new things at the Batfish...

[Lance Dean]

Where had that bell been all these years anyway?

[Jim]

Anything new on BATFISH?  This thread is 18 months old?

[Mark Sarsfield]

Check your email.  We'll keep you busy and you'll get to post all sorts of new stuff on here.   

[Jim]

Anything I do will get a guaranteed field report afterwards - with pictures.  I like this board and if nothing else it may help other boats, and they us, with keeping these boats from becoming reefs.  Now I need to figure a way to draw traffic here like there is with the warbirdexchange site.   

[Mark Sarsfield]

You'll notice that quite a number of boat sub-forums have very few posts and the posts that are on there are very old.  That's because Lance (the web host) tried to get all of these museums involved on this board multiple times, but some of the museums just aren't interested.  In some cases, the boats are run by an over-arching museum organization, like the Carnegie Science Center has the Requin in Pgh, PA.  We're probably too "low brow" for some hoity toity museum director to associate with us.  So, we get ignored. 

As a side story, I visited the Requin one time and I got into an argument with the docent about the boat having a bridge.  He didn't think that subs had bridges and there was no way of talking him out of it.  Obviously, he wasn't a sub vet.  He was just a hired docent "following the party line".  He probably had a memorized script that he was following.  I've met my share of idiot museum directors.  So, I wouldn't be surprised that they had incorrect information written into the boat's tour sheets due to ignorance.  The sub was kind of a side attraction at the museum, anyway.  I sort of felt like the science center really didn't deserve to have her.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents on the subject.  Any museum is welcome at any time to post on here, unless their higher-ups choose not to post on here or they keep their people from posting on here.

[Jim]

May be true and Rick is an exception.  The sergeants and the chiefs run the military.  This board has details that they would know and the how-to's to do it.  Tom is an excellent example - don't talk, DO.  There seem to be a few active members on this board from other Boats.  The hands-on guys post, the old hands just argue.  The warbird community is the same.  TOO much politics.  Confederate airforce switched to commemorative airforce and that was the end for me.  i just work on the planes that are local but I may have found a new "toy" with the MWM Park.  We need to tell Rick that on Monday's when the park is closed he has to read all the board info...

[Darrin]

Rick used to read this bbs alot as did a lot of other museum boats and a lot participated for a while and then over time the posts got fewer and fewer and finally stopped.

Other museum's like the Torsk have their Volunteers do 95 percent of the work and the volunteers don't own the title to the boat, Baltimore Maritime Museum/Constallation does and the Living Classrooms Foundation has first dibs on the boat and not the volunteers.. Not to mention they have the Aquarium towering over them and it is very political for the Torsk Volunteers and how they can do things and when and why they get to do them.

It takes people willing to learn and ask questions to keep this bbs open and to keep our museum submarines as origional as possible for as long as they possibly can be, sadly we all can't be Paul Farace and have the show piece COD (which is an incredible thing to see)

Darrin

[Jim]

it is very political for the Torsk Volunteers and how they can do things and when and why they get to do them.

This is a shame.  Who do you have to ask to do work on the boat?  Is it easier to use the permission/forgiveness rules?

[Rick]

I appologize for failure to post in the past.  For me personally, I am raising 3 kids on my own, one just went into the military (another list of things to due) am remodeling a house, and going to school.  Needless to say I have been a little busy.   For Jim.  I have worked hard to take the politics out of it for the volunteers.  This museum cannot function with out you.   I am the political leason and that is, in part, why I ask that everyone coordinates through me before anything get moving.  The board, city, among many other people would not be happy with several contractors knocking on their door asking for large sums of money.  I am thankfull for you taking an interest as we have not had that for about a year now.  Keep in touch, and lets see how much closer we can get to making this thing something to respect.

Rick

[Jim]

IT'S SOMETHING TO RESPECT ALREADY. Now let's make it shine!  What monies do other boats get from the vets/navy/state/fed for help?  They need WAY more than we do just for dry docking work.  If we could get the money they use for 1 dry dock, we could finish 85% of the wish list.  I mean ALL of the wish list.   

[Darrin]

(((PING))) Is there anyone at the Helm or has the crew just walked off and given up on posting on here?