2011 USS Torsk work weekend 9/30-10/2

[maddawg308]

Not sure if anyone would be interested in attending, but this is a military vehicle (a rather LARGE one)...

Every year the USS Torsk Submarine museum in Baltimore MD has a work weekend to perform regular maintenance on the boat, and install new parts for the boat's restoration. Lots of work and projects get done this weekend, in their quest to refurbish the workings of this vintage WWII submarine.

If anyone would like to attend, the work weekend is Friday-Saturday September 31 - October 2, 2011 in Baltimore Maryland. Lodging on board has been provided in past events, as are the meals. A $20 donation to the boat is requested for the food. If you have mechanical, electrical, or painting ability of any type, your skills can be used. Let me know if you are interested, and I can put you in touch with the organizer.

USS Torsk SS-423

 

[maddawg308]

So...NO ONE is within an hour or so of the Baltimore area that can swing a wrench or sling some paint that weekend? Wow, I thought guys here liked working on military vehicles...

 

[maddawg308]

Well, regardless of the lack of volunteers, I'll be there, and I'll take some pics of the weekend and the work we do. I've heard of the list of stuff that needs to be done on the boat and it's longer than last year. There are almost 50 people who have volunteered on the website who will be there, from around the country, it should be a good time.

 

[shenkmen]

What age children are welcome?

 

[maddawg308]

Well, had a great time once again on the work weekend. Over 50 folks showed up for the event, some were there Friday-Sunday, I was there Saturday only, dawn to night after the cookout. I usually help out in the radio room, this time there were three people in radio already (kinda crowded in a 3x8 foot space), so I opted to do other work in Control. Cleaned out the dusty and nicotine-stained 1MC internal comm unit getting it ready for restoration, mounted a control box for the antenna unit, and spent the rest of the day walking back and forth to underdeck storage lockers looking for the right size nut or bolt to use replacing a myriad of fasteners that had gone missing over the years from control boxes, vent covers, switch plates, etc. Not a very hard job to do, but made more difficult when you have to go through two watertight hatches, down a flight of Navy stairs (almost vertical but not quite) all the while trying to squeeze past museum visitors, as the work weekend doesn't stop paying customers. Overall a good day, and we were all glad to help out the boat.

Still no luck getting the periscope to raise/lower, or the engines to start, but it's a slow process getting a sleeping giant to wake fully.

Pictures will follow once they get put up on the Torsk website.

There is a skeleton crew of maintenance folks aboard every Saturday, not as big as the main work weekend, maybe 5-8 people total, but since I live so close and I have family in the area I can visit, I am inclined to visit the boat and lend a hand more often. Might have to make that a regular thing once I get back on my feet.

 

[big1096]

I wish I would have seen this thread earlier. I would have loved to lend a hand between refurbishment work on my Lodge building. I don't know much about submarines, but I'm close and I can perform labor! Maybe next year...

 

[OldDominionIron]

I wish I had seen this post earlier. Is the work weekend approximately the same time each year? Former submariner here, MM2(SS), with 11+ years of shipyard outside machinist experience.

I visited the Torsk several months ago while visiting Baltimore for a long weekend.

Glad to see people pitching together to keep the old girl looking good.

 

[65BAJA]

So when is this going up on GL?

 

[uscgmatt]

If I didnt have OOD duty on sat. I would have gone. Let us know if they are going to have another work weekend in the near future.

 

[maddawg308]

They have it around the first weekend in October every year. I made three posts about it before the event happened, short of coming to your house and using a bullhorn I think I made it clear beforehand. Please, all, be advised that it will take place again same timeframe next year, more details at USS Torsk SS-423.

 

[firefirefire90]

woah they're trying to get the ship fully operational? That kicks butt!

 

[OldDominionIron]

They have it around the first weekend in October every year. I made three posts about it before the event happened, short of coming to your house and using a bullhorn I think I made it clear beforehand. Please, all, be advised that it will take place again same timeframe next year, more details at USS Torsk SS-423.

I apologize for not spending more time on here and seeing your posts. I usually check my subscribed threads then the new posts. Depending on when that happens, sometimes there are less than 10 posts in the new posts column. I'll try to do better and see if I can follow all of your posts (more than 8,000 of them).

What I WILL do is put a reminder on my work calendar to check to see when the work weekend is and see if it fits in with my work schedule and any family plans that are made.

 

[maddawg308]

Not trying to rile you up, ODI, just saying that I started this thread and seemed like noone was interested beforehand. Not just here, but on a couple other sites as well, I got the same thing from a couple folks, just made me shake me head and wonder what I had to do before to get people there short of renting a bus and driving around picking folks up. Anyways, not trying to rile you up, I wish you had seen it earlier, we can always use good volunteers on the boat, love to have you up next year.

 

[OldDominionIron]

Hope to see you as well.

 

[papabear]

MD, pardon my ignorance as I know ABSOLUTELY nothing about submarines or rules about them.
You mentioned you are trying to get the engines operational so I assume at some point you would like to "take her for a spin".

How would that work? Is it allowed? Could you actually dive the sub?

Of course since I'm afraid of the water I would have to sit that one out

 

[islandguydon]

Good Thread..

 

[Srjeeper]

PB, a friend who is the local sub chapter commander said, if they can get the engines to run, they can, but cannot enguage the screws. If you go the the subs site, one of the screws is on display up here in Pa..

I doudt you or I would fit in one of those WWII boats....Was in the one in Mass. 40 years ago when I was 100 lbs lighter and barely fit.

Guess we'll just have to sit by the pool and dangle or feet in the water....

 

[maddawg308]

Bill has the subject right, one of the goals is to start up the engines, but not engage the screws. Just to make her as operational as possible.

PB - there are PLENTY of other things to do on the boat that are not related to the engines at all. Heck, we had kids on the boats helping out too. Cleaning, polishing, electronics tech, welding, painting, replacing missing parts, lots of stuff to do that is outside of the engine room.

 

[Whitey]

One of my friends back in the late 90's did the work weekend a few times. She worked and slept on the boat, said she had a great time. I believe she mentioned the hull was sitting on the bottom of the harbor if I remember correctly.

 

[maddawg308]

No, the hull is not on the bottom, there is at least 10 feet of draft underneath the keel, and she does bob in the water if a large boat comes by. Occasionally the boat has to be moved in or out, front to rear, to do work on the dive planes, and she can be moved by one man standing on a line from the boat to the dock, just using leverage of a 200-lb man you can slowly move a 2,200-ton submarine. Can't do that if you're on the sea bottom.