Gato/Balao videos on Critical Past - good stuff!

[aptivaboy]

Critical Past was linked to over on the Steelnavy message board, so I started looking for Gatos. Here are some neat videos for your perusal...

Wahoo: note the angular forward 20mm platform, Wahoo builders. It isn't round!

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675076190_USS-Wahoo_sailors-aboard-submarine_approaching-pier_sailors-cheering
http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675076189_USS-Wahoo_Dudley-Walker-Morton_Richard-H-Okane_approaching-dock

Silversides: an early Gato cutdown fairwater, with portholes in the cut down bridge face. This is an odd one!

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675076193_USS-Silverside_submarine-underway_flags-at-mast_crew-aboard-submarine
http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675076192_USS-Silverside_officers-talking_standing-around-mailman_officer-on-bridge

A closeup of an odd Gato about halfway through. I can't identify the boat's insignia on the bridge face. any help? It has one cut out window per side where the covered wagon would be, but not both. Strange. Its certainly an early Gato since it still carries the sharp trailing edge to the fairwater, as built. Assuming its the same boat pictured elsewhere in the reel from a distance, she's an EB-plan boat.

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675076111_Victory-over-Japan-Day_fleet-type-submarine_men-at-conning-tower_submarine-leaving-port

An unknown very early war Portsmouth Gato is pictured in this one. It doesn't look like a Tambor since its missing the railing or mini-walkway on the bridge face that Tambors tended to have. Any help identifying this one?

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675062281_Battle-of-Midway_United-States-submarines_watching-through-periscope_firing-guns

What do you all think? Maybe we could try to find similar videos for modeling purposes and list them here? There are tons of Flying Fish vids back from the Sea of Japan, for example, in 1945, for anyone building her.  

Robert

[Pepper-mint]

Great pics ! Thanks for posting.

What do you all think? Maybe we could try to find similar videos for modeling purposes and list them here? There are tons of Flying Fish vids back from the Sea of Japan, for example, in 1945, for anyone building her. 

Robert

Yes, that would be great.

cheers Robert,
Pepper

[aptivaboy]

Anyone want to see what an early war Portsmouth Tambor fairwater looks like?

USS Trout, probably after getting the gold out of Corregidor:

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675062940_Battle-of-Midway_General-awarding-medals_pinning-medals_shakes-hands-with-men

Definitely after getting the gold out of Corregidor:

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675075553_USS-Trout-SS-202_Pearl-Harbor_gold-from-Philippines_USS-Detroit-CL-8_unloading-gold

Trout again, but a couple of months later. Some good pics of the bridge venturi:

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675068427_USS-Trout_Frank-Wesley-Fenno_men-read-mails_man-holds-Victory-flag

[Rokket]

Wow, great site, great vid! I loved the Wahoo stuff, and you're right, that platform is like a hexagon! Weird!

Did anyone notice the sailor who finishes his (ice cream sandwich?) and tosses the foil into the water?!!! Nice Mr Environment! "Uh, da ocean's a big place, what's one frickin' wrapper? Geez."

[aptivaboy]

Tell me this isn't Gene Fluckey. It sure looks like him!

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675076076_American-submarine_lookout-standing_standing-at-conning-tower_watches-through-binoculars

[aptivaboy]

Who likes REALLY big guns??

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675076180_USS-Nautilus_conning-tower_guns-ready-to-fire_ship-burning-in-horizon

[Mike K]

Heres' my old Boat, after modernization (Guppy).
http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675059313_USS-Amberjack_submarine-underway_conning-tower_crew-on-deck

Mike K.

[Rokket]

Wow, they went to Funky Town on that boat - the sail, the bow! Roundy but still flat, very interesting! Love the line handlers taking a wooden row boat out...what a  great site!Thanks heaps for the link.

We need to know more about your time abroad, Mike! Tell us more!

[aptivaboy]

Flying Fish with an odd deck, planked in up front and metal plate aft: http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675075951_United-States-submarine_Pearl-Harbor_submarine-at-dock_Japanese-prisoner_taking-bearings

Talk about a freak boat!

[Rokket]

great stuff, beautiful color!

[Mike K]

Aptiveboy, if you like those 6" 53s, there are two of them, outside the South end of Cromwell Hall (the gym) at Subbase New london. At least, they were still there, >10 years ago, when I last visited.
As to Flyingfish's deck, it's not so odd. I have Portsmouth drawings that show, that style deck. It was standard enough that the drawing is a "Basic" drawing, not for a specific boat. I believe it was the deck layout for used Amberjack, (as built) with two 5" 25s.
Lastly, Rokket; if you, or anyone else, want to know about my time on the boats, you'll have to ask specific questions. I have no idea where to begin, otherwise.

MIke K.

[aptivaboy]

Odd for a Gato, at least. I believe Flying Fish began life with a full length wooden deck, like the other very early Portsmouth Gatos, and then during her very long late 1944, or so,  overhaul lost the after planking. Strange that they unplanked the after deck midwar but not the forward deck. She's the only Gato I've seen like that. Balaos and Tenches like Amberjack I'm admittedly not well-versed on. I'm wondering if this deck design came from Flying Fish? Was it first used on her, and then the design migrated to other latewar and postwar boats like Amberjack?

Robert

[Mike K]

I'm afraid I can't answer your question, but you make a good point and could well be correct. The drawing is dated 44. If you want a copy, email me and I'll send it, to you.
mkeatingss(AT)cox(dot)net

Mike K.

[Mike K]

Robert, let me know if you didn't get the drawing. I fired it off this morning.

Mike K.

[aptivaboy]

Thanks so much. I'm at work, but I'll check when I get home to my home email.

I'm starting to change my mind on the uniqueness of Flying Fish's deck. I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't far more common, and earlier, than before. Photos seem to show that Trigger has such a deck, but the Navsource photos are from 1944, so I can't tell if she was built that way or refitted that way. (http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0823749.jpg and http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0823750.jpg).

But...

Commissioning photos of Tunny show the partial plated deck aft. Here's Silversides midwar (http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0823619.jpg) with a partially plated deck aft. The sme with Kingfish (http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0823412.jpg) and Shad (http://navsource.org/archives/08/312/0823509.jpg). I had thought that the early Portsmouth Gatos had full length wooden decks. Now, I'm beginning to wonder if they didn't, or if perhaps just the first couple of units did with a switchover occurring very early in Portsmouth/Mare Island construction???

Robert

[Rokket]

Without checking the deck document, I think only a few earlies had the all wooden deck (212, and 214, presumably 213 in there). The decks were actually perforated metal as far as I can tell, like all the boats, but clad stem to stern in wood (except for a couple feet at both ends). I'm guessing there's a chance (boy that sounds definite) that the Portsmouths never had all wood, it was an EB thing. But like Mike always says, no two boats were the same!!! ANY combo is possible at least once!

[aptivaboy]

212-221 had full length wooden decks, as did at least some or most of the the SS-250-ish EB boats from the first and supplemental contract run. The same is true for the first few Manitowac Gatos. After that, they went to perforated steel at the ends except for most EB-planned Balaos, oddly, which went back to all wooden decks.  The first few EB/Man Balaos also had part wood, part metal decks.

[Rokket]

thanks for that