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Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] PC-1402 Conning Tower Dimensional Drawings Uploaded

Steve and James,

If you go to the Submersible Systems Technologies web site and look at the Vista Ranger, you will see a good picture of Steve's hatch, or at least of the PC-1402's hatch, which they used on the new acrylic cylinder conning tower. I do like the idea (the acrylic conning tower) but wonder about distortion and crash protection. I have, in fact, seen some used in pretty rugged circumstances, so I may be just hanging with what I know.

For instance, Vickers built the LRs based on Perry's PC-15 dimensions. The hulls were spun fiberglass and the conning towers were all acrylic like you see on the Ranger. The crews ran the hell out of them (we were all in direct competition in those days, and we ALL ran the hell out of whatever we had). In any case, Vickers never had any trouble with the LRs that I heard of aside from the fact that they were tubby as all get out and hard to manage in cross currents and the like. The subs had crash guards on deck to help protect the acrylic, and they were monumentally heavy. To be fair, they did have the spare payload, so I guess it worked out. Just on the face of it, the acrylic tube looks to me like simpler construction, and maybe even cheaper than the Perry's as you don't have all the multiple bits and pieces to build and weld and machine and clad and paint and...well, and so on.

Mind you, the PC-12 class from Perry has continued in service (in the tourist industry mostly), and they have done, literally, tens of thousands of dives without incident. That's a hard record to beat for sheer toughness. Keep in mind, you don't wear dress shoes when you're working. You wear steel toed brogans or work boots--heavier, more expensive perhaps, but very hard to beat when you drop a hammer on your toe. The steel conning towers are kind of like that, I think. Sort of a Wolverine safety boot with viewports.

Vance


-----Original Message-----
From: Steve McQueen <psub101@iquest.net>
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Sent: Tue, Jul 14, 2009 12:14 pm
Subject: RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] PC-1402 Conning Tower Dimensional Drawings Uploaded

James, there are 2 securing lugs (which I now realize I did not capture in the
drawings but will add). Vance had told me there was one in the front and one in
the rear. This matches the positions of the securing lugs.

Steve



Quoting James Frankland <james@guernseysubmarine.com>:

> Hi Steve.
>
> I was just looking at your pictures.  Am i correct in thinking there is only
> a single hatch securing lug?  Or are there others i cant see?
>
> Regards
> James
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Steve McQueen [mailto:psub101@iquest.net]
> To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
> Sent: Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:18:17 -0400
> Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] PC-1402 Conning Tower Dimensional Drawings Uploaded
>
> All, while I am not sure how helpful it will be to others I have created 2D
> dimensional drawings of the PC-1402 conning tower I own.  I have them
> uploaded on my project space on the psubs site.  This might give others
> insight into how Perry chose to do the PC-1402 tower and I hope some of the
> dimensional details might be of use to others designing a tower.  It might
> be hard to see all of the details on the uploads so I am happy to send the
> files to anyone interested in more resolution etc.
>
>
>
> Steve McQueen
>
>
>
>





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