I just remembered I forgot to post the latest newsletter, so here it is.
Congratulations to Cobia crewmember Charlie Stewart for picking the winning title of our new newsletter! Here is his explanation for new title:
“Came up with the suggestion---"UP SCOPE" either by its self or linked with "COBIA" reason being---The Skipper was always anxious to see what was going on up there and could pass it on to all aboard!!”
Swapping Sea Stories and Chipping Paint!
A dozen sub vets from the Crash Dive Base, Great Lakes Base, and Chicago Base spent two full days working on the boat. They arrived on Sunday, March 3rd and immediately started swapping sea stories. After getting settled on the boat, they enjoyed a nice meal at a nearby restaurant and returned for a submarine movie in the theater, before hitting the racks like they did in the old days. On Monday morning, after a few cups of coffee, they were put to work! One group spent time in the forward torpedo room while another was tasked with cleaning and painting the conning tower.
A few brave guys squeezed behind the 21ft. long torpedoes to chip paint and vacuum. After that they applied a rust converter (rust > primer) to some areas of the deck that had some surface rust. Another volunteer spent two days chipping paint in the forward escape hatch. Having to stand on the ladder the whole time did not make this an easy task! Others cleaned and painted small lockers around the compartment making the whole compartment look cleaner and brighter. All that is left to do is paint the deck behind and under the torpedoes and paint the escape trunk.
The conning tower crew spent the first days chipping paint and the next day painting after they found a space heater to warm the compartment up a bit! There is still a little painting left to do, but it is a huge improvement so far!
Each night, after a hard days work, they enjoyed the hospitality of local restaurants, a submarine movie in the theater, and a comfy rack on the boat. We can’t thank them enough for all the work they did while they were here and enjoyed hearing the many stories they shared! We hope they enjoyed their time here, even though they quickly dubbed the submarine curator, Karen Duvalle, the “COB-ette!”
While the sub vets were here, Tom Aschenbrenner stopped by to test the dive, collision, and battle station alarms.
Finicky Engines
Pat Habel took home the governor on engine #2 to clean and rebuild it. He reinstalled it, but is waiting for warmer weather to test it. He also asked the sub vets to bring up the spare cylinder head from the lower engine room compartment so that he can remove the fuel injector to use as a spare.
Pat and Russ Collins continue to trouble shoot engine #1. They replaced two air star valves and removed the #11 and #13 rocker arms and fuel injectors. The injectors are seized so Pat brought them home to see if he can free them up. Fifteen of the sixteen rockers are seized and just slide on the camshaft instead of rolling. Of the sixteen fuel injectors, nine are compressed and not working. The engine runs, but there is a hard spot (gets “stuck”) in one area and they are still trying to figure out why.
Russ was also the recipient of this year’s “Cobia Service Award” for his continued efforts with the engines and for collecting the funds and donating the new fuel filters. Congratulations Russ!
Extreme Deck Swabbing
Navy reservists from the Naval Operational Support Command in Green Bay are hoping to lend a hand during their drill weekend once a month. They were here March 24th to start working on cleaning up the deck plates in the engine rooms. Only a few plates can be removed at a time, since plywood has to be laid in place for the tours. The plates are then brought up to the museum where they are wire wheeled and polished to look almost new! If all goes well, the plan is to clean the plates in both engine rooms, the conning tower, and the maneuvering room.
Let there be light!
Tim Abendroth installed the rope lighting behind the stairs leading down to the forward torpedo room and Chris Bandler ran power to and installed an exterior outlet for the rope light and pumps. He also replaced a broken outlet cover near the HVAC unit. The plan is to install new pumps that will remain plugged in and continue to work as needed to keep the waterways drier. Chris also installed the wiring to the refrigerator. He just needs to connect it to both ends yet.
Tim is still working on stenciling cans for the galley and refrigerator. Some are already in place in the galley.
Odds ‘n Ends
Volunteer Jim Smith is working on a few smaller projects. He is cutting new plexi circles to replace the warped covers on some of the equipment in the conning tower. He will also be creating a bracket to hold a radar handle in place in the conning tower. Apparently the handle makes a great hand-hold for people climbing in and out of the compartment, but this bracket will keep them from moving the radar around by accident. Jim also plans to paint the .50 cal gun that was removed two years ago.
