The thought has been brought up and duly shot down by vets and board members. We still have some political hoops to jump through with the Batfish. So, you are correct about the price including sandblasting.
We were taking off a decent amount of paint with a pressure washer, though, and it was one of the less powerful models. I wonder if the vets would agree to that idea, instead, since the museum doesn't get a water bill - the city pays for it. My concern about sand blasting is damage to fragile equipment, like the periscope lenses. Water blasting would be gentle to the glass, but still abusive to old paint. Plus, the water will dry, but we're sure to have a lot of sand in cracks and crevices for years to come.