Post by scalecraft on Jul 20, 2015 19:41:53 GMT -5
If I told you, I'd have to kill you.
Seriously, our SubVets group took over tour guides on a Foxtrot that miraculously showed up on the waterfront.
Being an ET, High School, College, Navy and Industry...and having a major dislike for things that don't work....I took over making it "work" again.
Indicator panels. All the bulbs had been salvaged by the Russkies...found US Telephone Socket Bulbs fit..and I bought hundreds of 12V versus the 24V Russkie version. Had a pickup full of old yard lighting transformers donated, wired them in, had indicators. Rebuilt the planes station (missing) from photographs. Installed a diving alarm to the original lever, Put a 110V squirrel cage off our old furnace into the engine room, had ventilation in the original ductwork.
Got all the inner torpedo tube doors open.
Lubed everything.
Stripped paint off woodwork, stained and varnished, had missing moulding made, fixed sliding doors (ALL the hardware was located in the bilges), removed valve handles in groups (made drawings), removed brass tags, marked in the back by number, hot tanked to get sixteen layers of house paint off, stood and glass beaded over 500 handles, primed, painted correct colour for system, glass beaded and wire wheel polished tags, had them translated, clear coated, re-assembled with locktite, then the morons sold it out from under us.
I was appointed COB (Chief Of the Boat), oversaw all the work.
Had to sit down one day and try to think like a Russkie engineer...what were they thinking...since what they did made no sense to US sub guys.
Once I did that, I had it.
They called me out two or three times to the Juliette in Providence to wring it out.
Foxtrots had two final back up fire suppression stations...freon. Open the valve to the indicated compartment, removes the oxygen, stops the fire, and kills anyone in the compartment.
Fresh water..our bots had a set pressure, regulated, but Russkies went to the air manifold (FTR or Forward Torpedo Room) starboard side, opened the valve, watched the small gauge on port side over the torpedoes in the overhead until you had proper pressure, then secured the air.
When pressure went away, so did water.
I could tell you so much about those POS boats...but a 5/8" thick hull, with EXTERNAL frames, and they claimed 900 foot operating depth.
300 maybe, in a pinch.......
Seriously, our SubVets group took over tour guides on a Foxtrot that miraculously showed up on the waterfront.
Being an ET, High School, College, Navy and Industry...and having a major dislike for things that don't work....I took over making it "work" again.
Indicator panels. All the bulbs had been salvaged by the Russkies...found US Telephone Socket Bulbs fit..and I bought hundreds of 12V versus the 24V Russkie version. Had a pickup full of old yard lighting transformers donated, wired them in, had indicators. Rebuilt the planes station (missing) from photographs. Installed a diving alarm to the original lever, Put a 110V squirrel cage off our old furnace into the engine room, had ventilation in the original ductwork.
Got all the inner torpedo tube doors open.
Lubed everything.
Stripped paint off woodwork, stained and varnished, had missing moulding made, fixed sliding doors (ALL the hardware was located in the bilges), removed valve handles in groups (made drawings), removed brass tags, marked in the back by number, hot tanked to get sixteen layers of house paint off, stood and glass beaded over 500 handles, primed, painted correct colour for system, glass beaded and wire wheel polished tags, had them translated, clear coated, re-assembled with locktite, then the morons sold it out from under us.
I was appointed COB (Chief Of the Boat), oversaw all the work.
Had to sit down one day and try to think like a Russkie engineer...what were they thinking...since what they did made no sense to US sub guys.
Once I did that, I had it.
They called me out two or three times to the Juliette in Providence to wring it out.
Foxtrots had two final back up fire suppression stations...freon. Open the valve to the indicated compartment, removes the oxygen, stops the fire, and kills anyone in the compartment.
Fresh water..our bots had a set pressure, regulated, but Russkies went to the air manifold (FTR or Forward Torpedo Room) starboard side, opened the valve, watched the small gauge on port side over the torpedoes in the overhead until you had proper pressure, then secured the air.
When pressure went away, so did water.
I could tell you so much about those POS boats...but a 5/8" thick hull, with EXTERNAL frames, and they claimed 900 foot operating depth.
300 maybe, in a pinch.......