Thanks for providing this very important safety information Rich!
The issue of firing guns is important. Our museum/memorial subs will never likely fire a torpedo on a regular basis (I will never say never with Pampanito around!)... but regular firing of Cod's deck gun has paid off in greatly enhanced public appreciation and media attention. That said, we only fire our gun because we have created what we think is as bullet-proof a gas system as can be designed by a former NASA rocket scientist (Dr. John Fakan) and others who appreciate a big BANG and safety. Our acetylene/oxygen system uses a piezoelectric firing key and it's "output" is as close as you will get from a 5-inch wet mount, according to a former Navy 5-inch gunnersmate. Bring the boat's punch to life is vital to allowing her to tell her story!
Playing with black powder is dangerous if you're not completely anal in your "housekeeping" ... soot and debris buildup and can cause a major problem. Not so with gas. True powder allows you to seemingly fire an exposed gun more accurately... guns in a turret are a different story. But the bang from powder is not the same as the bang from gas... and my expert says the gas bang is more like the real thing than black powder. I'd love to compare the three if the Navy were to cooperate!
We are finalizing the production of our operator's manual and will share it for informational purposes if anyone is interested ... when we are done editing it.
