Calling all Tench-class (SS-417) fans

[dragon53]

I'm looking for a current model which can pass as the USS Tirante SS-420, Tench-class.
The closest I've found is the Revell 1/178 USS Lionfish, Balao-class, which has a somewhat different cannon package.
Any other suggestions?

[Mario]

I am not aware of Tench kits on the current market, others may chime in more up to date. However any Gato kit can be converted from different types of fleetboats in any current kit scale. But be warned, you are entering the realm of conversions. Many aftermarket support and companies are out there if you need them or do it yourself. The boat types and modifications are endless.

http://ibs.eastcoastarmory.com/gallery.htm

[Tom Dougherty]

I am also not aware of any Tench class kits. The lower bow on the Tench class has a distinctly different shape than the Gato/Balao class subs.
The Tench class had a modified bow to accommodate additional torpedo loadout as well as rerouting the bow ballast tank risers so they no longer entered and exited the pressure hull.
See below diagrams.

[Mario]

If you want to convert the Big Revell Gato, I do have a Tench bow adapter piece to change the angle of the Gato bow.

http://ibs.eastcoastarmory.com/Torsk/DSC00024.JPG

[LordAnkarin]

And I have a big Gato kit I'm wanting to sell. You can covert it fairly easy I should think.

[dragon53]

Guys, thanks for the help. I just found a Revell USS Lionfish on ebay for $15 delivered, so I'll try to work with that.

From what I gather, the Revell Lionfish has two 20mm and one 4" cannons, but the Tirante had one 20mm and one 5" cannon. So far I haven't found any decent photos of the Tirante to see if the Revell Lionfish can pass as the Tirante simply by not attaching one of the 20mm cannons. I'll have to do some more research.

Thanks again for the help.

[Maarten Sch�nfeld]

For a Tench class conversion you might find it useful to find the General Booklet of Plans of the SS-481 USS Requin in .pdf format on the site of the HNSA:
http://www.hnsa.org/doc/plans/

Also a converted update as SSR-481 is available; HNSA stands for Historical Naval Ships Association. This site is a treasure trove of ship plans.

[Tom Dougherty]

Tirante had one 20mm and one 5" cannon

No. The guns on the Tench class were the new (specific for submarines) 5/25 guns, not the earlier 5 inch guns which were installed on a handful of boats. The Revell kit actually comes with an older 4 inch gun, not a 5 incher (5/25). Also, this photo looks to me like 40 mm fore and aft on the conning tower, and indeed this was the standard "as built" outfitting of the Tench class. The kit has 1 40 mm, you need a second (see below)
http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0842011.jpg

Here's what you do:
Nautilus Models makes a conversion set of guns, including a 5/25 gun and a 40 mm: http://nautilusmodels.com/180-050.htm

More importantly, the "Lionfish" kit is actually a Gato conning tower fairwater, much more enclosed and not the more open type found on the Balao or Tench classes. The kit was originally issued as a Gato (USS Flasher) and then repackaged as a Balao (Lionfish) without any changes than the name and box art. You might want to purchase a Balao conning tower such as:
http://nautilusmodels.com/72-012.htm to get you closer to Tirante. There were some minor differences between the Tench class and Balao class conning tower fairwaters, but the Gato fairwater of the Revell kit is waaayyy different from either of the latest classes.

Here's an excellent set of references in PDF form to US fleet boats, describing the differences in appearance and outfitting:
Visual Guide to the Gato class: http://navsource.org/archives/08/pdf/0829294.pdf
Visual Guide to the Balao and Tench classes: http://navsource.org/archives/08/pdf/0829295.pdf

[merriman]

..............

[seashark]

I had a dream last night about finding a Tench class model in a store, naturally it was innacurate...

Not even in my dreams can I have an accurate model.