Telephone Switchboard

[Mark Sarsfield]

Among my many requests, I have another.  I would like some pictures of a what the telephone switchboard looks like in the control room.  After reading through the desciption in the Fleet Type Submarine manual, Paragraph 16H3, I'm not sure if I have ever seen this animal. It may be one of the items that has gone missing over the years.  Sound-powered telephones are pretty useless without this switchboard.  Thanks.

[Tom Bowser]

Is this what you are looking for?
Tom bowser

[Mark Sarsfield]

That be it, me matey.  Aaargh!  Someone stole our switch board.   So much for sound-powered phones.

What about the sockets on the boat that have just a single hole in them and are covered with small screw caps? (Not to be confused with some of the sockets that have the electrical phone plugs). 

[Paul Farace]

Those are for the talker headsets.

The DRUM phone panel is marked "3-in. gun"   waaaay cool. That really dates the panel to orginal construction.

PF

[Mark Sarsfield]

So, how do the talker headsets differ functionally compared to the sound-powered telephones?  The sound-powered telephones convert noise to electrical energy and back again on the receiver end.  The talker headsets look like they striclty rely on sound waves - like talking through two tin cans on a string.  Is this a correct analogy?  I think Batfish has some of those, still.  They have a weird nipple on the end.

[Tom Bowser]

I am not exactly sure on this because I am a machinist mate but I believe the switch board just provided power for the station sector and bell. The heads sets didn't go thru the switch board. I may be wrong on all the above.
Tom Bowser

[Mark Sarsfield]

The manual reads that certain rooms could be turned on and off with the switch board and also you could patch rooms together using the plugs on the switch board.  So, I inferred that the switch board was needed for any telephone communications.  The Batfish is missing all of it, but we do have the headsets for damage control.

[Rick]

I have a couple of more handsets floating around the Batfish museum.  I have been saving them for the boat.

Rick

[Mark Sarsfield]

They will be eye candy, since the telephone system has been all but removed.

[Rick]

still a useful tool as the public think they used the hand sets to call home.   

Literally

[Mark Sarsfield]

The ignorance will always be present.  We can only hope that they know a little more when they leave than when they first showed up.

I always laugh to myself when I'm working in the con and I hear people trying to guess at what they're looking at in "officer country" on the boat.  They sound so sure of themselves. I always have to restrain myself from shouting down the hall to correct them.  Sometimes it provides some quality entertainment.

[Rick]

Remember one of our goals is to educate.   I want people to leave with a little more of an idea of what our solders and sailor went through during the time of war.  Do not hesitate to try and strick conversation with the visitors and to educate them.  Do not push the issue though.   I always try to assess the knowledge of the person that I am talking to and aproach it accordingly.  Obviously a retired seam man will know more then a washed out airman, but that just becomes an opertunity to learn....

Rick

[Mark Sarsfield]

Once they come into the con I always say "hi" and tell them to feel free to ask any questions.  Some people take me up on the offer.  Many just say "thanks" and look around.