Rick - wish list

[Jim]

Here's the deck ladder, 5" Deck gun and the extended Bofors deck.  SS-298 Lionfish has them. We need to find their as-builts.   Also notice the deckiing change to accomodate the gun swing:)

Borrowed the photos from the subsim site.

[Darrin]

Blackwing,

IF my memory serves me correctly every "cigarette deck" was designed and built just a little bit differently which means that every ladder was different especially between the shipyards Electric Boat (EB) and Portsmouth Naval.. I would recommend that you go through the Batfish's archives and builders plans to see what she truly had onboard and NOT try to replicate someone else's

Just my.02 worth

Darrin

[Jim]

Thanks Darrin, but from what I have been told Batfish did not have stairs.  They are being considered as an "upgrade" at this point to allow people to be able to safety navigate to and from the deck there.  This refers back to my preservation, restoration, interpretation comment.  The stairs would be period correct for Balao's but not necessarily correct for Batfish.  As an educational tool, these stairs would help with its "new mission".

[Tom Bowser]

The ladder to the cigerette deck on the Drum was installed at Hunters point in July 1945, there was also a ladder going up to the top of the conestoga deck. I had always thought the park put it up but found an old photo from the shipyard overhaul.
Tom

[Jim]

Your right Tom, here's a pic of that.

[Darrin]

Another point to look at in regards to adding stairs to the cigarette deck, has anyone looked at the museum's insurance to see if they are willing to accept another liability because IF you open up the bridge area using stairs you will have to take care of trip hazards and the fact that you will have kids (both little and grown) swinging on everything that they can and climbing higher than they are supposed to do and in this day and age everyone is willing to get a ambulance chasing lawyer and sue your pants off because they were being stupid and you didn't stop them or keep them from hurting themselves

While it is great to see what the crews saw while underway on the surface, there is a lot of things that they can damage in the bridge that will effect the interior of the boat... i.e. power, lighting, bridge access hatch to the Conning Tower and IF they get the upper hatch open I am sure that someone will try to get into the conning tower and try to look at the periscopes and that leaves another can of worms to be opened.

Again folks this is just my .02 cents worth

Darrin

[Mark Sarsfield]

Darrin,

  We have caught more visitors than I can count climbing up onto the bridge the dangerous way (using the fence around the deck and holes in the superstructure as footholds).  You'd think that they were at a rock climbing facility.

  The scopes are wrecked (they need to be overhauled by the original equipment manufacturer, like Cavalla had done a few years ago).

  Rick keeps the bridge hatch chained and locked from the inside.  So, there's no way for them to get in at that location.

  The few artifacts left on the forward bridge, like the TBT, are practically scrap metal due to lack of maintenance.

[Darrin]

Mark,

Understand all and I wasn't sure how bad your superstructure was and how secure it is and yes I do know that tourista's climb on everything and try to remove anything that isn't welded or chained down.

Darrin

[Mark Sarsfield]

It's a subject that has been debated many times over the years.  I just wanted to weld the footholds back in place and I think that is when Rick considered the ladder idea.

[Jim]

Mark, maybe we do both.  Restoration and interpretation.   

[Mark Sarsfield]

The only downside to adding the footholds is that the lower ones will become shin and knee knockers.  There isn't a whole lot of room to get buy the bridge... especially with large equipment.  When Rick first proposed the ladder idea, I opposed it from a purist stand-point, but it makes more and more sense.

[Jim]

We could omit the lower ones which would then direct the "climbers" to the stairs.  Or replace them all and I can make some black plastic "deflects" for less bruising.  Where is Rick on this?

[Mark Sarsfield]

I think he prefers to hold off on footholds until a ladder is installed and we won't install a ladder until the bridge decking is replaced.

[Jim]

I have almost all of the original major plans from the main deck up through the scopes.  Rich Pekelney has been a tremendous help as the two boats are almost identical externally. I will be spending the day this Sunday at the BAT going through archives and plans with Rick to see what's what.

[Mark Sarsfield]

Jim, sounds good.