AMP - Accurate Model Parts
SEA => SUBS: Gato => WARDROOM => Topic started by: carr on 22 Jun , 2010, 16:45
-
Greetings,
I just finished reading Gene Fluckey's "Thunder Below" about his patrols on USS Barb. Fascinating reading and highly recommended. Reference is made to the Mk51 rocket launcher being stored in the "doghouse" when not in use. Does anyone know what the term "doghouse" refers to?
Thanks,
Bob
-
nope...i am gathering news about it... even in our italian forum...but..there are no photos.
btw i'll build/paint my gato in black overall... pre 1945 refit.
-
As I remember the "Dog House" was the area inside the fairwater. But, at my age, my RAM has become pretty random.
Mike K.
-
Hi Bob,
all I can find is temporary structures called doghouses: either a plywood box for topside watch standers in the cold (while docked), or one over the crew galley hatch I think to shelter visiors on museum boat Cobia (they cut it off for a drydock repair).
Fluckey's book is excellent, I was so struck that he was a "Capt Awesome" as in the TV show "Chuck" (the amazing bro-in-law to the nerd, the guy is 6'6", a doctor, handsome, a man's man but sensitive for the ladies...in a word, awesome!). Fluckey seemed to have no fear and endless enthusiasm, never "it's going to be impossible/tough" but rather "challenges" to be met. The difficult stuff was pretty easy for him. No wonder why he earned the Medal of Honor!
I'll keep looking for more details, but Mike probably has it on the nose, some kind of stowage in the fairwater.
I THINK Dick O'Kane made reference to something similar in Clear the Bridge - they left some men topside who wouldn't have time to get below in an emergency, and said they'd have to cram into the XXXXXX, and suffer the scariness of being isnide essentially a 55gal drum in the dark and cold for awhile... I'm gong to have a look thru CTB.
-
found this in CTB, p140, bottom:
"...two more lookouts went forward to the 20m gun platform. In the event of a dive, the would clear into the gun access trunk, whose lower hatch was already closed. I didn't like it and they didn't like it, but that's the way things are sometimes."
Not the same, but at least my memory works a little...
-
Thanks for thinking about this guys! Let me know if anyone comes up with an absolutely definitive answer. The most reasonable explanation so far seems to be that doghouse refers to the after fairwater area which has the hatch-like openings without the actual doors (kind of like the opening in a doghouse??). Perhaps the Mk51 was stored in a pressure locker inside that area?
The only other possible place would be the area under the deck and above the pressure hull which is accessed by the short, open ladder on the fore deck. I don't know if there was sufficient room for storage there or not.
Either way, from a modelling perspective, the Mk51 was apparently not visible in the stored condition.
I'm still looking for a good picture of the Mk51. I have drawings and photos of the lower launch portion but not the upper rocket rails.
Here's some facts about the Mk51 launcher that Barb used, by the way:
-Capacity was 12 five inch Spin Stabilized Rockets (SSR)
-Rockets were launched from a single, automatic feed rail system
-In ripple mode (there was also a single shot mode) the 12 rockets could be launched in 4.5 seconds
-Launcher was fixed in train and was aimed by "pointing" the entire sub
-Launcher had 4 pre-set elevations selected by inserting a pin; max range was 5000 yards.
-Mk51's were used in large numbers on certain types of landing ships for shore bombardment
Love the site!
Regards,
Bob
-
Rokket is right. The term "Dog House" applied to many things. Mostly temporary structures. Like the topside watch's guard shack located either on the pier, or on the boat's deck. The tent-like structure use to keep rain out of the after battery hatch. (It was a wooden structure, when you were in the yards.) And, on Guppys, the area inside the forward most area of the sail. (That's where the door, at the front of the sail, leads to.) It was, in front of, and below, the bridge deck. Then, again, it can be any temporary, structure, placed on deck, for stowage or cover during maintenance and upkeep. periods. And, finally, the free flooding area, inside the conning tower fairwater, on the fleet boats. The question is, which is most likely the stowage area, for the rocket launcher, under way?
Now, look what you've done! You triggered another memory.
MANY years ago, in Key West (the GOOD OL' DAYS!!), when I was a young (Many many years ago) non-qual, second class, I had topside watch during a squall. While I was taking cover, inside the dog house, a gust of wind blew it over, on the door. Trapping me inside.
At this point I had two choices. Stay dry and comfortable, laying there, and await rescue, OR damage government property, to stand in the driving rain. I opted to conserve government property. And caught a nap.
Later, at Captain's mast (for sleeping on watch) I explained this to the Captain. Adding that my only excuse to damage government property would have been if I was a latent claustrophobic. But, being a Submariner, the closed-in environment didn't trouble me. And being forced into a prone position, unable to call for help, it was impossible, to avoid drifting off to sleep. (I was there 2 and a half hours, and the phone, power and communication lines disconnected, when it fell.)
The Captain stared at me for several minutes. Then said "Damage government property, Hmm?" Then another long pause.
Finally he said, "OK. I'll buy it, THIS time. But in the future, if it ever happens again, you have my pre-issued authority to damage government property, as necessary, to extricate yourself. Understood?" "Yes. Sir!" "Good! Now get out of here.
And, tell the rest of those slickos. This excuse only works once. Next time, we use the yardarm."
Being a good and respectful sailor, I didn't point out, that, subs don't have yardarms. I got the point.
Mike K.
-
LMAO! I love it Mike!
-
ghgh :)
-
I'm building USS Barb as of her last patrol as well. So I would be interested to see what everyone comes up with. As for "dog house," the rocket launcher was stored forward, so I'd assume the dog house would be the forward part of the sail where the door is.
Cheers,
Don
-
Hi Don,
Looks like no one came up with anything..We'll have to make this active again and get you an answer!
-
http://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=596
USS Barb
Country United States
Ship Class Gato-class Submarine
Hull Number SS-220
This article has been removed for review and updates, please check back again soon!
USS Barb Operational Timeline
1 Jul 1945 US submarine Barb attacked Japanese positions at Kaihyo Island off Sakhalin with rockets; it was the first American submarine-based rocket attack.
2 Jul 1945 USS Barb launched rockets on Japanese shore installations; she was the first American submarine to fire rockets in combat.
23 Jul 1945 Men landed by submarine USS Barb destroyed a train in Karafuto, Japan (Kurile Islands).
I was trying but the only photo's I found of submarines with rockets were U-boats, I believe type II.
-
I realize that I am responding to a post from 2011, but I would like to clear up some discrepancies in the information posted above...
On July 1, 1945 the Barb didn't engage in any combat actions. They were preparing for a planned attack and shore landing on the island of Kaihyo To. That attack took place on July 2, 1945, using their 5 in, 40 mm, 20 mm guns as well as 50 cal & 30 cal machine guns, but no rockets. The planed shore landing was aborted when it was discovered that the island was more heavily defended than originally believed. The Barb's first rocket attack occurred on June 22, 1945 against the city of Shari.
The shore landing to blow up the train did occur on July 23, 1945 as indicated above.
Here is some information I posted in another thread regarding the Barb's rocket attacks:
On their 12th war patrol the Barb had a Mk 51 Mod 0 launcher and 72 Mk 10 Mod 0 5 inch rockets. They launched a total of 4 rocket assaults and fired a total of 68 rockets...
The rocket launcher was mounted on the foredeck in the area where the 4 inch gun had previously been mounted... I don't know if the launcher was permanently mounted to the deck or brought out and setup for attacks and then stowed away after...
The 1st rocket assault on the town of Shari occurred on 6/22/1945 at 2:34 am. The Barb launched 12 rockets into the center of the town from 4,700 yds offshore...
The 2nd rocket assault on the town of Shikuka occurred on 7/3/1945 at 2:46 am. The Barb launched 12 rockets into the center of town from 4,930 yds offshore...
The 3rd rocket assault on the town of Shoritori occurred on 7/24/1945 at 10:36 pm. The Barb launched a total of 32 rockets. 20 rockets were launched into a factory from 5,250 yds offshore (they fired 12, then reloaded and fired 8 more) and then they repositioned and fired 12 more rockets into the center of town...
The 4th and final rocket assault on the town of Kashiho occurred on 7/25/1945 at 3:10 am. The Barb launched 12 rockets into the center of town from 5,000 yds offshore...
I have never seen any pictures of the Mk 51 mounted on the Barb, though there may be some out there in one of the crew members private collections... There is some video footage of the launcher, but it is very poor quality and taken from up close so you can't get a good look at the launcher... You can view the video on YouTube at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfEzq20EzGU You can see the launcher from 0:15 - 0:26
I'm trying to get an answer from my sources regarding the "dog house" question...
-
This is most excellent to have the real dope as they say!