1/96 USS Oklahoma SSN-802

[Brady D]

Gents,

It's been a minute. Quite a few actually. Formerly DMTNT, who ****'d up and couldn't recover my password to the old account. So here we are; it's good to see you salty dogs again. First round is on me.

Now, let's say we build ourselves a submarine?

Submarineworks' excellent Block III/IV Virginia will be the starting point for what's to become my rendition of the soon-to-be USS Oklahoma, SSN-802. The first Block V boat, she will not share the extended VPM missile tubes and payload module of her sisters, but will feature South Dakota's Large Vertical Array (LVA).

It's been 83 years, and proud name deserves a worthy legacy.

This one's been on the go for a bit, and I recently picked my tools back up. Here's where we at so far.

[JHapprich]

Back again... you took your time!

How is your Jimmy Carter doing?

You should contact Bob Martin, i'm sure hell be able to restore your account and move your new posts over!

Regards, Jörg

[Brady D]

A few more photos to close out today's work.

At some point a while back I managed to cock-up some of the nice scribing that Pete had done for the covers & supply lockers on the sail though a little errant sanding, so I decided to reproduce them as slightly raised detail. Awaiting Merriman's assessment that it looks like a blind 3-year-old applied them with a hot glue gun :-) but I'm happy with the result in primer. With some eventual paint and clear, it'll give the sail some nice detail. Virginia class sails tend to be a disgusting mess of oblong shapes, peeling material, rust and unevenly applied sealant anyway, so I'm sticking with that logic.

[Brady D]

Back again... you took your time!

How is your Jimmy Carter doing?

You should contact Bob Martin, i'm sure hell be able to restore your account and move your new posts over!

Regards, Jörg

Thanks Jörg! Glad to be here.

My SSN-23 is still around, but after a few moves and some hardware changes, she’s spent more time looking pretty on the shelf than in the water where she belongs.

[CC Clarke]

I've got a USS Arizona designed and about 95 % complete. She'll have the first VPM and new vertical array right behind the sail.

All I'm waiting on are official pictures before I wrap up the design and add the "plug". The NAVSEA renders are contradictory so I need photos. She should be wet by the end of next year

I was at a function in Scottsdale last week which the new CO and a few crewmembers were scheduled to attend, but couldn't make due to the government shutdown. Once I get the official references, I'll scale it up to build a 1/72 scale model and with the help of the politicians involved with the Arizona Legacy Foundation, hope to get it installed in the state capitol along with an existing 1/72 USS Phoenix. My current 1/144 scale boat will go to the Legacy Foundation, which our local SubVets group is aligned with.

A former SECNAV entertained us regarding how he came to name the boat. That would make a great "who and how" qual question onboard.

I sure hope someone is looking ahead, thinking about the feasibility of building some Columbia-class boats as SSGNs once the SSBN run ends. Only 16 tubes (but could be stretched) but still very much needed.

After asking, "Where are the carriers?" I bet the next question from the president is, "Where are the SSGNs?" In a near-peer conflict, the life expectancy of carriers will be measured in days, if not hours. Stealthy submarine arsenal platforms are our ace-in-the hole -until the SLBMs fly, and we're all screwed then.

Converting the first four T-hulls was a wise decision. The VA VPMs will not cover what's needed to compensate for their loss for a long time, and will require multiple hulls in an already strained force structure compared to a single, dedicated SSGN. We cannot build VA class boats fast enough - especially with demand from the Aussies for some of their own.

Closing so many naval shipyards was very short-sighted. We could re-build them, but without trained, experienced professionals to perform the specialized work, it would be a long time before they could be useful. EB is hiring like mad, along with one of my former employers, Trident Refit Facility, Bangor.

Like Mike Rowe says, blue-collar, skilled labor is and will always be in demand for the foreseeable future.

[Brady D]

I've got a USS Arizona designed and about 95 % complete. She'll have the first VPM and new vertical array right behind the sail.

All I'm waiting on are official pictures before I wrap up the design and add the "plug". The NAVSEA renders are contradictory so I need photos. She should be wet by the end of next year

I was at a function in Scottsdale last week which the new CO and a few crewmembers were scheduled to attend, but couldn't make due to the government shutdown. Once I get the official references, I'll scale it up to build a 1/72 scale model and with the help of the politicians involved with the Arizona Legacy Foundation, hope to get it installed in the state capitol along with an existing 1/72 USS Phoenix. My current 1/144 scale boat will go to the Legacy Foundation, which our local SubVets group is aligned with.

A former SECNAV entertained us regarding how he came to name the boat. That would make a great "who and how" qual question onboard.

I sure hope someone is looking ahead, thinking about the feasibility of building some Columbia-class boats as SSGNs once the SSBN run ends. Only 16 tubes (but could be stretched) but still very much needed.

After asking, "Where are the carriers?" I bet the next question from the president is, "Where are the SSGNs?" In a near-peer conflict, the life expectancy of carriers will be measured in days, if not hours. Stealthy submarine arsenal platforms are our ace-in-the hole -until the SLBMs fly, and we're all screwed then.

Converting the first four T-hulls was a wise decision. The VA VPMs will not cover what's needed to compensate for their loss for a long time, and will require multiple hulls in an already strained force structure compared to a single, dedicated SSGN. We cannot build VA class boats fast enough - especially with demand from the Aussies for some of their own.

Closing so many naval shipyards was very short-sighted. We could re-build them, but without trained, experienced professionals to perform the specialized work, it would be a long time before they could be useful. EB is hiring like mad, along with one of my former employers, Trident Refit Facility, Bangor.

Like Mike Rowe says, blue-collar, skilled labor is and will always be in demand for the foreseeable future.

Sounds awesome! I’d love to see some photos or progress, especially your take on the LVA.

I know they’ll go where the Navy sends them, but it’d be fitting if 802 & 803 were both based at Pearl the way Jackson has spent her whole life at Bangor.