Author Topic: Item to swap for 5" gun?  (Read 49491 times)

Offline Rick

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #30 on: June 07, 2008, 10:52:28 PM »
Just ingnor the small people in black outfits sneeking through the back fence at night.      :angel:

Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #31 on: June 09, 2008, 10:17:41 AM »
Based on the gun mount blue prints, the center of the 5" gun mount on the rear deck will be about 27 feet from the base of the sail.  I think that this will easily clear the AC units back there, since they look like they are about 15 feet from the sail.

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Mark Sarsfield
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"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline Rick

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #32 on: June 09, 2008, 10:49:23 AM »
Also keep in mind we are missing anywhere between 5 and 10 ft of sail.....

Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #33 on: June 09, 2008, 11:04:32 AM »
I didn't realize that much had been hacked off.  So, the mount center will be over 30 feet from the sail base.

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Mark Sarsfield
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"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline Rick

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #34 on: June 09, 2008, 12:39:44 PM »
Yes I have been doing some checking.  It appears that the sail actually enclosed the hatch to the galley just like forward ammo hatch.   Also remember that there were stoage hatches on the after sail as well.  These were cut off long ago.

Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #35 on: June 09, 2008, 02:19:52 PM »
That makes sense that the galley hatch was covered.  I remember seeing pictures with a doorway cut out on the aft sail.  That would be a huge undertaking to extend the sail that far back.  Something that I recommend that we don't try.  It's a miracle that Vaughn was able to moutn the 40mm back there.  How much of the front of the bridge is missing?

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Mark Sarsfield
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"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline Fred Tannenbaum

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #36 on: June 09, 2008, 02:30:06 PM »
Guys,

I don't think the "after battery hatch" on any fleet boat was covered by the conning tower fairwater. Even on the Gatos, with their long fairwater, it did not cover the after battery hatch. On photos I've seen of Balao boats with the after battery hatch open, it is clear that the fairwater began tapering before it got to the after battery hatch in the superstructure deck.

Fred

Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #37 on: June 09, 2008, 02:34:09 PM »
Well, I learn something every day.  Thanks for correcting that perception, Tom.  Did you guys manage to download the gun mount drawings before Rich pulled it from the maritime server?

Regards,
Mark Sarsfield
USS Batfish reenactor



"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline Tom Bowser

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #38 on: June 09, 2008, 07:48:26 PM »
You confused me with Fred about the aft battery hatch post but I agree with him that hatch was in the open to make easier to load stores and ammo.

I didn't go after the 5" mount plans, we have both mounts.
Tom Bowser

Offline Paul Farace

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #39 on: June 09, 2008, 10:11:40 PM »
Here is a question for BATFISH... do you still have your gun access trunk on the forward end of the Conning Tower???

This was built into the Balaos when the Gatos lost their doors on the back end of the CT barrel -- to allow the gun crews to run topisde from the forward end of the control room.

If you have lost it, then you have a choice to make in terms of focus date:

1.  interpret BATFISH as a dockside streamlined fleetboat -- basically as she was whe she left service (no CT gun deck extensions, no deck guns, etc.).

2. restore her to a pre-dockside streamline (I am not sure I am using the correct term, must check The Fleet Sub bible), which would mean -- to do it right -- replacing the missing trunk (good luck, this would be the most involved hull work ever attempted on a memorial boat -- we are good at chopping stuff off their hulls, but not putting stuff back!) and restoring the CT fairwater to what it looked like at the end of 1945... 

My 2 cents worth...
BATFISH is a submarine with  a proud history and regardless of how her CT looks today, she earned a place in sub history. The modifications made in her final years of service were legitimate US Navy alterations to streamline the boat (admittedly at least cost to them) and I would try to accept that... it saves you the hassel of getting guns and trying to fabricat an 8-ton trunk with two hatches and a door!! Check out Pampanito and Bowfin for how this thing looks.

IF not, you end up with a Frankenstein (is bastardized any better of a word to use?) sub that is not true to any period of her service.  Again, people still want to see a submarine. This stuff is just to make us happy.

In some earlier posts the idea was put forth that the average visitor wouldn't care if something was done one way or another... true!
But that should never be anyone's goal.  We achieve success by trying to impress the experts (you and I, and the guys who were there).  Everything (and everyone) else falls into place.

Something to think about.

PF
Johnny Cash's third cousin, twice removed

Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #40 on: June 09, 2008, 10:52:50 PM »
We do have the access trunk and it just needs a little TLC to brighten it up.  Vaughn got the emergency light working in the FTR escape trunk and it would be nice to get the one working in the gun access trunk, again.  I thought our emergency lights were KIA, because I couldn't get the one in the CT to work, but it may have been a fuse issue.

Regards,
Mark Sarsfield
USS Batfish reenactor



"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline Jim

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #41 on: March 25, 2013, 02:05:38 PM »
Mark, do you have any old contact info for this thread?  I want to resurrect the 5" gun trade.   ;D

Offline Mark Sarsfield

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #42 on: March 26, 2013, 03:38:24 PM »
Any luck contacting the San Diego USSVI base?

Regards,
Mark Sarsfield
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"If you have one bucket that can hold 5 gallons and one bucket that can hold 2 gallons, how many buckets do you have?" - IQ test from Idiocracy

Offline Jim

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Re: Item to swap for 5" gun?
« Reply #43 on: March 26, 2013, 03:54:29 PM »
That is on my list for tomorrow.   ;D    Robert J. Bissonnette base Commander and (POC) is where I'll start.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2013, 03:57:22 PM by Jim »