Calling all USS Pennsylvania BB-38 fans

[BB62vet]

Bob Wrote:

There's an opening in the back.....a movie projection booth similar to Arizona's, just up higher?

Now that's something I had not considered. Possibly a good answer - the opening in the back might possibly be for a projector lens. That's certainly a possibility given the size of movie (16mm?) projectors of the day.

Hank

[biggles2]

Looks like its built onto the boat crane kingpost. And there's a railing around the top.

[Rick E Davis]

Whatever it is, it was installed between May 1934 and April 1935.

The second image was from a poor photo, so details are not great. Every other PENNSYLVANIA image I have dating in and after 1935 up to before the war shows the starboard side. There is not a similar "box" room on the starboard side.

[Tracy White]

I'm going with movie projector booth. Good find!

[BB62vet]

Rick:

Thanks so much for the 2 photos - the first one clears up what the port side bulkhead looks like - I haven't seen that one before. The second photo is a much clearer rendition of the "booth"!!

Tracy:

Indications are leaning in that direction - thanks!

Biggiles2:

No, it's not part of either the crane or kingpost - thanks!

I should be able to approximate the size and be able to update a drawing I've been working on for this particular area of the main deck for some time now.

Thanks, Gentlemen!

Hank

[Mgunns]

Great Photo's especially the one of the port side without the "structure." Clearly, the "Gear Reduction" box and platform is present on that side as well. I will have to add that and the "structure" to the model. I am going with the projection booth.
Thanks everyone, great discussion and some photo's that clear a lot of things up.

[BB62vet]

The question is (for all intents/purposes) answered - Movie Projection Booth. Here is OKLAHOMA (1941) showing the similar shed that PA has (photos above) and a portion of the plan view of OKLAHOMAs BoGP showing that very space:

BB-37 1941 Plan of Movie Booth.JPG (24.17 KiB) Viewed 8677 times

So, I have added this to my list of items to be scratch-built when I get back on PENNSY.

Hank

[Chuck Bauer]

Fascinating!
Excellent detective work by all involved.
Thanks for starting this post and for all the replies.

[BB62vet]

Chuck,

Thanks for the Kudos! It was an interesting discovery and subsequent investigation. Here's my current CAD rendering of the main deck bulkhead @ Frame 88 of PENNSYLVANIA in late 30's/early 40's based on my current information:

I based the size of the booth on "guesstimates" from the photos and once I have a scaled, full size sheet printed out of the OKLAHOMA's Plan, I'll make adjustments as needed. The height I took from the similar booth on NEW JERSEY aft of Turret #3.

Hope this helps all the PENNSY modelers out there.

Hank

edited - 02/15/17

[BB62vet]

DavidP wrote:

don't you mean the late 30's early 40's?

Thanks, David - Indeed, that is correct. I've edited my post accordingly. Nice catch, by the way!!

Hank

[SeanF]

Actually, the projector room didn't go unnoticed (just unidentified). I spotting it back on the bottom of page 2 of this thread (March 2011).

Now, in all fairness, I did completely forget about it when I finished a 1:700 late '41 Pennsylvania this past September. Forgot the boat booms, too. Got to take her in for a refit...

- Sean F.

[BB62vet]

SeanF wrote:

Now, in all fairness, I did completely forget about it when I finished a 1:700 late '41 Pennsylvania this past September. Forgot the boat booms, too. Got to take her in for a refit...

Isn't it amazing how these small items just keep popping up and causing anguish at the least opportune time??

Hank

[gott_cha]

Like SeanF I had picked up on it earlier also,..was back last spring for me.
Now according to Allen B. Chesley, the Profile and overhead drawings done for the 1935 FITOUT shows no such structure at that time.
However, according to the Floating Drydock Photo CD of the Pennsylvania class BB there are several pictures of the structure in place as late as circa 39-40. There doesn't seem to be any pictures at all for Pennsy from late 1940 thru 7-12-41 that show that side of the ship.
The earliest picture sources from the Mare Island Repair/Fit/Yard Work of early 42 , Jan thru March of that year shows Her without the structure. While there are NO clear precise shots of that King Post area, there are pictures of Her Starboard side Crane Post area showing elevated gun tub/'s for Her 1.1's.
Since my conversion dealt with the Mare Island early 42 work/fit, I didn't try to pursue it further.

Seems like any late 30's build would need it's inclusion . It could very well be included in a 7-12-41 build as there is no proof it wasn't there at that time.

Like Hank said; these little details keep popping up. I think more will too as the research light is cast on Her for "accurate" builds.

[BB62vet]

Gott_cha wrote:

It could very well be included in a 7-12-41 build as there is no proof it wasn't there at that time.

Well, it turns out there IS proof that the booth was in place in late 1941 - there is a photo of PENNSY at 1010 dock in P.H. taken in Aug. 1941 in the book The Way It Was: Pearl Harbor: The Original Photographs (Donald M. Goldstein) and it shows the booth in place at that time.

Research - turning fiction into fact (is that a Hankism or ...)

Hope this helps!

Hank

[Jeff Sharp]

Hi Hank,
Here are a couple of good looks at the projector booth.

[BB62vet]

Jeff,

As Horshack used to say "OOH, OOH, OOH"!!!!!!!!! Hot Damn!!! We're in the money, now!!!!

Thanks, helps out greatly (didn't know there were 3 projector openings!!!). I'll need to modify my CAD drawing, but that's minor.

Thanks,

Hank

[gott_cha]

Gott_cha wrote:

It could very well be included in a 7-12-41 build as there is no proof it wasn't there at that time.

Well, it turns out there IS proof that the booth was in place in late 1941 - there is a photo of PENNSY at 1010 dock in P.H. taken in Aug. 1941 in the book The Way It Was: Pearl Harbor: The Original Photographs (Donald M. Goldstein) and it shows the booth in place at that time.

Research - turning fiction into fact (is that a Hankism or ...)

Hope this helps!

Hank

7-12-41was PH day...thats military time rendering......sunday dec. 41....not july 12 41. Sorry Hank...As much as I want to agree and build mine as such,,,the record don't hold to that...again we have no solid proof either way....

[gott_cha]

Not trying to obtuse but just saying,,,,it's not definitive......but hey I build mine as I see fit....y'all do the same.

[BB62vet]

Mark,

I'm not sure what you're getting at in your last 2 posts. The picture I referred to was taken in August 1941, 3 months PRIOR to 07 DEC 41, the day of the attack. So, I stand by my original comment. The booth was probably in place in December 1941 as PENNSYLVANIA did not have any further work done on her (structurally) between August and December '41 as far as I can determine.

I will see if there was a visit to Puget Sound Shipyard between August/December 1941 but I don't think that she left the Hawaiian Island theater during that time.

Hank

[gott_cha]

Hank I had misunderstood what you said...sorry Brain farting I guess. .. No more MEK fumes for me today.

To clear it up....Pictorial evidence from August suggests the Booth Probably was there..I agree.
And with out evidence of Yard Work...it was in place on Dec 7 .......I agree..yes.