Calling all Balao-class (SS-285) fans

[ModelMonkey]

Seeking detailed, closeup photos of the conning tower and fairwater of any Balao class sub. Anyone have any good Lionfish pics?

[Tom Dougherty]

Yeah, plenty of them. Contact me and I will send them to you

[ModelMonkey]

Thanks to Tom and others, two different 3D-printed Balao class fairwaters are available in several popular scales.

[Tom Dougherty]

Looks like nice work!
Unfortunately the Shapeways links you posted to the individual scale products go nowhere...

[ModelMonkey]

Links fixed, try her again, Tom.

And thanks!

I hope to have a Lionfish fairwater done soon. It has different features than that of USS Balao.

[krgf15]

Right down my alley! I just have a question or two. At this time, the only other 1/72 Balao parts are from Nautilus or Iron Bottom Sound. I have only ever worked with resin, (Iron Bottom Sound specifically...). How does the 3d printed material hold up in detail versus the previously mentioned companies, and is it harder to work with than resin? Thanks

[ModelMonkey]

Right down my alley! I just have a question or two. At this time, the only other 1/72 Balao parts are from Nautilus or Iron Bottom Sound. I have only ever worked with resin, (Iron Bottom Sound specifically...). How does the 3d printed material hold up in detail versus the previously mentioned companies, and is it harder to work with than resin? Thanks

Best modelers who have one in hand answer the question regarding detail. Here's a post by modeler Walt Haynes: viewtopic.php?p=704266#p704266

And from David Waples: viewtopic.php?p=704395#p704395

3D-printed parts are a bit of a different animal than resin with respect to finishing, but in some ways better (no casting block to remove, no casting bubbles, no voids to fill, no warping). See: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=161086

[krgf15]

Thanks!! I will have to do some research on which boats the Balao tower will work on, but I want it!!!

[proflooney]

I been interested in the Balao I wanted to do it in solidworks and do one at 1/32 scale but the drawings I have with the tables of offsets are almost unreadable. would anyone happen to have a clean set of too for the Balao. I got my drawings off the museums website. This is my first attempt at doing a sub and so far i been screaming yelling and smashing things just to get the sub drawn up so I can start scratch building this winter

[chuck]

Does anyone know the pressure hull diameter for Baleo?

[Tom Dougherty]

For Balao, at the maximum beam, 27', 4". The pressure hull plating thickness was somewhat greater than the Gato class, and made of a more resilient steel.

[chuck]

For Balao, at the maximum beam, 27', 4". The pressure hull plating thickness was somewhat greater than the Gato class, and made of a more resilient steel.

The pressure hull would be much smaller than the maximum beam. There are fuel and ballast tanks one both sides of the pressure at maximum beam. If I am not mistaken, gato and Baleos are double hulled throughout their entire length, with a cylindrical pressure hull completely encased in a hydrodynamic outter hull.

[Tom Dougherty]

Interior pressure hull diameter is 16' 3/8".
They are not double hulled along their entire length; but along most of it. I have detailed X-sections of the fleet boat hulls.
Space between the pressure hull upper sides and exterior upper sides hull was used for diesel fuel storage, which was then displaced by water as the fuel was used. Ballast tanks were also in the space between the pressure hull and exterior, along the bottom of the boat. Negative "hard" tank was below the conning tower fairwater; used for crash dives and then usually blown partially empty after diving.

[chuck]

Rhanks

[maccrage]

Well, last night I realized that NavSource has war patrol reports online, and found my grandfather's reports for Barbero.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/175592244/SS-317-Barbero

This helps a lot, I thought she had a 5" deck gun, turns out it was a 4". And she was in "light gray camouflage", so 32/3SS-B should be correct.

[maccrage]

Links fixed, try her again, Tom.

And thanks!

I hope to have a Lionfish fairwater done soon. It has different features than that of USS Balao.

Just ordered the Lionfish fairwater for my AFV 1943 Gato.

[maccrage]

Barbero was an EB boat, and the AFV 1943 Gato hull is correct, except the deck. Looks like a whole rescribing job.

[ModelMonkey]

Links fixed, try her again, Tom.

And thanks!

I hope to have a Lionfish fairwater done soon. It has different features than that of USS Balao.

Just ordered the Lionfish fairwater for my AFV 1943 Gato.

Thanks so much!

[maccrage]

Finally solved the last mystery for Barbero, the location of the deck gun. Found an overhead picture, and the 4" is forward.

[Tom Dougherty]

Barbero was an EB boat, and the AFV 1943 Gato hull is correct, except the deck. Looks like a whole rescribing job.

Wow, I don�t have the AFV Gato, so I looked at the kit online. You are correct, the deck has huge mistakes!! First, it is definitely a deck on a post war Gato/Balao, with safety harness railings and a different deck emergency buoy. The WWII Gatos did not have the safety rail. Also the hatch just aft of the sail should be: 1.) Just slightly off center, not as far as the deck edge, and 2.) it is a flush mounting that fits into the deck, not a hatch that sticks up above the deck. The deck cover over the hatch has a rectangle shape with a half circle at one end. All you see is that shape outlined on deck. The same flush mount for the hatch over the engine room. The only two deck hatches that stick above deck are the forward and aft torpedo room hatches, which are escape trunks.

I have the old Floating Drydock Gato and Balao plan book. Let me know if you want any of the deck drawings from it for your project.