Calling all Sturgeon-class (SSN-637) fans

[DCook]

What about us Sturgeon Class guys?

[ModelMonkey]

USS Grayling:

[Tom Dougherty]

Here's a 2 views of the Sturgeon class details:

[SSNJim]

Glad to see this topic created. The Sturgeons (especially the long hulls) are my favorite submarines. It always kind of amazed me that there wasn't a CASF for them, nor any plastic models in any scale until Micro-Mir started with them.

[jcmackay]

Glad to see interest in the ships!
Here's my photo of USS Pogy (SSN-647) when we stopped in Pearl Harbor on return from Westpac in 1985

[SSNJim]

This is USS Finback (SSN-670) in early 91 during a Med deployment.

[jcmackay]

Photo of the ex-USS Guitarro (SSN-665) and ex-USS Lapon (SSN-661) along the quay wall at Mare Island, awaiting towing to PSNS in Washington for scrapping, 1992

[DCook11]

Thanks. spent 4 years on Hammerhead 663. Wish someone would make a larger scale. Guess there just isn't enough detail on them. SUBRON 6, NORVA.

[Tom Dougherty]

Thanks. spent 4 years on Hammerhead 663. Wish someone would make a larger scale. Guess there just isn't enough detail on them.

David Merriman made a resin kit in larger scale (1/192) many years ago. Long OOP, and I don't know if he still has the molds and would consider restarting the line. David was behind the more recent highly detailed Moebius 1/72 Skipjack kit. He posts here from time to time...

Photos of Ken Hart's buildup attached.

[merriman]

Thanks. spent 4 years on Hammerhead 663. Wish someone would make a larger scale. Guess there just isn't enough detail on them.

David Merriman made a resin kit in larger scale (1/192) many years ago. Long OOP, and I don't know if he still has the molds and would consider restarting the line. David was behind the more recent highly detailed Moebius 1/72 Skipjack kit. He posts here from time to time...

Photos of Ken Hart's buildup attached.

Thanks for the acknowledgment, Ken.

Yeah, long out of production. But that does not make the work anyone elses property! The money is in r/c, not static I found. A very nicely assembled kit -- Ken's usual standard of excellence on display there.

Still have all the tooling buried somewhere in the sheds. R/C equipment is now small enough where I might break them out, convert to a GRP hulls, and offer them again, but this time to the r/c guys.

David

[Tom Dougherty]

Thanks for the acknowledgment, Ken.

Actually, it's Tom. Ken left the field a long time ago�.I still hear from him from time to time.

If you were to produce a GRP version for R/C it would still be possible to build it as a display model as well. You already have done the "dual use" with the Modbius Skipjack kit.

[merriman]

Thanks for the acknowledgment, Ken.

Actually, it's Tom. Ken left the field a long time ago�.I still hear from him from time to time.

If you were to produce a GRP version for R/C it would still be possible to build it as a display model as well. You already have done the "dual use" with the Modbius Skipjack kit.

Sorry, about that Tom. I should have done a better job proof-reading that post. Credit where credit is due.

Yes, it (re-introduced 1/192 D&E Miniatures sub kits) certainly would be crafted to suit either the display or r/c kit-assembler.

Moebius was a joy to work with -- they accommodated a lot of things I wanted done on that kit that could have been done cheaper otherwise, but they hung in there to make the product useful to the two types of kit-assemblers.



David

[krgf15]

Any 1/72 Thresher, Sturgeon, or Los Angeles would be amazing.....

[merriman]

Just a few pictures, so we don't steal the thread. A 1/72 THRESHER ...











David

[SSNJim]

This is one of my favorite YouTube videos. It is Sturgeon diving and surfacing off the coast somewhere, about 11 and a half minutes long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXSIM-pQ2Uo

[Tom Dougherty]

It is Sturgeon diving and surfacing off the coast somewhere

That "somewhere" is the Connecticut Coast. She was operating out of the Submarine Base in Groton, CT at that time (somewhat confusingly called the New London Submarine Base, even though it is across the river in Groton). Also, the lighthouse seen in part of the film is the Ledge Light just outside the entrance to the Thames River.

[SSNJim]

I wasn't sure if that was Ledge Light, but it appears to be. From what I can tell, Sturgeon was a member of SUBRON 10 at the time. If so, she was not stationed at SUBASE in Groton, but at State Pier with Fulton in beautiful downtown New London. How long was Sturgeon a member of SUBRON 10? I don't remember her being a part of SUBRON 10 after 1978. The only two 637s I remember were Billfish and Trepang.

[damoore46]

This is USS Finback (SSN-670) in early 91 during a Med deployment.

Was on the Finback from '83-'89. Got off her when we were in Portsmouth during overhaul. Had many ups and downs during those years, but overall it was good. We were a member of Squadron Six then, in Norfolk.


David Moore

[SSNJim]

I was in Finback around 90-92. We made that run during the first half of 91 - I think it the port visit was in Rota. CDR Dion was the CO. Finback was still in Squadron 6 during my time on her.

When was that overhaul? I must have just missed it.

[krgf15]

We need a 1/72 or 1/144 Sturgeon!!!