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Topic: Wisconsin Maritime Museum at Manitowoc |
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Bob Steinbrunn
Advanced Member
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 Posted on: Apr 20, 2016 - 1:26pm
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For those of you who live in the Midwest - or elsewhere for that matter - you might put the Wisconsin Maritime Museum at Manitowoc on your bucket list. They focus on the maritime history of Wisconsin, obviously, and not PT boats, but I think anyone who is interested in PT boats has a keen appreciation of maritime history no matter what particular subject.
This museum is really excellent and has recently undergone a major $$ expansion and upgrade. It's especially significant since it has the USS Cobia (SS-245) moored alongside. This is a Gato-class fleet submarine that is air-conditioned, well-lit, open for tours or overnight camping, and has been so authentically restored inside that, with all the crew's gear stowed properly and all the electrical boards, instruments, and displays lit up, you get the eerie feeling that the crew has gone ashore for lunch and will be back any moment.
See: http://www.wisconsinmaritime.org/index.php
The museum also hosts a model ship & boat competition each May, this year's will be the weekend of 20 May 2016 and this marks the 40th anniversary of the contest. PT boat models are welcome, whether scale or RC! The RC models are run outside in the parking lot across the street from the museum in a large temporary tank and are great fun to watch.
http://www.wisconsinmaritime.org/special-events/midwestern-model-ships-boats-contest-and-display/
As an example, in 2012 I photographed this PT 109 model that was about 1/20 scale or so. The German builder was delighted to show off all of its operating features: sound board, spinning propellers, gun positions that rotated, lighting, and.....and......he had it hooked up to an air compressor on the floor to generate the air pressure necessary to launch all four torpedoes individually upon command. More of a toy, really, than a scale model, but fascinating for its engineering.
Cheers!
--Bob |
Total Posts: 134 | Joined:
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