Submarine Organ Story

Commenter forendy's comment (responding to the preceeding post) about a wind operated mini organ powered by a footpump or the exhaust of a vacuum cleaner in his UK boat years ago reminded me of certain eccentricities in my old boat, the USS Seawolf SSN-575.

According to crew lore and as verified in the Goat Locker here (11th bullet down), SSN 575 had an electronic organ in its unoccupied, "prayer room" space. Although the organ and sodium-cooled reactor had both been removed by the time I reported aboard, the prayer room was still called that. For recreation, we also might have had a nickle slot machine (legal to play only in international waters, of course).

The prayer room was a nice storage space (rare on submarines). On occasion, various prototypical equipment was installed there for both trial or dedicated operational use. Finally, the space became permanently used by equipment maintained by some of my guys.

Oh, have you noticed an unfamiliar, unicorn-like device in the above photo? Seawolf has been called an experimental boat, not to deny her obvious, operational achievements (during the 30 years from her delivery to her decommissioning).

As the picture proves, experimental may be an understatement. This was before my time, and it raises another question. Would this organ have fit in the prayer room? What is the billiard cue-like device? If anyone cares to guess, I will let you know.

Oh, and before either complains, the geezer pictured on Seawolf's deck is neither GEEZERNUKE of OK2B NOUGHT to whom forendy replied, or bothenook of A GEEZER's CORNER.

posted by Vigilis @ 3:18 PM