Good reference material for Gato class submarines

The best resource is the Gato-class Plan Book by the Floating Drydock.   The hard-copy book has been out of publication for several years, but Tom Walkowiak [sp] of FD has just announced that he is re-releasing the book on CD.

http://floatingdrydock.com/update.htm

Classic Warships will be releasing a book on the  Gato class by the end of the month.

 If you want a CD, I have one covering the Cobia and the Cod

 http://wmunderway.8m.com/seaphoto/catalog/CDsales/cobia.html

 Kurt

Ed,

Thanks for the lead.  I placed an order today along with a few other items.

Kurt,

The check is in the mail for the photo CD

Thanks guys!

I plan on driving to Muskegon MI to photo the USS Silversides SS236 as reference material for my Gato model. It's only a 45 minute drive for me and I'd be willing to share the photos with you if you'd like.

Any particular areas that you'd like pictures of? 

www.silversides.org 

Dave 

Thanks so much for the photos.  I also received the Submarine Plan eBook from The Floating Drydock.  This is an excellent reference and although I'm not close to getting through it all yet I highly recommend getting this.  I can't wait to see what the aftermarket types come up with for this boat. 

Dave

Interesting you should mention the Silversides. Of the four boats referenced in the Gato boat instructions, she's the only government boat. Note the difference in her limber holes from the other three (look at the photos, the diagrams are all identical, even the same sail number). When you take your photos, take note of the fairwater. I confirmed the "step" in the side of the Cobia's sail in current photographs of her, but I can't see any such "step" in any of the wartime photos I've seen.

What a GREAT kit though.

How do you plan to cut the limber holes? Long lines of identical holes intimidate me.

wee_vee wrote:

How do you plan to cut the limber holes? Long lines of identical holes intimidate me.

I might use a Bridgeport mill, possibly a cnc mill. A pin router bit can do a pretty good job on stuff like that.

The sail might present a problem as the shape is entirely different on the Silversides. I'll figure that one out with a little time and luck.

I'm hoping to get up to the boat Friday and get a bunch of shots. I'll keep you posted.

The Silversides was used in a film a few years ago ("BELOW" starring Bruce Greenwood, an absolutely horrible film IMHO) and was repainted to reflect the war-worn post-patrol appearance of returning boat, complete with rust streaks. I'll see if I can get some copies of these while I'm at the museum.

One note about the propeller guards on the Gato and Balao boats- some published information says that the propeller guards were removable and were not installed during war patrols. I don't have any first-hand knowledge about the accuracy of that info but thought I'd post it.