The proper way to launch the boat?

[Jan Kyster]

Going through the collection and trying to get it somehow sorted I noticed how the yards used different ways of launching the boat.


First a visit at Electric Boats, launching the Grunion. Nice and smooth... beautiful paintjob...
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z15/subject_rod/SubLaunch/001-EB-Launch.jpg


At Mare Island the Wahoo gently slides down the ramp...
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z15/subject_rod/SubLaunch/002-MI-Launch.jpg


Portsmouth wishing Haddock good luck and all well...
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z15/subject_rod/SubLaunch/003-PO-Launch.jpg




Then we come to Manitowoc... Robalo... preparing...
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z15/subject_rod/SubLaunch/005-MA-Ready.jpg




Chief of the Yard: "Are we ready yet?"
Foreman: "Yes, Sir!"
COY: "All cleared on board?"
FM: "Yes, Sir!"
COY: "Then get her the hell out of my yard!"

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z15/subject_rod/SubLaunch/006-MA-Launch.jpg



COY: "Is she comming back up?"
FM: "Yes,Sir!"
COY: "NEXT!"

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z15/subject_rod/SubLaunch/007-MA-Floating.jpg



I can't imagine that to be healthy, but of course they knew what they were doing?

Must have putted a lot of strain on like the engine foundations?

Have a faint memory of people on the opposite bank getting in trouble by the waves generated, but not sure if it's connected to WW2 subs...


Here's an image of the "seaside" of the boat - they didn't even bother painting it! :rotfl2:

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z15/subject_rod/SubLaunch/008-MA-Prep.jpg

[looney]

Boat sure is big :) Nice pics, dunno if i didn't see them before. But I don't mind looking at them some more.

[Morpheus]

i am quite confident that if the sideways-launch would of harmed the boat, they wouldn't of done it that way. i admit thow, it would be interessting to know WHY they did it that way anyway... ;)

morph

[sergei]

Real nice photos :up:

[Nisgeis]

Manitowoc wasn't large enough to launch stern first, as launching that way the ship or boat will go quite some way and it would have hit the far shore. You can see in the pics how close the far shore is. They suggested launching sideways, but many were sceptical, so they built some scale models and tested them. They found the models heeled over to about 45 degrees (not exactly, but ish). In the photo of the Robalo, you can see a large white marker stick attached to the side of the ballast tanks about half way down. That was set to the precise angle they thought the sub would heel over to. You can see the second pic, the white marker is vertical, so they were bang on.

This is from the documentary that came with SH5, as that is about a Manitowoc boat. It looks even more impressive in movie form:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuCxCGoahEU

Watch the white marker stick.

[Andrew82]

Nice pics! Thnx! :up:

[Armistead]

Manitowoc wasn't large enough to launch stern first, as launching that way the ship or boat will go quite some way and it would have hit the far shore. You can see in the pics how close the far shore is. They suggested launching sideways, but many were sceptical, so they built some scale models and tested them. They found the models heeled over to about 45 degrees (not exactly, but ish). In the photo of the Robalo, you can see a large white marker stick attached to the side of the ballast tanks about half way down. That was set to the precise angle they thought the sub would heel over to. You can see the second pic, the white marker is vertical, so they were bang on.

This is from the documentary that came with SH5, as that is about a Manitowoc boat. It looks even more impressive in movie form:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuCxCGoahEU

Watch the white marker stick.

Nice video. So that was the skipper that hauled his Harley in his sub.

Something that interested me, said they went from the Great Lakes down the Mississippi to New Orleans to the Pan Canel...Didn't know they sent boats down the Miss...I'll have to figure out the water way and rivers they used, real interesting.

[Admiral8Q]

I would launch sideways. If anything breaks inside, that's the beginning of a shakedown cruise. Once those depth-charges start dropping you need a solid sub.

[Hylander_1314]

Usually I just back the trailer down the ramp at the boat launch.

[Admiral8Q]

Usually I just back the trailer down the ramp at the boat launch.
Right! :haha::haha::rotfl2:

The wouldn't like it much if you parked on the side of the dock and slid it in sideways with a huge wave. :rotfl2: