Calling all Balao-class (SS-285) fans

[maccrage]

That would be excellent. I'm actually working on 2 Barbero's. 1/350 and 1/72 rc.

[maccrage]

Beautiful.

[maccrage]

Ordered the 1941 AFV Gato. Much less deck fixing to do, and it looks like hull-wise all I should need to add besides the flood vents and exhausts will be the steps added above the limber holes.

[Tom Dougherty]

I just PM'ed you. I have the Balao Deck plans reproduced as high resolution digital files.

Deck on the 1941 kit looks to be just as wrong as the later model. Postwar safety railing and wrong emergency marker buoy. Two of the hatches are wrong.
I would bet that both were based on the AFV master model makers looking at museum submarines, and being unaware of the postwar modifications made in the late 1940's, early 1950's. Contemporary WW II photos would have cleared that up for them. The Floating Dry-dock plan book for Gato & Baloa submarines also has the correct deck outfitting.

[maccrage]

Yeah, definitely still wrong, but easier to fix, wince I won't have to rescribe all the steel deck into planking. Judging from the overhead image of Barbero, her deck matches the Icefish layout on the plans you provided.

[maccrage]

41 Gato is definitely a better starting point.

[Corky]

USS Bowfin (SS-287) Lindberg,

[ssn705]

Probably a stretch with this one, but looking to see if any one has info on PERCH (APSS 313) in the Korean War timeframe. Specifically interested in any further detail/description of the starboard side of the main deck outboard of the deck shelter. A couple pics show a step down ( maybe to facilitate embarking/debarking small boats) but without great detail. Any detail, thoughts, pics appreciated.

Best pic of it is here (Navsource):

https://navsource.net/archives/08/312/0831334.jpg

You can see a guy standing in it. I assume it is likely steps down the sloped sides and probably a vertical bulkhead inboard.

Once the deck shelter is gone, the step is gone too.

Cheers

Dave

[Tom Dougherty]

Photo of Perch from a rear, overhead view and another forward view. The rear view shows that area in some detail.

[Vepr157]

Dave, that's a keen observation; I had never noticed that before!

I suspect that there was a trough in the deck aft of the hangar to allow the hangar door to open as the hangar was recessed into the deck. You only see a notch in the starboard superstructure because the hangar swung open in that direction. Here's a photo which shows what I mean:

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7576826

When the hangar was removed it seems that this trough was plated over so that just a flat deck remained. The hangar on the SSGs (which was derived from the SSP hangar) had a door that opened upward, so no such trough in the deck was required.

Jacob

[ssn705]

Jacob,
That photo and your assessment totally blew my mind. I don't know how I didn't make that connection. In the back of my engineering brain, I have always sorta wondered about the movement of the door since it was side opening. Now to sketch it out.

Thanks,

Dave

[ssn705]

And the opening trench now makes the shadows in this picture https://www.navsource.net/archives/08/0831321.jpg (also posted by Tom above) make more sense.

Dave

[Vepr157]

Looking through my files, I found these two photos which give a (very slightly) better view of the notch in the superstructure:

https://i.imgur.com/Q8FqPRY.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/bhEBoME.jpeg

Jacob

[ssn705]

Jacob,
I have seen the ice one before, but now , thinking about the trench, the flow and movement of ice makes sense too. Other one is new to me.

Time to do some measuring.

Thanks for posting.

Dave

[Vepr157]

Dave,

I also found that the ONI Submarine Sighting Guides have some small drawings that look reasonably accurate:

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/da ... .1.pdf.pdf

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/da ... 2A.pdf.pdf

The plan view in the first booklet shows the outline of the trough in the deck.

Jacob

[ssn705]

I have looked at those same booklets and never noticed that before. I guess I was focused on other things at the time. Nifty little resource and it fits with the drawings I started to gen up.

Dave