Dive Planes

[Jim]

When did that happen?  I was on board and they said (and it felt) to port (left). ??  Is there not a bubble clinometer on board?  That's it.  I am taking a 6' level and a laser level with me and see what the list is once and for all.

[Mark Sarsfield]

Whomever said that it lists to port is dead wrong.  After being on her since Dec. 2007 I can accurately say that she lists to starboard.  There is an inclinometer on the forward periscope housing in the CR that shows the starboard list.  I think what it is is that people get confused which way they are facing when they enter the boat.  The tours go from bow to stern and as you walk through the boat, the listing is to your left, which is really starboard.

[Jim]

If that's true we have a whole other problem!  When we free the stern it may roll more to starboard.  There is a "wrinkle" in the stern that changes with weather and moisture.  The rudder/planes may be holding the Bat from rolling more to starboard.  I guess we'll free it and see. 

[Mark Sarsfield]

Yeah, that's what Rick said.  I also think that she'll roll more to Starboard, but maybe this is the time to really get serious about re-floating her in order to get her upright.  We can't allow the twisting of the aft hull to continue like this and, honestly, allowing her to list detracts from her dignity and visitors' opinions of her and of the park.

A rough calculation of the amount of water needed: assume a 325' foot diameter cylinder and 12' of water... (Pi x 162.5^2 x 12) = 995492 cubic feet of water or 7,446,797 US Gallons of water.  According to a fire fighting website, pumper trucks can pump anywhere from 500 gpm to 2,500 gpm.  Worst case scenario, it would take 248 hours to fill the basin with one pumper running at 500 gpm.  Best case scenario is 50 hours.  Of course, you have a large object in the middle called the Batfish that's in the way (over 1,500 tons displacement on the surface, but that's with a full war load).  Still, I don't see a fire department giving up a pumper truck for even 35 or 40 hours.

Maybe we need to rip open the basin dam with a large excavator and do it like it was done in 1972.

[Jim]

With our current drought conditions I think the river is too low. 

[Mark Sarsfield]

Agreed.  Also, remember that the Army Corps of Engineers was letting out a ton of winter melt over the dams that year and allowed the river to rise significantly enough to allow the Batfish to back into her berth.

So, we're back to the pumping issue.  If we had a donated pumper truck, we could run her for the number of days that it would take to fill the basin considerably.  You wouldn't be able to run 24/7, though, so now you're looking at 20+ days and who knows how much diesel fuel to keep the truck running for that amount of time.  Plus, someone to babysit the truck and monitor the gauges.

EDIT:  Another thing that you'd be fighting is the seepage.  Especially, during the hours that the truck isn't pumping water into the basin.  Each day you'd have to make up for a little water loss.  I wonder if Rick knows how long it took for the basin to drain after the first time she was backed in or even after the two floods.  It probably took longer for the flood waters to lower, since you're at the mercy of the river level.  So, the most realistic data point is the first time.

[Jim]

The flood water would take quite a while since all of the ground would be soaked way past normal saturation.  There is no where else for it to go.  Right now, the ground would be a sponge for some time.

Edit: and no self-respecting fire dept. is going to let river water in their gear.   

[Mark Sarsfield]

I actually do know someone with a vintage pumper truck (I think 60's vintage), but I don't think that he has anywhere near the hose needed to get it to the river.  Plus, you need a filter basket at the end thrown in the river to keep debris from being sucked in.  Supposedly, the pumps are in working order, but not sure if they would handle 20 days of pumping.

[Jim]

Since money is no object.    We should put a liner in the bowl like they do for land fills.  it becomes a pool.  Then we can have all of the dry docking and rust issues.    .  We just don't have the funds.

[Mark Sarsfield]

I wasn't talking about a permanent pool.  Just the ability to right the boat.

It sounds like our best bet is to remove dirt from along the port side(boat-long trench) and allow the boat to right itself - after the stern is dug out.  It may take some time... days or weeks.  Once we like where she's settled, we fill the trench back in.

[Jim]

Sound.  We need to get hold of the guy in Jersey who just won the lottery $$$.  we get him to save the Ling and then come help us out. 

[Mark Sarsfield]

Keep dreaming... and welcome to the shoe-string budget of the Muskogee War Memorial.  Our volunteer slogan should be: "Creative Thinkers Welcome".

[Jim]

it's really a shame.  Almost all the other boats are in big areas where they COULD get funds and support.  Muskogee OK ain't it.  Now if we could get Merle Haggard to sing about the Batfish......and we are off of a PAY turnpike from the largest metro areas that MIGHT get tapped for support.  Well, I like a challenge.   

[Darrin]

a few pictures of the USS Stewart leaning heavily after hurricane IKE, they wound up building a cofferdam around her and refloated her and she had not been waterborne in years and they wound up having to pump out compartments full of water to make it happen.. sadly enough while doing a google search I found out that the Stewart had been vandalized in Feb of this year by 4 punks whom sprayed corrosive fire extinguishers on her decks inside and out..

Here is the size of the new power panel that needed to be installed for the Cavalla to have full power again:

http://www.deepdomain.net/phpBB_cav/viewtopic.php?t=400

here is a good shot of the Stewart, Cavalla and the sail from the USS TAUTOG (a Submarine Squadron 1 boat when I was in Pearl)

http://www.gps2cad.com/images/Afterike.jpg
http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/080919-N-6575H-603.jpg

More to follow

Darrin

[Mark Sarsfield]

Here is the size of the new power panel that needed to be installed for the Cavalla to have full power again:

http://www.deepdomain.net/phpBB_cav/viewtopic.php?t=400

Yep.  35 KVA, which is 35,000 Watts.  That's a big electric bill.