Bridge and conning deck pictures

[Jim]

Does any balao boat have any good close up pictures of their bridge area?  Flooring, folding seats, hatches, etc.  Batfish's is completely gone.  I have prints but they are only partly helpful without some working pictures.  Help us out.  Post or send to me.  Thanks.  DBF.   

[Jim]

No one has any pics of their Balao bridges?  

[Darrin]

jim,

I looked online and didn't find any pictures of what you were asking for, HOWEVER I do know a number of people whom served on the Balao's and Tench boats and IF you post what diagrams you have I am sure that we can fill in the blanks as needed for you.

Darrin

[emeacho]

Want some of a Tench class boat?

[Jim]

Anything would help to start.  Our bridge floor right now is the top of the pressure hull and hatch door!   

[Karen D.]

Cobia is a Gato but I can check our archives to see if there are any close up shots of the Balaos built in Manitowoc. Sometimes there are some random cool photos other than the usual launch and commissioning photos.
Karen

[Jim]

HELP.  Went to the Bat today and this is our bridge.  Very sad....  It is a stitched three image collage.

it should look like the second pic(ish)

[Darrin]

Uh Jim,

The Batfish Bridge picture shows that it appears that you have most if not all of the main pieces to the bridge and it appears that you need to clean and paint the superstructure and then put down a new deck. The teak on the left appears that it may be the CO's chair that folds up and the handle on the Starboard side connected to the pipe is the air horn (lot of fun with 100 PSI running through it) It also appears that your TBT stand isnt in bad shape (Torsk's is in bad shape and is on a true stand with base mounted to the deck and not to the superstructure)

Keep your chin up

Darrin

[Jim]

The pic doersn't show but the bridge "desktop" is torch cut through from front to half way down the vertical front of the sail.  Who knows why. The pieces of teak are what is left of an old access cover from the main decfk.  There is NO floor.  The welded angle supports are also welded ON TOP of were they should be so the bridge floor would be about 3.5 inches too high and not match the rear 40mm deck area.  The original wood support is all rusted away or cut off.  The fold down seats have part of a bracket each.  The fold down platforms for the seats and the vertical and support rails to come up through the hatch are all gone.  Rust never sleeps and when ignored I think it accelerates.

[Darrin]

Jim,

When you get a chance can you take as many pictures of the bridge area and post them all and not try to make them into a collage, this is for two reasons. 1. it will give everyone a chance to look at what was done to their boats and see what is different between their boat and the Batfish and will allow them to post pictures of intrest for you to duplicate if possible and 2. It will give you a good before and after display when the project is done.

The Torsk's cigarette decks were cut off in the 50's and her step sail was installed, HOWEVER most of her bridge area to include around the periscope shears is still there so they maybe able to help with pictures and I am sure that Paul Farace and the COD can come up with some nice pictures becuase if I remember correctly his bridge area is all intact. I haven't been on the Pampanito's Bridge or the Bowfin's whom also are supposed to be intact and I was on the Conning Tower displays in Pearl Harbor and the one in San Diego in the '90s and they were all still together, granted that was 20 something years ago and without permission

A needle gun will be your best friend and your worst enemy at this point and you will need a large air compressor or getting your air banks back online to take up the slack for a small air compressor.. If I remember correcly there is a local reserve military base close by and see if they would like to donate their time chipping and painting. IF it is an Army Reserve Unit the soldiers can recieve a Volunteer Service Medal for volunteer work over 100 Documented hours and that is promotion points for the enlisted soldiers not to mention the pride that they get (or at least the pride that I got while volunteering) restoring something for future generations.

When you have the upper bridge hatch open the next time and you think about it take a green scrub pad and a small bucket of soapy water and clean the hatch seal and the seating surface on the hatch, it may not leak now but clean it and the seating surface so you don't have the leaks in the near future.

Darrin

[Jim]

I took so many pics yesterday that it killed a full battery on the i-phone.  I  just meshed those to get a full bridge picture.  A fish eye lens on a camera would be better but, i used what I had.  Ling, Lionfish, Bowfin and pamp all have bridge areas that would be similar.  None have responded so far.

I think for the bridge rebuild I am going to blast it and refinish with automotive grade self-etching primer/sealer.  Top coat with the correct paint id number, but in the bridge area, automotive also.  it will last much longer, has much better UV inhibitors and will remain an excellent base for future as-needed coats.

[pekelney]

There are bridge detail drawings for a Portsmouth boat at:

http://maritime.org/tech/drawings
http://maritime.org/tech/drawings/bridge-arrgt_ss308-s2406-68620alt1_5400-08-0129.jpg
http://maritime.org/tech/drawings/conning-tower-fairwater-bridge-elevation-plan_basic544732_5400-07-0096.jpg
http://maritime.org/tech/drawings/conning-tower-seats-platforms_ss393-s2401-68694alt1_5400-11-0314.jpg
http://maritime.org/tech/drawings/wooddeck-conning-tower_basic544750altii_5400-07-0107.jpg

[Darrin]

I would look into using a pre-manufactured plastic wood for that area, it is relatively cheap and once down requires no maintenance other than washing it down when it gets dirty..

Just my .02 worth

Darrin

[Jim]

We have plenty of correct decking material and I have the excellent prints from the Pamp guys.  There is no structure left to attach anything to.  The angle sshown are after thought parts and all wrong.  I really need some good pictures of that area from the Pamp or Ling or Lionfish.  Especially around the hatch.

[drew]

Here are some pics from the Lionfish.

I think that the wood has been replaced within the last four years, so I don't know how authentic it is.
Only the very front is wood, the rest is diamond plate doesn't have any holes. One of the guys thinks any diamond plate was replacement material.

Drew