Author Topic: Christmas Tree?  (Read 19188 times)

Offline Lance Dean

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Christmas Tree?
« on: March 16, 2008, 10:36:59 PM »
Tom or anyone else who knows:

How is the Christmas Tree project coming?  Were all of the green/red lenses missing?  Who and how are the new lenses being made?

Can't wait to see it all lit up green and red!

Offline Tom Bowser

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Re: Christmas Tree?
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2008, 06:34:47 AM »
Lance
The large panal has been completed and it is the one missing almost all of the colored lenses. I am looking for a source of colored plastic to make new lenses but may have to resort to putting a stip of plastic in side the panal. The original holders are very light and flimsy and makes it real easy for visitors to grab a souvinior. I have ben making new holders out of thicker metal and that helps.
We are working on the other panal.
Tom Bowser

Offline Lance Dean

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Re: Christmas Tree?
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2008, 08:41:12 AM »
Might a piece of plexiglass be placed over the Christmas Tree once it gets completed to keep souvenir hunters at bay?  hehe

There must be an "easy" way of re-creating the lenses.  Hmm...I'm no engineer though.

Offline Lance Dean

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Re: Christmas Tree?
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2008, 10:10:44 AM »
Oh, are there any chances at getting any parts off of the USS Trout?  For all I know it may be too late for that anyway.

Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Christmas Tree?
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2008, 11:12:03 AM »
Trout is a Tang-class boat commissioned in '52.  I'm not sure if she would have the same Christams tree.  I'd like to look around inside just to see what the improvements were on a 1950's boat vs. a fleet boat.

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Mark Sarsfield
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"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline Tom Bowser

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Re: Christmas Tree?
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2008, 07:34:42 PM »
The Trout is already gone to be used as a target if it hasn't been already and I believe it had circles and bars.
Tom Bowser

Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Christmas Tree?
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2008, 08:58:17 AM »
Really?  Okay.  Last status that I knew of she was still waiting to be scrapped.

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Mark Sarsfield
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"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline Gil Bohannon

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Re: Christmas Tree?
« Reply #7 on: March 18, 2008, 05:17:08 PM »
Trout is still in Philly awaiting a scrap contract as of a week or so ago. The original contract that had her going to Texas fell through and she is once again up for scrap bidding. Unfortunately, we were told that she is off limits for parts removal because of the hold for scrap bidding.

I would have to go back and look at my pix from when we were aboard last summer for the open house for parts removal to be sure, but I am almost 100% positive she has the circles and bars on her Christmas Tree.

She's definately an interesting boat - quite a bit different than a fleet boat inside! It's a shame she is going to the scrappers. I wish some group had c come up with the plan and funds to save her.

Gil

Offline Lance Dean

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Re: Christmas Tree?
« Reply #8 on: March 18, 2008, 05:23:24 PM »
Too bad the Navy doesn't give them away and too bad they can't just be "trucked" down an interstate.  :)

Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Christmas Tree?
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2008, 10:46:14 AM »
The only way the Government gives anything is if they took it from someone else, first.  Museum boats don't fall under any entitlement programs, so they want your money so that they can pay for the entitlement programs.

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Mark Sarsfield
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"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline Darrin

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Re: Christmas Tree?
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2008, 07:24:37 PM »
Stole a post from CTWiley (Correy) and he has offered his services for these lights ;)  Any ways here's what I borrowed.

"This is a shameless plug for myself but I might be able to help a couple of other boats other than my own. I know that museums are not all that well funded so I'm offering my services for only the cost of the material and the wear and tear on the tracker.

I just wanted to throw this out there if anyone would like to utilize it. If you have any pieces, parts, or components that you need reverse engineered, I might be able to help. If you've priced it, just laser tracking a piece will cost you roughly $200 /hr but it's well worth it when you can't find another piece to replace the one you're dealing with. I am a certified laser tracker operator and might be able to do the same thing for any of the museum boats for a fraction of a fraction of the price. All files that you get can be read by any machine shop with computer engineering software so you're new parts will end up within .00012" of the original. It's just a thought but as you realize that you need multiple copies of something you only have one of or a copy of something that another museum has, such as those pesky "christmas tree" light covers, just let me know and we'll work something out.

I use New River Kinematics Spatial Analyzer software with a FARO X V2 laser tracker. To look at some of the companies that use this program and the projects that have been done with the SA program and the FARO tracker go to http://www.kinematics.com/ and http://www.faro.com/