Messenger Buoy Question

[rdutnell]

Greetings All!

As you may know, I am building a 1/144 scale model of Batfish in AutoCAD for 3D printing, and I have a question about the aft messenger buoy.

The attached image shows it the way it is displayed.  My question is, is it raised like it is for display purposes or was it like  this while Batfish was in service?  Or would it have been flush with the surface like the forward buoy is?

Perhaps, I should have  posted this on the Batfish  forum, but I thought that more people would see it here.

[Jim]

WW II would have been flush.  The raised one currently on the Batfish is a post-war upgrade.

[rdutnell]

Thanks Jim!

[Paul Farace]

Prior to 1952 the messenger rescue bouy was a cylinder held vertically in a well on the deck edge aft and in the superstructure forward beside the escape trunk (port on EB subs) ... The forward one would have been flush with the deck and the aft one slightly above the deck because the superstructure standoff aft is much less above the pressure hull. But these were NEVER carried on a war patrol!!! A blank round metal plate would have been welded over the empty sockets in wartime. You didn't want them blown loose by a depth charge and float to the surface to give away your position.. since they were attached to your forward and after torpedo room hatches with a steel cable to allow the McCann rescue bell to follow it down to the boat!!! There are plenty of photos to document this for model builders. The rescue bouys we all have today were installed in 1953 and originally were painted yellow. They were changed to orange in the mid 60s.

[rdutnell]

Thanks Paul!

I really appreciate the information on the messenger rescue buoys.  "Designing" Batfish has really been an eye opening experience.   I had no idea the fleet boats were all so different.  I knew there were differences between the ships, but I never  realized how much difference there was and that no two were the same.  This has made modeling Batfish difficult. especially since I am not a Navy man and my recent tour of Batfish was  the first time I have ever been on a ship.  My model is being based on the plans available on the Pampanito web site and many pictures of Batfish as she is now configured at the museum.  Also, I have spent numerous hours looking at, and downloading pictures from the web.  I have vacillated between making her as she s currently displayed (minus the obvious additions like ladders and the air ducts) and how she was when she sank the 11 Japanese subs for which she is famous.  The biggest problem I have is figuring out when  different changes occurred. Another example is the mast configuration.  Do you happen to know when her masts were changed to the current configuration?  Or how she was configured in February, 1945? I'm hoping the current mast configuration was added before this.

[Jim]

Prior to 1952 the messenger rescue bouy was a cylinder held vertically in a well on the deck edge aft and in the superstructure forward beside the escape trunk (port on EB subs) ... The forward one would have been flush with the deck and the aft one slightly above the deck because the superstructure standoff aft is much less above the pressure hull. But these were NEVER carried on a war patrol!!! A blank round metal plate would have been welded over the empty sockets in wartime. You didn't want them blown loose by a depth charge and float to the surface to give away your position.. since they were attached to your forward and after torpedo room hatches with a steel cable to allow the McCann rescue bell to follow it down to the boat!!! There are plenty of photos to document this for model builders. The rescue bouys we all have today were installed in 1953 and originally were painted yellow. They were changed to orange in the mid 60s.

Your right Paul.  I was short of time when I answered that and looking back, didn't elaborate enough detail to my response. "WWII flush (not installed) current height (after war reinstalled)" 

[Jim]

Thanks Paul!

I really appreciate the information on the messenger rescue buoys.  "Designing" Batfish has really been an eye opening experience.   I had no idea the fleet boats were all so different.  I knew there were differences between the ships, but I never  realized how much difference there was and that no two were the same.  This has made modeling Batfish difficult. especially since I am not a Navy man and my recent tour of Batfish was  the first time I have ever been on a ship.  My model is being based on the plans available on the Pampanito web site and many pictures of Batfish as she is now configured at the museum.  Also, I have spent numerous hours looking at, and downloading pictures from the web.  I have vacillated between making her as she s currently displayed (minus the obvious additions like ladders and the air ducts) and how she was when she sank the 11 Japanese subs for which she is famous.  The biggest problem I have is figuring out when  different changes occurred. Another example is the mast configuration.  Do you happen to know when her masts were changed to the current configuration?  Or how she was configured in February, 1945? I'm hoping the current mast configuration was added before this.

Actually it was three Japanese subs.

[rdutnell]

I'm not sure where the 11 came from.  I guess I should have proof read it before posting it.   
Thanks for keeping me straight