Need two items for the Marlin

[Viejo]

I need an eyepiece for our periscope. I am not sure where to look to find a model number, just know that someone reported it was a standard scope, but had been cut a few feet short in the middle to fit the boat. I do have a design number if that would help. I want to put the eyepiece on before doing anything else in trying to get it to work.
I also need a gasket for the Engine room hatch. I am also not sure if these varied from boat to boat. I know they have all shrunk since I was on a boat, but if someone can tell me what numbers are needed to determine the size of the gasket, I'll find them. I also could just give a diameter if that would help. We have part of the material left, but it is leaking.
Thanks for the help.
Viejo

[Darrin]

Bill,

Epray may have your eyepiece for sale, IF you find a bunch of them buy them because if your tourista's are anything like the ones in Bawlmore you will be replacing them often

And as far as your engine room hatch seal goes that was a shipyard only item if memory serves correct so you maybe out of luck, I may have a contact over at Newport News Shipyard that I can call in a favor (my father in-law) whom at this point in time likes me. The next best thing to do is invest in some tubes silicone gasket maker which are available at any Auto Zone/Advanced Auto/PEP Boys and WalMart, just follow the directions on nice warm day and make sure that it is good and dry before you shut the hatch (think about having a work weekend or a sleep over so you can leave the hatch open for a full 24 or so hours before you shut it )

On Torsk ours also leak and one of our Vol's was able to reset the spring tension on our hatches which took some of our leaks away.

Good luck Bill,

Darrin

[Viejo]

Darrin, thanks for the info. I had thought about making a gasket as do it all the time for engines. Didn't know how the Naval Inspector would go for that. But if you can get one from the shipyard, that would be great also.
I'll look on EBay, assume that is what you meant, and see. I also didn't know if the eyepiece was standard to all regular scopes or if I had to have the exact model number.  John Crouse had mentioned needing a model number and I am trying to find that now.
So thanks for the info and if you happen to find a gasket, let me know.
Bill

[Paul Farace]

About the scope:

Good news:  1. the scope is perfectly usable without the eyepices and rubber blind (you just have to hold your eye at the point of focus). 2. The part you're missing is standard stock, so the USN should be able to find you one out of stock or from a nuke sub being scrapped. 3. You can easily make it "visitor proof" so it stays on the scope.

Bad news:  1. The piece is EXPENSIVE on the open market (rare as hen's teeth). 2. USN submariners like them as souveniers of subs (as told to me by several officers and enlisted types) and are coveted. 3. you actaully need two. The pegs below the round aperture are for mounting a spare or Polaroid sun-sector piece... (good luck with that! We have one in COD's collection and I routinely kill anyone who discovers this closely held secret.  They're that rare!  Now I'll discover Karen has a box full of them at COBIA!!   

I would check with Paul Lapinski, the retired Kollmorgen field rep, about where to look. His contact email:  "Lapinski,  Paul" PJL2@comcast.net.
Chances are he worked on your scope!

 Also the folks in any submarine refit facility should be able to help if you approach them properly (KINGS BAY refit, San Diego, Portsmouth, etc.)...
Good Luck!

[Viejo]

Paul, thanks for the info and I think that Dave Farren talked to Paul L. last fall and he was willing to try and talk us through a check out over the phone. 
Your good news is bad news in a way cause then it does confirm we have problems. I can see light and what looks like the inside of the barrell, but nothing out the top, so was hoping perhaps the eyepiece did some focusing. I am afraid, we'll have to go through and find out what happened to it. Perhaps the top part got moved or something. Come good weather, I'll put up some type of ladder and see what the top of the scope looks like. In the meantime, I'll write to the Navy and see if they can find us one, then as you said, make it theft-proof.
Thanks to all for the help with these items.
Bill

[Tom Bowser]

Bill
It could be your handles are not atttached to the mirror tilt and  magnification gears. Take the handles off and se if you can adjust the mirrors carefully with needle nose pliers, work for us. as for the gasket, I believe a 5/8" square rubber gasket material will work.
Tom

[Viejo]

Tom, I'll look and see what the setup is. I know the handles still turn back and forth, and was thinking something happened, but I'll see. I am sure that HNSA has a handbook on the scope and need to go read that before messing with it. This retired K-M guy will talk us through things over the phone, but want to at least know the terms he is talking about first. I am hoping that in the new base, some guy who has worked on these will join. Can't even remember who used to work on the scopes other than the aux man doing the hydraulics.
Thanks for the help.
Bill

[Viejo]

Update on the periscope. We have two guys from central Iowa who worked on periscopes, coming over soon. Hopefully it  will be something they can adjust or fix with the periscope in place. 
We found a missing dog on the hatch and are making a replacement. Also we adjusted the hatch and now it closes without any light showing, so hopefully that is fixed. I also got the ok to fix up any of the navy vehiciles on site for us to use. We have a big fork lift, a boom or crane vehickle, some jeeps, an ambulance and some other trucks. So maybe we'll be able to use the forkllift and crane to help with the painting on the Hazard and some patching of hte sail on the Marlin.
Last weekend we had guys from Stratcom out working, headed by Vice Admiral Carl Mauney. Wasn't sure whether to hand him a broom or salute, but he took the broom. LOL The cleaned out the Gazebo, took up the old carpet and scraped the clue, then painted the floor. Eventually the city will remodel the building and put new carpet down, bur for now, we can get our gift items in and start making a little money to have some to spend on things.
Oh, up on the facebook page for Freedom Park is all the pages in the TAB for the Marlin. This will help a lot as we start tracing and working with the electrical systems on board. I also am playing around with the best way to get good shots of the blueprints we have.
Rich P. suggests looking for a scanner of the 11 x 17 or 12 x 18 inch size to copy all of these documents and books we have for the two ships.
So things are progressing.  I keep reading posts here of what you guys are doing and realize how far we stilll have to go.
Thanks for all the informative posts.
Viejo

[Paul Farace]

Remember, some very old (dead) chinese guy once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!"  And you guys have already taken many steps, you're wearing cool tennis shoes with those Gellin insole inserts, and you know the course... so you're well on the way!   

[Viejo]

Paul, thanks for the kinds words. Afraid I wear as I have for a long time, Nocona Boots. But I do have some tennis shoes for when I need more traction. Walking around a sub is sometimes a little harder to do than staying on my horse. LOL

[Karen D.]

Hey Paul...SSSSSHHHHHHHH! That's a secret...   (I'll bring you a couple next weekend )

[Paul Farace]

Can't wait!  I will be Martha Stewarting our new "Dive Locker" office on the pier next to COD for the group!   

[Viejo]

well, we have to take the scope out. Seems some teenager sniffed all the nitrogen from it. LOL  So I have the City architect talking to his contractors to see if they don't want to donate the use one of their cranes to lit it out and then back in. Have an officer from Stratcom talking to buddies in the National Guard who might be able to transport it for us and Tank Sherman is talking to the Kollmorgen guy to help us with getting it out so that Kollmorgen can get it fixed and put on the missing eyepiece. More on all that as I find out more.
In the last two weekends, we got the A-7 painted and got three vehicles sitting in the maintenance shed running. We are looking for a ram that is missing from the boom on the crane truck and some tires for the forklift so we can use these two vehicles to work with in the park. We'll keep working on all the vehicles to get them all running. We have about 10 of them scattered around the park.
Next month, the Captains' gig and the Skyhawk plane from the Enterprise gets painted by another Eagle Scout volunteer group.
I would also like to find a source and maybe from a future strip ship ( have a volunteer who wants to go to one) of some regulation Navy Wall clocks and then the old WWII period electrical on off switches. Some of ours don't work.
And just to keep things interesting, we have the inspection on the USS Marlin coming up next month. We won't have everything done from the last list, but have plans in place for all items and it looks a lot better than it did the last time the inspector was here.
We also are setting up the gift shop with three new cases in it and have water and restrooms going finally.
Oh and just as importance, we soon will be open each weekend and have been averaging a couple of days during the week when we gave a tour.  Just need a lot more volunteers.
Viejo

[Darrin]

Bill,

For the strip ships you are down to Susin Bay in California or the Philidelphia Naval Yard for just about anything remotely connected to the WWII vintage ships, the James Reserve Fleet does not have any WWII ships that have not been updated through out the years. I do know that Philly only has a strip ship 2 times a year and that one was held 2 weeks ago, I have no clue about Susien Bay.... www.marad.com used to have a good link to the ships currently housed in their fleets (I have not been there in a few years though so it may have changed).  BTW I don't think that you will find any wall clocks, I have been on roughly 20 strip ships here in JRRF and we don't have any here at all.

Now for the military vehicles.... See if there is a local MVPA (Military Vehicles Preservation Association) in your area, they tend to know EVERYONE whom has military vehicles and are more then willing to help bring old military vehicles back to life once more. The MVPA is a nationwide organization and they tend to help out with those in need if they can.

Darrin

[Viejo]

Darrin, thanks for the info. I kind of figured that for the strips ships. Thought perhaps someone might have left some old switches hanging, but I'll keep looking around for those. I'll also check out your other site.
As to the vehicles, we do have one in the Omaha area, but just thought I see what might be around the country. One of the guys working on the crane truck is talking to the military vehicle assoc. people.
Thanks,
Bill