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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3673
Location: Kansas City Missouri | Subject: Thames October 1967
Taken By Rob Scharpf, zero-dark thirty from USS Tusk.
 (thamesoct67a.jpg)
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 thamesoct67a.jpg (32KB - 817 downloads)
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Senior Crew
Posts: 113
Location: Dogpatch (Conway), Arkansas | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
Nice!!!! I must like blue........the COLOUR!
Edited by Sargosailor 2008-04-04 11:15 AM
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1455
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Was that a timed exposure at dawn or dusk? If it was the boat must have been steady and/or you have some interesting film. |
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Senior Crew
Posts: 113
Location: Dogpatch (Conway), Arkansas | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
zero-dark thirty would have to be AM wouldn't it? I wonder what you would call it if it was PM?
Sammy |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
If it was a time exposure the water would have been blurred not detailed like it is.
Very fast film, I'd say.
Nice pic.
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1107
Location: Tucson AZ | Subject: Well, there's 2 choices as to location...
... from downstream of the bridges, or from the upstream side. It's been 40 years since I was back there, but I know that the two bridges are the I-95 (Gold Star Memorial) bridge and the RR bridge, but I can't make out which one is in the foreground; they are pretty close to each other as I remember.
The photograph is likely taken from near Sub Base looking down-river, since I think if Tusk were downstream we'd see more structures, like State Pier and New London on the left, and EB on the right.
With all the wave action, it must have been a pretty windy early AM. The nice glint highlighting the waves is probably from a nearly full moon. It looks from the ambient sky to be pre-dawn, and like Ric said he was using pretty fast film - likely 1000 ASA, but 400 ASA at a minimum.
All in all, a very nice shot ... I dub it 'Thames River Blues'.
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 618
Location: Issaquah WA, USA | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
I agree that pix is taken upstream from the bridges, probably just past where the Sub force museum is. You can see the skyline of New London to the right background. Having said that, I have a couple problems with that picture. First, the photo angle is so low that if taken from a sub it would likely have been taken from the foredeck bow area from the deck itself. Second, it looks like a pipe railing running horizontally across the bottom 3rd of the picture and only the fore and aft 'cigarette' decks of fleet boats had rails. Tusk was converted to a Guppy in 1948 and would not have had rails after conversion and this photo is represented as being taken in October 1967. If the photo was taken from the after cigarette deck of a fleet boat, I think the photo aspect would be higher. "During the summer of 1967, Tusk returned to northern European waters, visiting several ports and participating in yet another series of multinational NATO exercises. That November, she joined in binational American-Canadian exercises in the western Atlantic before resuming her East Coast routine." Apparently Tusk wasn't even in New London in the October time frame. I served in both Guppys and a fleet boat. It is a nice picture, but I have my doubts that it was taken from a submarine.
Edited by PatH 2008-04-04 8:41 PM
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3673
Location: Kansas City Missouri | Subject: RE: Text with photo Thames October 1967
Gary One evening in October of 1967, when I was aboard Tusk, I dragged my camera to the turtleback and took a slide photo of the view to the south. In it you can see the floating antenna tube in the foreground, the moonlight bedazzling the river's wavetops with diamonds, and the highway and railroad bridges in the distance. I recently scanned the slide and spruced it up with Photoshop, restoring the essence of the moment. |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3673
Location: Kansas City Missouri | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
Hi, Gary, No, I don't mind your posting my photo. But, despite my explanation of its taking, people have doubts about much. Let me explain. To PatH: The photo was taken from the stern (turtleback) of Tusk while Tusk was docked at the Subase, probably at a southern dock because I don't see any other boats or docks in the photo. It is forty years ago, so I don't remember all the details. Yes, the skyline of New London is to the right background. As I said when I sent the photo to Gary, the photo was taken from the stern, about as far aft on the turtleback I could walk without falling into the Thames, with the camera held only a foot or two above the river's surface. The "pipe railing" that you see is really the tube out of which the 1000' floating antenna was played. I believe the floating antenna was added to the boat when it was in the yard in the early sixties, the same time #4 engine was removed and the Prairie Masker installed. Tusk was indeed on a northern European NATO good-will cruise (no exercises; just showed the flag) in the summer of 1967.. This cruise lasted for about two months in the summer. We visited Holy Loch, Scotland; Portsmouth, England; Cherbourg, France; Bremerhaven, Germany; Aarhus, Denmark; Goteborg, Sweden; Londonderry, Northern Ireland; and back to Holy Loch for re-supply before steaming back across the Atlantic to Groton. I know we were in Holy Loch on July 5th because we joked that we were in the "Firth of Forth on the Fifth." I'm guessing(!) this was on our way over, which would mean the trip was from the middle of June through the middle of August, allowing us plenty of time to join the "Canadian/American exercises" in November. Also, I took the October, 1967, time from the date printed by the developer on my slide, but I don't remember how long the film remained in the camera after I took the Thames photo but before I had it developed in October. Fact: I, Rob Scharpf, RM2(SS), took the photo from the stern of Tusk as she sat in the Thames River around September or October of 1967. To Ric I say "Bravo!" No time exposure, and a very fast film, indeed (for the time): GAF 500, with an ISO (or ASA at that time) of 500, a very fast, warm, saturated film for color slides. I loved it. To Flapper: Also "Bravo!" You're right in that the two (now three) bridges were, and still are, very close to each other, with the railroad bridge being the southern of the two, in this case in the background. (Check them out on Google Earth.) And you're right about the fast film (see above) and the photo being taken from Subase. I don't remember the time exactly, but since I'm not an early morning riser I'd guess it was taken late at night before I hit the sack. To Tom McNulty, I don't remember the shutter speed, but as Ric said, a time exposure would have resulted in a blurred river, and neither dawn nor dusk, but sometime in the middle of the night. And the boat was tied up, therefore the steadiness. Gary, please pass this on to the thread whose link you sent me. Cheers, Rob <script type="text/javascript"> |
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Senior Crew
Posts: 113
Location: Dogpatch (Conway), Arkansas | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
A 1000' floating antenna??? You sure that wasn't a telephone line? You must have gotten some loooong messages.
Sammy
Edited by Sargosailor 2008-04-05 6:17 PM
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3673
Location: Kansas City Missouri | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
For me, this photo brings back many fond memories of New London. If anyone would like a copy 800x600 1.37MB, much better detail. Let me know, I'll send it via email. |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 48
Location: No. CA | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
I'm late to the dance but, as soon as I saw the picture I would have bet ektachrome. Have a lot of blue slides when I needed speed enough to catch a pic in low light. Love the angle.
Bob |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 590
Location: Colton, NY | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
Gary,
Ex-cell-ent photo.
There's a daylight shot here http://www.sid-hill.com/history/all.htm
I wish more good pics of "the river" were avaiable on the net.
But it seems I recall signs saying "No cameras allowed on lower base"... or words to that effect. Don't think it curtailed the shutterbugging much though. |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 35
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There was a great film company in those days that provided you with a free roll of film everytime you sent in a roll for developement. They also provided you with both slides AND negatives for future reprinting... For some reason that film (it was some form of movie film if I remember correctly) favored the cooler (blue) end of the light spectrum. It was easy to see that the picture was taken looking down river and most likely from the turtle back.
You mentioned an American/Canadian excercise... Would that have been the CANUS SILEX in which ten submarines (8 US and 2 Canadian) subs participated? Our objective was to close the East Coast via generous sea lanes - (we weren't restricted hardly at all - for once!) - surface at a given spot and remain so for a specified period of time? We were simulating Russian boats firing a surface launched missile at the East Coast... No, (I repeat - NO) submarines were detected during the approach (which took days!) No submarines were detected during their simulated missile launches! (The Cobbler actually had made up a rocket from a large cardboard tube, painted it red and taped it to the radar mast which we rotated with great imprudence for the specified period of time...) We finally received a radio message requesting that we "force" contact with any opposing forces (both the US and Canada had surface ships and aircraft looking for us) so we started snorkling during the day as we made our way back to the "Mother Land". We eventually picked up a DD coming in our general direction and changed our course to close... They charged right on by as we snorkled down along one side of them less than a half mile away... Our Capt'n ordered "Surface on the snorkle" which we did and they continued on their merry way until we secured snorkling, came around and kicked the old girl into high gear to persue! Eventually someone.. (I figure it was some deck ape back aft painting or polishing the brass towing cleat - you know how skimmers are!) spotted us and the DD nearly rolled over trying to come about! We sounded the diving alarm, pulled a sharp turn as we descended, went our way and they went theirs... We never did get "found"!!! Was THAT the "American/Canadian excercise you were talking about?
Just wondering and reminiscing..........
Ramjet |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 618
Location: Issaquah WA, USA | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
Thanks for the clarification. I learned yet one more thing from your post. I don't recall ever seeing any diesel boats with a floating wire antennae. I don't doubt your report, just saying that it was yet one more thing I've learned about the twilight period of the diesel boats. Here is a more recent photo of Tusk in Taiwan. You can see the antennae tube in the photo. http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0842608.jpg |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2673
Location: New Jersey | Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
PatH - 2008-04-06 6:38 PM Thanks for the clarification. I learned yet one more thing from your post. I don't recall ever seeing any diesel boats with a floating wire antennae. I don't doubt your report, just saying that it was yet one more thing I've learned about the twilight period of the diesel boats. Here is a more recent photo of Tusk in Taiwan. You can see the antennae tube in the photo. http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0842608.jpg
Pat,
Sirago had a floating antenna installed in the ATR during a yard overhaul in '62. It was used pretty extensively much to the dismay of the TM on watch. I guess it got pretty wet as it was hauled back in. The Russkie trawlers would try to run over them to cut them up and suceeded a few times. However, I don't remember where it exited the pressure hull. I certainly don't remember a tube near the turtleback. But then, that was 45 years ago.
Joe Roche '61-64 SS485
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Old Salt
Posts: 256
| Subject: RE: Thames October 1967
One quick observation........I remember using Kodachrome and Fuji color film in 1960's.....when I finally found all the pics I took at sea in WestPac 30+ years later, my folks had them.....I was amazed how much better the Fuji pics color ran true to the scenes I remember when I took them.......a good three decades had elapsed. Many of the Kodak slides faded, but the pics bought back lots of terrific memories.
Tincanman  |
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Thames October 1967
