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Thunder Below By Eugene B Fluckey!
The Gato Class USS Barb goes to war against the Japanese. I just loved reading this book, mainly because The Barb was working the same arena as my dad's boat HMS Sibyl. Sibyl got depth charged twice and strafed by aircraft for her escapades, which bagged her 15(I think that's correct) Japanese small vessels.
My dad never really told me much about that tour of duty, he was scared when they got depth charged, (not really surprising I guess), so this book really gave me a feel for what was going on. I loved it! It was a great read, and I got to thinking that this sort of adventure is what model submarines should be all about.
I just received a copy of RCSubmariner DVD from Traplet Publications, and after watching it for 15 minutes or so, I was thoroughly bored with seeing models just chugging around a pond. We need something more!
With the advent of D&E Torpedoes perhaps there is a real opportunity to invite targets to the meets and work out some of the tactics Flookey engaged in to relive some of these attacks. Seeing targets running at scale speeds and tacking every which way, with wolf packs of submarines lying in wait, could be enormous fun. Maybe, using fiber optics, we could rig the Up-periscope System to view through the periscope tip? That would be exciting, actually watching a convoy coming towards your boat through the virtual goggles. Then figuring out your position to actually fire your salvo of torpedoes.
Perhaps a set of rules could be developed and points scored for hits etc?
But, perhaps all this is wishful thinking! This book was certainly exciting to read and I'd love to be Gene Fluckey for an hour on the banks of my canal, re-enacting his wonderful adventures!
The Gato Class USS Barb goes to war against the Japanese. I just loved reading this book, mainly because The Barb was working the same arena as my dad's boat HMS Sibyl. Sibyl got depth charged twice and strafed by aircraft for her escapades, which bagged her 15(I think that's correct) Japanese small vessels.
My dad never really told me much about that tour of duty, he was scared when they got depth charged, (not really surprising I guess), so this book really gave me a feel for what was going on. I loved it! It was a great read, and I got to thinking that this sort of adventure is what model submarines should be all about.
I just received a copy of RCSubmariner DVD from Traplet Publications, and after watching it for 15 minutes or so, I was thoroughly bored with seeing models just chugging around a pond. We need something more!
With the advent of D&E Torpedoes perhaps there is a real opportunity to invite targets to the meets and work out some of the tactics Flookey engaged in to relive some of these attacks. Seeing targets running at scale speeds and tacking every which way, with wolf packs of submarines lying in wait, could be enormous fun. Maybe, using fiber optics, we could rig the Up-periscope System to view through the periscope tip? That would be exciting, actually watching a convoy coming towards your boat through the virtual goggles. Then figuring out your position to actually fire your salvo of torpedoes.
Perhaps a set of rules could be developed and points scored for hits etc?
But, perhaps all this is wishful thinking! This book was certainly exciting to read and I'd love to be Gene Fluckey for an hour on the banks of my canal, re-enacting his wonderful adventures!
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