Drum progress

[Mark Sarsfield]

I think our outer doors are hydraulic, but the shutter doors are probably mechanical.  I'm guessing at that, though.

[Darrin]

The Muzzle door is hydraulicly operated (and can be manually operated) and the shutter doors operate by using linkage attached to the Muzzle door.

Here is da link from the fleet submarine manual... Now had we only finished the tubes block on the School of the boat

http://www.hnsa.org/doc/fleetsub/tubes/chap3.htm#3D

I hope that this helps you out

Darrin

[Tom Bowser]

Instead of restoring the whole hydraulic system how about isolated the part needed operated (muzzle doors) and hook up a small inexpensive hydraulic pump to just that one thing. Having most of the stuff still manual does make it easy at times.
Tom

[Mark Sarsfield]

That is a good option.  There is plenty of space in the FTR to hide a hydraulic pump. ATR would require some creativity.  Maybe put it in one of the forward closets and run the line behind the lower wall lockers.

[Tom Bowser]

Under the deck just fwd of the tubes.
Tom

[Mark Sarsfield]

I don't think we have any deck panels in our ATR. I think it's a solid floor.

[Tom Bowser]

Should have them between the tubes and just forward of the tubes. I may be wrong though the Batfish is newer and may be different.
Tom

[Tom Bowser]

Ok guys, here is a photo of the lady with primer on her rear (stern that is), I am talking about the Drum of course. We hope to finish sand blasting the stbd side this comeing week and will move to the port side. The batle of the rust continues.
Tom

[Mark Sarsfield]

Nice work, Tom.  One of these days we'll get Batfish in the same direction.  At least the deck is coming along.

[Tom Bowser]

I hadn't realized it has been a month since last update. We have completed sand blasting strd except  for the bottom and have started on the port. We are out of man lift time, out of sand and out of money so we are back to being metal workers and are working on the bow. We took off the #6 shutter door to get into the bow and as you can see it is full of mud, sand and clay and of course rust. I spent a whole day in the chain lockers on a bosun's chair I made, knocking rust off with a sledge hammer and most of the walls of the chain lockers also. It is going to be a real challange to rebuild the bow.
Tom

[Tom Bowser]

We have about finished cleaning out the bow and have started replacing the hull skin with 1/4" plate, it is a slow process due to having to find solid enough steel to attach to. We have to do it in small sections to get the curves right and maintain some strength. The indented areas at the forward end of the tube doors are really fun.
Tom

[Tom Bowser]

We are making progress on the bow. We will have to replace almost all of the hull on the starboard side bottom six feet and all of the structure inside for the bottom 10 feet, it is about gone. On the area forward of the tube doors we are having to use small pieces of 1/4" plate to be able to shape it with the multiple bends reguired. We are trying to return it to as original as possible. We are also having to do the sides in small sections to retain some strength. It is amazing how strong some of the rusted metal is.
Tom

[Mark Sarsfield]

God bless you guys.  You really have your work cut out for you.

[Tom Bowser]

We are making slow but steady progress. It has turned cold now so I don't  know how much longer we will work outside. Last weekend we had another movie on board, it is just a short film for film festivals and we only had to work two nights. The neat part of this one is they portrayed the Drum as the German u-boat carry uranium to Japan, the boat the USS Seaviper was after.

We are getting more creative in metal bending, we run over pieces with the fork lift to get initial bends in it.
Tom

[Mark Sarsfield]

"...we run over pieces with the fork lift to get initial bends in it"

That's the creative juices of a submariner at work.