Author Topic: Nice find there Rick! (Read 44124 times)

Lance Dean · « **on:** August 09, 2009, 03:10:33 PM »

http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/local/local_story_220225752.html

Mark Sarsfield · « **Reply #1 on:** August 09, 2009, 04:09:06 PM »

Yeah, the BLHA was happy to be part of the discovery. It was cool handling items that old and in such great condition - with a few exceptions. We don't think that any of it had been touched since it was decommissioned for the 2nd time in the late 50's. We have found a lot of preserved items/spare parts on the boat dated from the 50's.

Rick · « **Reply #2 on:** August 11, 2009, 12:03:13 PM »

All credit goes to the BLHA Buys. They found them. I was busy playing politition.

Good times.

Shipwreck · « **Reply #3 on:** August 14, 2009, 01:43:32 AM »

OK - I am geting in on this topic very late. Also - sorry I haven't been around in awhile. Been a tough year.

SO - We need help identifying some of our finds and I hope you might help us. Here is a photo taken by our 1945 Life Magazine War Correspondent [Re-Enactor] Monte Wilson of www.wilsonartmedia.com. I need to identify the long four pronged piece in the photo. We are assuming it is used in loading torpedos (makes sense as we found it in a torpedo tube). But the four prongs would not have fit the curent torps we have onboard, including the cutie. Can you help idnetify it and how it would be used? This is one of two we have onboard. The other is in pristine shape.

Shipwreck · « **Reply #4 on:** August 14, 2009, 01:46:21 AM »

Here is another photo with a mystery piece. It looks real familiar but I just can't put my finger on it. The piece is a diamond shape [very heavy] with a hole on either end. The suggestion was made that it might be used in manually adjusting the dive planes or lowering/raising the anchor. Again, any help would be appreciated. Thanks again to Monte Wilson for the pics.

Shipwreck · « **Reply #5 on:** August 14, 2009, 01:54:34 AM »

And yet another. This image is of two of the same part. One has been exposed and has deteriorated pretty bad through the decades, the other we found in the tube and it is in PRISTINE condition. The protective covering really did a great job. We replaced most of the objects we took out back into the original tube so that they would stay protected. We took only a few to the museum. The Cutie sled was the real knockout. There was a second sled but it had been under all the pieces we discovered in the Starboard tube and had been crushed by their weight throuh the decades. The good thing is that we now have the pieces from which replicas could be made. I would love to find someone to volunteer for that

So - what are these pieces?

Shipwreck · « **Reply #6 on:** August 14, 2009, 01:59:52 AM »

OK - last one for now.

We also noticed a cool find INSIDE the tube doors. If you will note inthe photo below, there is a painting of the Rising Sun Flag image on the inner door. At first we got excited as this painting was only on two of the original doors (tubes 1 and 2 doors being retrofitted in the 50's). Numbers 5 and 6 are below the waterline and the ground level. We were unable to open them as we believe the outer doors may be open preventing the inner from being opened. So we couldn't see their inner doors. Our reason for excitment was the question - what if these were the tubes used in the Three Japanese sub kills? But we found the same painting in all of the Aft tube doors too. Correy Twilley (our BLHA Skipper) believes he has seen paintings like this before but on the outside of the doors and they represented Japanese kills. By the way - the sailor in the image captured by Monte is fellow Re-Enactor, Travis Franklin. He really busted his ass on all of the finds. THANKS TRAVIS!

Comments?

Lance Dean · « **Reply #7 on:** August 14, 2009, 09:39:58 AM »

I've asked for ID help over on Rontini's BBS.

http://messdeck.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=14132

Lance Dean · « **Reply #8 on:** August 14, 2009, 09:43:17 AM »

R.T. Moore said:

"I think the objects in 6054.jpg are the lower swivel brackets for a deck gun barrel support."

Rick · « **Reply #9 on:** August 14, 2009, 11:42:16 AM »

Bradlley thank you for posting these. I just got Monte's email last night and have not had a chance to work with it yet. Again, great job to all my volunteers including the BLHA guys.

Rick

Tom Bowser · « **Reply #10 on:** August 14, 2009, 05:56:48 PM »

I believe the four prongred pusher was for the MK 18. we have two and test fitted one on an 18 at the Cavalla a couple of years ago. Your outer doors are most likely colsed, check the interlock levers. I imagine the sight glasses are dirty so you probably won't be able to tell if the tube is flooded, they are really hard to tell if tube is full. Our #5 tube was full and we couldn't tell. We found neat things in our tubes also, including the tube creeper which Lesley restored. Ours had a head rest on it. Have fun.
Tom

Darrin · « **Reply #11 on:** August 14, 2009, 06:08:00 PM »

Okay folks I can ID a couple of these pieces, thank god for HNSA and being on the Torsk for a while....
In the pic LaidOut6084. the first piece is of the Warhead cover for on/off loading, to the right at the base of that is a tube roller (which can be used as a lower mine table roller if needed) the long 4 pronged device is a home made after body attachment to load the weapons into the tubes. The flat pieces with threading on them may be apart of the tube drain mechanism. The busted up wooden cart is a tube dolly or cart or even called a creeper (TM's used it when cleaning the tubes) there are also pics of your weapons lashing straps now these have been kept in cosmoline packaging which tells me that they were never used and were in bench stock when the boat was decommed, the cool thing about a class of boats is that their torpedo lashing straps tend to be unique to that class and never change from the day she was built until the day she was decommed.
On Torsk our tube creeper has been on display in the tube since at least '01 with the tube cleaned and lit up so that the tourist's can see what normally only the TM's or Weapons Dept got to see.

Correy can you please send me detailed pics w/dimentions of the after body attachment so we can make one or two for the Torsk

Darrin

Darrin · « **Reply #12 on:** August 14, 2009, 06:13:27 PM »

Please remember before trying to break the interlocks on your tubes make SURE that you open the vent valves and the drain valves for those tubes so that IF there is any water it can be properly drained before opening your tubes and if you are putting your finds back into the tubes PLEASE add dessicant into the tubes so they can take some if not all of the condensation out of the tubes if the vents are shut (recommended) and the drain/flood valves are kept shut.

Tom Bowser · « **Reply #13 on:** August 14, 2009, 08:36:53 PM »

No need to break the interlocks, just get all valves and levers in the right position. Venting and draining the tubes takes all the fun out of it. We cracked the inner door and it started driping, then flew open and dumped a full tube of water. We went to get a sump pump and when we came back the water was all gone. found out the hatch to wrt leaked and it all drained where it was supposed to go any how. we had a good laugh.
Tom

Shipwreck · « **Reply #14 on:** August 14, 2009, 11:10:00 PM »

So we need to clean the tubes. never done it before. what/how would you reccomend it and we need to pull rollers from at least one but the rollers further in are encased in original grease and they are very difficult to pull out. the tube walls are pretty nasty looking and are showing a lot of greening/corrosion.

THANKS for the IDs on the mysterious pieces too!!

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