USS Silversides SS-236

[SS236Chief]

Hi all,

Just found your forum. Until last summer I was the senior tour guide on staff, the "chief tour guide" at the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum, home of the USS Silversides. While I was there I did extensive research and completely revised and rewrote the manual the museum used to train its tour guides for both of the exhibit vessels. My dad just purchased this kit, and obviously intends to convert it to the Silversides. I'd be happy to answer any questions you all might have, or send any documentation you might be interested in.

Sincerely,
Jonathon

P.S. I read that some phone calls and correspondance hasn't been answered. Typical. Unfortunately, the museum has undergone a drastic change in leadership, wherein all of the former employees were ousted. They only have one part time tour guide now who even knows the boat well enough to give a guided tour.

[Rokket]

Welcome Jonathon!
Thanks for your offer, we'll all be asking a lot of questions I'm sure!

Sad to hear about the change at the museum. I used to work for Plimoth Plantation, and over the years the program has changed and lessened, especially aboard Mayflower II. The Management got rid of 12 frontline employees and bought the CEO an expensive 4wdr car. (Pretty good for "non profit"!) It must be a museum thing!

Cheers,
Wink

[wildspear]

I was a bit disappointed in the staff there, they just finished a new building, pretty impressive, but I think they could have down sized a bit and spent some of that money on the sub. I am sure I will have questions for you as my build progresses.

[SS236Chief]

Rokket,

Interesting you should mention that, I just watched a show yesterday on the History Channel that featured the Plimoth Museum. Yes, it is interesting that nonprofits always seem to have thier fair share of drama. The new staff at the GLNMM hardly knows (or are even interested) about the submarine, and yes, the submarie veterans are extremely upset that the money they raised for a 20-year overdue dry dock was apparently rerouted to put up the new building...

But on a lighter note, yes I'd be happy to answer any questions. Happy thanksgiving.

[wildspear]

Chief,

A couple quick questions. The hand rails, they had spots( 4 I believe) for a .50 cal to be mounted. Were these carried on the Silversides? Also there are many different markings (ships sank, airmen rescued, etc...) what would have been on the Silversides during war? any markings?

[SS236Chief]

Spear,

There is some debate about the 4 enlarged stanchions on either side of the fairwater. Without a doubt, they are gunmounts, but the "patrol record" that that museum sells in the gift shop (it is basically excerpts from the boat's smooth log and other misc. info) lists them as mounts for .30 cals. I'm not sure I believe that, and so yes, I'd say they were .50 cals. Were they carried aboard or not? Tough to say. If you'll notice on the patrol record, the sub destroyed 14 mines. At LEAST one of them is listed in the record as being destroyed by gunfire from the boat when they were surfaced, and I would assume probably with one of the machine guns. The armories aboard subs were said to have some springfields or M-1s, some 1911's but I'm not sure you could destroy a floating mine with something that small.

Would the patrol record have been painted on the fairwater during service? No. In fact, even when she changed designation to an AGSS, I don't think it was painted on there. However, there is some talk of "brag rags" which were small Japanese flags that might be flown when coming into port after a deployment to indicate ships sunk. Aside from that, there's always the "clean sweep" broom, but again, I'm not sure how often that would have been flown. To my knowledge, these days brooms are typically only flown aboard after a shakedown with the manufacturer.

[wildspear]

Ya, the guy giving the tours now (totally forgot his name, sorry) he told me they carried four brownings....thats alot of room. I'll put the stantions on my build but not the fifties. I was already going to leave the sail art off. I know the guys on board work their tails off for it but I think it detracts from it. They still have a broom tied off to the radar(I think). I'll have more question later on, at work right now, thanks for the info.

[wildspear]

On the Silversides, the side on the Sail (tower) there are two door ways(one on each side) You can see the upper pressure hull but the are life vest stored in this area. I wouldn't think they would have items stored in there since it could float away and foul the ship or even give it's position away. Can any one tell me if things of this nature were stored there? Also there are no doors on either doorway, when were these removed?

[Mr.Mox]

As far as I know, the doors were first added much later, propably on boats on museeums etc.

I would think that west and dinghys would be stored i some of the other waterproof containers littering the sail.

Cheers/Jan

[SS236Chief]

Unfortunately without my patrol log here I can not tell you after which refit those doors were actually added. The area inside is referred to in slang term as the "boatswain's hole" and COULD have been used for storage of equipment that the deck crew used that might have been able to be tied down. However, as you all have correctly presumed, it WAS a free-flooding storage area without any hatch covers of any type. And yes, you CAN see the aft side of the pressure vessel for the conn located in the boatswain's hole as well.

[wildspear]

Thanks for the info, on my build I'll be showing some of the detail inside that area.

[Mike K]

Wildspear, drop me a line at << mkeatingss(at)cox.net >>. I may have some drawings that might be of use to you.

Mike K.

[wildspear]

Mike,
Thanks! E-mail to follow.

[Division 6]

Unfortunately without my patrol log here I can not tell you after which refit those doors were actually added. The area inside is referred to in slang term as the "boatswain's hole" and COULD have been used for storage of equipment that the deck crew used that might have been able to be tied down. However, as you all have correctly presumed, it WAS a free-flooding storage area without any hatch covers of any type. And yes, you CAN see the aft side of the pressure vessel for the conn located in the boatswain's hole as well.

Anyone have pix or blueprints of this area.
I have 4 pix I found but more would be better.

Eric...

[wildspear]

The only pics I have of that room are on my photobucket site. Try this http://s189.photobucket.com/albums/z72/wildspear/
or you can do a search at photo bucket for s236