying we are this but this is is something I feel is relevant:
Museums are like teachers. Teachers are supposed to be open minded, unbiased, always learning and evolving. When a teacher stagnates and stops learning and evolving the students suffer. The start to believe that they can't be wrong amd anything contrary to what they learned 20 years ago is wrong. Ask your kids, it happens everyday.
If we lock up the boat and make it just walk through then we have stagnated. You can have awesome displays, but in the end they are static displays to be looked at only. When people learn through experience they never forget it. Why? Because they have physically done it. You can tell someone how it works and they will retain it for a whole 5-10 minutes. But if you let them hop up there and do it they won't forget it, at least not anytime soon.
Stagnation will kill the museum. Hence why Rick is trying to get all of this great stuff done. It's why displays change. By letting some one learn about the 40mm in a way that is unprecedented around here would be a great step forward. You did put alot of work into it that goes with out saying. But why did you restore it? So it can be a "pretty", something to be dusted? Or did you want it to be a working 40mm cannon?
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But why did you restore it? So it can be a "pretty", something to be dusted? Or did you want it to be a working 40mm cannon?
*sigh*
I restored it for basically all three reasons. I DID NOT restore it so that it could be damaged and I could spend part of EVERY day out there fixing it back up because of someone wanting an experience.
John - I see where you are coming from...and I agree. Let me try this scenario. Let's say you came out all summer and fixed something up, got it restored and felt a great sense of accomplishment because you got something that wasn't working...working again. All nice and new looking, etc... Then, say I came along and wanted to play with it and in doing so...broke it. How would you feel? Would you say "oh well, Mark was just wanting an experience." Or would you be pissed because of all the time you had spent in restoring it just to have it damaged?
And if we just say "oh well" to damage...then why restore it at all? My wife and I worked on the gun so EVERYONE could see what it looked like. I would like nothing better to do that let everyone play on it. But I don't trust anyone because I know and see how people treat things.
My suggestion to you is this...find another gun at the park...one on the grounds. Restore it to your satisifaction. Once you are done, open it up for people to play on. Let them have their "experience" on it. However, be sure to bring paint and brushes every time you are at the park, because it will be damaged.
As for the 40mm, it will be locked down...until I can think of some alternative method to keep it from being damaged. Rick is in agreement with this.
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My view on this matter is simply to try and make the best of both worlds. I am not real keen on allowing just anyone to run the historic artifacts. Lets face it, the sub and the 40mm are historic artifacts. Furture events will allow for the uses of thes items under heavily watched situations. I have to agree with MarkA in that we should not allow just anyone to run the 40mm. There are future projects that will allow customers to experience what it like to run these items I do intend to allow access to the bridge area in the future, I am still undecided on the Conn..
Rick
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The thing I'm curious about is how was scraping the 40mm barrel prevented back in war time? I'm assuming nothing was done to prevent it, other than having enough sense to not scrape it down the rail.
I noticed Tom keeps the one on the Drum locked (didn't he Mark?) but unlocked it for Mark and I to try it out.
Personally, I would have no problem with the guns being locked in place. You can still sit and get a feeling of how it all works. Isn't there someone at the Batfish who could unlock the guns on a case by case basis?
I got the impression that Tom Bowser had purchased one of those huge bulk packages of #2 Master Locks that are all keyed alike and had distributed them all over the sub to keep things under control. I'm not in favor of having Plexiglas all over every tiny thing, having every ladder chained off, and having locks on every possible place. But you do need to have some type of way of locking certain things down WHILE having the option to unlock them on a whim. IMHO.
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One thing you'll notice about our railing is that it's about 12" higher than the originals. The railing had to be modified 12 in shorter when the 40mm was installed, be it forward or aft. This would allow the barrel to be moved to a negative elevation. This was the reason for the 11 inch tall barrel guard on both the aft and forward facing rails. It would allow the gun to be lowered to a negative elevation until it reached 0 and 180 degrees to keep it's gunners from blowing away their own boat. You'll notice in photographs that the barrel is locked down at a 0 degree elevation on top of the barrel guard and the surrounding railing was lower than the guard.
Clear as mud?
I would bet that the barrel guard and barrel would have been touched up after each patrol by the refitting crew.
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Also, here's my two cents. We've reached the point in the discussion that validates the existance of the BLHA. The purpose of having the living history crew is to give the patrons the "experiance" without them ever having to "play" with everything. Allow me to elaborate.
Most museums that have working artillery pieces don't let the patrons handle them...after all, they ARE firearms and big ones at that. Take Ft. Gibson for example. They have a 6 lb mountain howitzer that they unlock and pull out from the storage building, and fire at special events. They only allow trained crew members near the gun citing safety reasons. In order to keep it educational, the crew members wear the proper uniforms from the time period and demonstrate how and why the gun was operated. There is an accredited antique artillery training school with various instructors being dispersed throughout the country. These men take it upon themselves to train those interested in operating antique arillery pieces. I am one such instructor having been trained in the operation of 6 different types of antique ordinance.
The entire purpose is to make the gun more than just static and demonstrate it's capabilities without every jo blow jacking around with it and screwing it up. In a way, that's what the BLHA is here for. Allow the public to see and hear but not touch.
The only stipulation I would state would be that it should only be unlocked for trained and certified personnel.
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To take the discussion in a different, yet important, direction, how much work does the BLHA do assist with Batfish restoration? Seems like Mark Allen's been at his wit's end seeking any warm body to help with deck work and other vital projects to ensure the submarine is preserved for future generations and groups such as BLHA to enjoy. Some reciprocation (and elbow grease) are in order.
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It is the right thing to do with locking the 40mm up unless someone is there from the crew to make sure that nothing gets damaged, thought about it all weekend and it would be a shame to ruin all of the hard work by those who don't care if they bend or break it because they don't have to maintain it. Good luck in your decision and whichever one it is it will be the right one for the Batfish ;)
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I can guarantee that at least one person from the BLHA is at all times is working on something for the boat (because most of the time it's me). I spend an average of 30 to 40 hours a week amassing materials, working on projects, and just generally looking for items to donate to the museum...in addition to my regular job. Granted, I work on some of my projects at home and then bring them to the boat when they're finished. The BLHA almost always has at least 1 representative at all deck laying days and sometimes, it's almost exclusively BLHA guys. The BLHA has also taken on the restoration of the Galley, the Cold Stores Locker repainting and restocking as well as opening it up to the public for display (although still working on it), the arms locker is on the list of things to do, Tim has been redoing the bunks in the Crews quarters, we regularly go through and replace light bulbs, members have referbished a lot of the lighting, and Mark Sarsfield installed a fan in the ward room that he purchased with his own money. We've procured countless items to display such as a REAL ww2 navy table cloth and napkins, original maps and charts, instruments, I'm getting the materials together to do some work in the captain's cabin and hopefully install a replica depth guage, sink, and medicine cabinet. We've also donated countless hours of research...that's how I came up with the set of original orders issued out to all submarines in the pacific for painting guidelines. We made the latest set of "kill" flags, we made a PUC pennant that can be flown on the boat for special occasions, I'm in the middle of remaking the battle flag so it can be flown on the boat during special occasions too. I've wanted to show up to the deck days but I always have something going on...including serving with the National Guard. Although you may not see all of us at a deck laying (as 90% of us are not from around the area). I know Roger Hudgins, Mark Sarsfield, Tim Katzung, Collin Smith, and Bradley Wynn (okie shipwreck) have been out to help on an almost regular basis. Most of the rest of the guys are from Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and other parts of Oklahoma and it's hard to get them to drive 10 hours round trip to work for 3 or 4 hours. If I made it a requirement for every member to participate in a deck day, I can guarantee that we would lose over half of our participation. I could understand if we were just out there "playing sailor" as someone once put it, but we're bringing people to the museum. We're volunteering our time to talk to people and demonstrate boat components and give guided tours. Do we have fun doing it? You bet your ass we do. At the last BLHA event, we helped the museum bring in almost $1400 in one day and we all had a blast! That was the biggest single moneymaking day for the museum. I assure you that we ARE pulling our own weight as Rick can attest as he approves or denies our work requests.
Correy
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I think that my last posting came across a little more harsh than I wanted it to. :angel:
I guess what I'm trying to say is that my guys (and I'm not saying no one else does) put a lot of time and effort into not only fixing the boat, but researching and buying accurate period uniforms (those can get expensive), uniform items, plates, pots, pans, silverware, fans, lights, and any number of other "small" items and I'll defend them to the death for it. None of them are rich, a few work for various other museums and they volunteer entire weekends to teach at another museum. They not only work on projects with their own money, but they go even further with their money to ensure that what they are teaching and showing people is the correct thing.
Correy
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I think that my last posting came across a little more harsh than I wanted it to.
maybe passionate is a better word. Correy, I've been in your shoes. There was a time when I had more sub stuff in my garage than "garage stuff". If you and the BLHA are like me, you do it out of love and respect...at least that is why I do it. And I've spent more of my own money than I care to think about.
put a lot of time and effort
I feel your pain...I can't count the number of hours and $$$ I've invested in the website...with many more ideas to be implemented.
I don't think Fred's question was out of line. But I have wandered the same thing. It's only after I've talked to you and Rick and Bradley and Mark S. that I finally understood. You guys are working under the radar. I had no idea that you were working on some of the things you mentioned. Yeah, I wish more BLHA guys would come out...but I do understand about other commitments and all that. Maybe you could work out a compromise...when you do hold your events, you could spend some time re-enacting...but also factor in some of the work Rick wants done. After all, if we are going to call ourselves volunteers, sometimes we need to do what Rick wants done :D
I do have a question about one statement though:
The BLHA almost always has at least 1 representative at all deck laying days and sometimes, it's almost exclusively BLHA guys.
Unless I've just missed them, at least for the last 3 events I've tried to schedule...I've not seen a BLHA rep there. I know in the very beginning your team did alot of work at the bow and got a lot off then. Are you working on other days? If so, that is great.
I think we may have at least 2 BLHA guys there on the 4th...not sure about the 18th. I would encourage you to keep encouraging the BLHA guys to come out...even if it's just once or twice a year. If we had your entire team for a weekend...we could probably get 75% or more of the deck off and probably some put back on. Just something to chew on. ;)
And as Fred correctly said:
to ensure the submarine is preserved for future generations and groups such as BLHA to enjoy
That is why I volunteer...and I think it's the same with you guys. I believe Rick has everything moving in the right direction and finally getting all groups working together and honestly, in my 10 years out here, it's the best I've seen the park look and work. The future looks good just based on the little Bradley has shared and if your group can keep generating revenue like that...then just watch out!!
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Correy:
I'm basing the thoughts I've shared quite simply on the weekend reports and photos Mark Allen and the other working volunteers have posted on this board of their weekend activities. I've seen the tarps and shelters rigged to try warding off the oppressive heat, the orange coolers of water and the tools. But I don't see a lot of bodies, certainly not those identifying themselves as BLHA members. Granted, I am several hundred miles removed from the situation. But Mark, Rick and especially Batfish need help and a little more than living history specialists. Perhaps, BLHA might consider gathering one weekend a month to help in whatever project the working volunteers are doing at the time. I see many benefits: BLHA members get the satisfaction of performing some serious preservation work, they get to enjoy getting dirty and sweaty for a good cause, and any misunderstandings between BLHA and working volunteers can begin to be erased.
I'm a husband and father, and believe me, I know how tough it is to volunteer in stuff you want to do with a job and family. If you all are putting forth efforts, maybe it needs to be a little more in the areas that matter -- restoring and maintaining the boat. If the deck doesn't get replaced, if paint doesn't get chipped and replaced with new primer and paint, even if the interior doesn't get swept, swabbed and shined, you will not have anything on which to reenact. The subject of your living history will be, well, history.
I first volunteered on the Silversides nearly 30 years ago to be a tour guide. Instead, they handed me a paint brush and pointed to the conning. I painted my first two weekends. I eventually learned the tour and enjoyed every minute. But I learned that restoration and maintenance are the bedrock of any museum ship, and more often than not, MUST be done by volunteers. I remember taking on a thorough cleaning of the crew's head, including swabbing out the water closets and the stainless steel decks, and cleaning the sinks and stainless steel mirrors and wash basis with 409 spray or somesuch. I later became a restoration crew member exclusively and found a satisfaction I never knew possible. It's out there just waiting for anyone.
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Mark,
I think that we're all starting to figure out what each other does ;). I don't expect the average volunteer to purchase a uniform and support the education side nor do I expect the guys on the education side to spend all their time working on projects. If that were the case it wouldn't be an education day it would just be a work party. There's a happy medium. Our goal is to first educate and second preserve where as most of the other volunteers preserve first and educate second. We do work on projects while at the boat. Usually, in the evenings once the public goes home, we start working on our projects. These projects are proposed throughout the year, then accepted or denied by the museum, then worked on at night while we are aboard the boat. I fully intend to have the cold stores locker ready for display soon.
I like us flying under the radar. It makes things so much easier when all I have to do is talk to Rick.
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I'll take that under advisement Mr. Tannenbaum.
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Just a quick thought regarding the 40mm gun. Would it be possible to just put a 'stop' on it - something virtually unnoticed that would just prevent it from going low enough to hit the rail? This way the gun can't get scraped up anymore. If this is something already discussed forgive my not catching it. But if not - this might be the less complicated choice.
Another note on the paint job - when we paing the entire boat in her wartime colors, we can certainly take advantage of the materials on hand and have a retouch done? We are painting the boat in her black on grey color scheme, I am lead to believe.
As for the BLHA - I personally wish I could be there every weekend, just because I love it. When I was there last for a development meeting with Rick I was thrilled to see my 9 year old (now 10) son thoroughly enjoy himself on the sub. For him, it meant a lot to me that he could pull levers, spin wheels, and really intreact with the boat. He told all of his school mates about it and more. This is why I am involved.
We are also trying to get all of our crew in tees or such to keep us identified anytime we are on the boat, etc. This should help show just how often we are there.
Shipwreck
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Hey Bradley,
The stop is one thing I'm thinking about. It will take a visit with Vaughn to see if we can weld something on it. I think it was brought up before earlier but doesn't hurt to discuss it again.
As for the when the boat is painted, I think we can just cover the gun and I can continue to touch it up. I had the color blended at Lowes and I'm afraid if we touch up with another color, then the whole gun will need to be painted to match. I think I'll just bring the paint down until the stop or the lock mechanism gets put on.
We'll see you on the 18th.
Mark
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Do you know if we are going to replace the railing with correct railing or just keep what we have? This could mean the difference between having to touch up paint on a regular basis or just every now and then.
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I know of no plans to replace what we have.
If we use a stop or a locking mechanism, the touch up painting will probably go away except for maybe twice a year.
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Police SGt Rick here.... :police:
It is very important to remember that lots of people are doing lots of things. We all must keep in mind that just because we do not see someone at the boat does not mean that they are not working. Tim Katzan is working on the boat shoring up the bunks as we speak. Our current PR Rep is also a BKHA member in addition to staring in a short film that was done on the Batfish. He is full of Ideas. I know all of the hard work that our current volunteers (including Mark Allen, Ed Williams and Vaughn and Mary Newkir) have gone a long way to fix her up and get us recognized. We all have to remember that we are a part of a team. We may not see what everyone is doing, but take heart that everyone is doing what they can.
I CAN NOT SAY IT ENOUGH, THE VOLUNTEERS MAKE THIS PLACE RUN!
I know that there are some hurt feelings out there because of the choices that I must make at the Batfish. I sincerly regret that, but we must remember that the Batfish is a museum and a memorial. We must make money to keep this memorial running. When I make less then desirable decision, I do not make them lightly. I stand by the decisions that I have made and can see the benifet that they are making. If anyone has a problem with something occuring at the Batfish, feel free to call me. You all have my work email and phone number. I will be happy to give my personal contact info to any volunteer so they can call me any time day or night.
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Just an update...apparently "guests" were up on the forty and broke the rod between the hand crank and the gear box that will allow the 40 to rotate horizontally.
I'm going to call Vaughn and see if I can get him to come out on the 2nd and fix that...and the gun lock mechanism.
Cross your fingers...
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Broke?
You guys had a visit from Superman? :)
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Just an update...apparently "guests" were up on the forty and broke the rod between the hand crank and the gear box that will allow the 40 to rotate horizontally.
I'm going to call Vaughn and see if I can get him to come out on the 2nd and fix that...and the gun lock mechanism.
Cross your fingers...
Talk with Tim Katzung too as he installed the lock mechanism.
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Unfortunately yes on the damage. We have discussed this issue many times. Tim Katzung has already made a replacement shafte (version 2.0) and is making some fine adjustments. he also made the clame that will be used to secure the 40MM (also geting some last minute adjustments. Given time and patients all will be made well.
Thank you all for your help.
Rick