Spring ProjectsA small group of volunteers were up the last Saturday in April to get the boat ready for May and work on small projects. Pat Habel met up with our new volunteer Jud Bly, a sub vet from USS Torsk, and gave him a refresher course and introduced him to the projects he’s been working on. They got the air compressor prepped and running again so that it was ready to go for the engine start in May and they moved the clean fuel oil pump from the aft engine room to the forward engine room. Welcome aboard Jud!
Ron Tackacs and his friend Bud installed missing sound powered phones in the radio room and forward torpedo room and checked the XJA circuits in all the compartments using the new head set. They also worked on the 1MB & 2MB in the control room, conning tower, and maneuvering room. They removed the covers to clean the glass and wipe off the bulbs and then tested them with the maneuvering room and conning tower. They removed the audio bells in both units in the control room to overhaul and replace since they were not working properly.
On Saturday, May 24th we had a gorgeous day for our annual USS Lagarto Remembrance Ceremony on Cobia’s deck. At the end we fired up engine #2 and blew the ship’s whistle. We were also thrilled to see so many submarine veterans in attendance this year. We hope to see more of them around here again!
Summer Progress We had another large work party here June 15-17. About a dozen sub vets, civilians, and one active submariner were here from the Chicago area helping out for a few days. For the most part, the weather cooperated and we were able to work outside this time! A group got to work chipping the paint on the 3 inch deck gun. A group of Navy Reservists from Green Bay started working on it on Sunday and the guys continued the work all day Monday so that they could start painting on Tuesday. The rain held off long enough on Tuesday that they were able to get most of the grey finished. Karen, with some help from a former tour guide, worked on the black and the finishing touches on it another day. In all it took about a dozen people four days to restore the gun and it looks amazing!
Other projects that were completed during the work party include finishing up the paint on the sail, gun deck, and 20mm base and prepping some the rusty areas under the deck in the waterways. The ice last winter wreaked havoc in that area as well. Five Navy Reservists were back again in July and continued work on the tank tops. We’ve got a good start on the area and hopefully we’ll be able to finish it before winter!
Greg Miller is determined to repair the gear box for the bow planes. After some work, the volunteers were able to lower the panes a few years ago, but there was a problem with the gear box overheating. We had deemed it a lower priority and let it be for awhile, but Greg, his grandson Blake, who is an active submariner, and Pat Habel took a better look at the gear box back in June. They are continuing to research the gear box to determine the root cause of the problem. We’ll keep you informed of their progress! Thanks guys and good luck!
Volunteer RecognitionWe recently learned about the Presidential Volunteer Service Award and were able to apply it to our museum volunteers who met the criteria in a one year time frame. Two of our Cobia volunteers were eligible for this award this year. Pat Habel received a bronze award with 209.5 hours and Tom Aschenbrenner received a gold award with 525 hours! Ron Tackacs was also the recipient of the 2013 Cobia Volunteer of the Year award for all the work he’s done on the sound powered phones and various bells and lights through out the boat. Thanks for all your hard work, guys!
We’d also like to make an honorable mention of our new volunteer Sub Vet Tom Pieper. He’s been hanging out a few days a week this summer talking to our visitors while on the sub tours. Both the visitors and tour guides have enjoyed having him aboard! Welcome aboard, Tom!
