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Mess cooking
Posts: 36
| Subject: USS Dorado
I was surfing today and came across www.ussdorado.com. The authors of this site have put forth a rather fantastic theory. They claim that after being bombed by mistake by U.S. aircraft, she was not sunk, but caught in a state of neutral buoyancy in which she drifted with a dead crew for over two months. 900 miles later she goes aground on the shore of Mexico somewhere near Cozumel. Partially buried in sand, her conning tower is barely visible at low tide.
Think about this for a moment.
1. The mistaken bombing attack would have had to damage her bad enough to kill the entire crew almost instantly and stop her propulsion, but not badly enough to sink her. If any of the crew survived even for a short while they would have been able to get her to the surface and get out.
2. She then drifts for TWO MONTHS in a state of neutral buoyancy, completely submerged. I sailed for three years on a diesel boat (576) which had a more modern trim and drain system than a fleet boat, but it was nearly impossible to obtain true neutral buoyancy with no propulsion for even two minutes much less two months! We could get close, but we would either slowly sink or slowly rise. And this was with a LIVE crew!
3. During this two month, 900 mile journey she is never sighted again, despite the Gulf of Mexico being heavily patroled.
I would like to find out what happened to the Dorado as much as anyone would. Her crew deserves to be properly honored. But I find this scenario to be so unlikely as to be nearly impossible.
The same website also posts a paragraph from a former crewmember charging that Electric Boat's quality control and management practices were seriously lacking during her construction. I have never heard rumors of this sort before. Is there anything to this?
Dave
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Old Salt
Posts: 431
| Subject: RE: USS Dorado
the guy that thought that one up has no freaking idea what a sub is like. The stern tube/s packing around the shaft/s would sink a boat far quicker than that. |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 6180
Location: Summerville, SC | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
I agree with, Mike. Sounds like whoever came up with that thery has a real far out imagination science fiction. |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 48
Location: No. CA | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
From the website:
For further information on Syneca, the "DORADO Expedition," and the ongoing research and travels, contact Dr. Douglas Campbell at mailto:dcamp@aol.com. We are always looking for additional funding as we approach the next stage of on-site research. Recently, Syneca signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement with Meridian Sciences, Inc., and are in discussions with Meridian on finding and filming the submarine. Meridian was the company that found the Japanese submarine I-75 in over 10,000-feet of water in the Atlantic Ocean.
With my emphasis on ADDITIONAL FUNDING. And why would you need an outfit that finds things in 10,000' of water if you have confirmed sightings on the beach. Mabe it magicly refloated itself and drifted unseen back out into the gulf and sank again.
Please send your donations to Bob Chew and I'll look into this.
Just makes real researchers look bad.
Bob
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
Hope you get yer funding Bob. Then you can pay me back that $20.00 you owe me.... (...you remember that bar girl don't ya?) |
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Senior Crew
Posts: 214
Location: Ladson SC | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
Ric you must be mistaken about the $20.00. An Andrew Jackson Sailor would never borrow money and not pay it back. I am sure that you gave him the money to keep his mouth shut about you and the bar girl. Just what were you doing that would require a bribe to silence an upstanding guy like Chew?????? |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
I'm a Flasher sailor..... We are/were the Perverts of the Pacific... we have nothing to hide............ |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 561
Location: Belleview, Fl | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
Other then the sheep that was kept in the AMR, seein how us TM's wouldn't let it live there  |
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Old Salt
Posts: 431
| Subject: RE: USS Dorado
Ric - 2008-12-14 4:55 PM
I'm a Flasher sailor..... We are/were the Perverts of the Pacific... we have nothing to hide............
LOL Requin sailors called themselves
The Animals of The Atlantic. |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
As far as I was aware we never had an official ships motto. Leaving it up to a bunch of sub sailors to fill the void that was what appeared. Even ended up with a raincoat "flasher" patch.
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Mess cooking
Posts: 36
| Subject: RE: USS Dorado
Okay...okay, can we get back on topic? Does anyone know anything about the charges made about the terrible QA at Electric Boat? This Mr. Wheeler sounds like he really had an axe to grind against EB. My grandmother was a "Rosie the Riveter" building B-24's at Willow Run in Michigan and I kind of resent a blanket indictment of the folks at home that kept us in the war.
To be fair, there were documented problems at Cramp Shipbuilding in Philly, but they were mostly institutional in nature and had little to do with the workers there.
Dave
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
awwww... come on dad...we're just havin' fun............... |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 36
| Subject: RE: USS Dorado
Topic hijackers....Perhaps the Dept. of Homeland Security would want to know about you guys...  |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
I'll come quietly..... not!
(.....goes deep... silent running.....) |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 8
| Subject: RE: USS Dorado
History shows that EB built our boats very well during WWII, with few, if any defects. They were highly thought-of. The only issues with its work from what I understand is that it occasionally was slower than the government yards (Portsmouth and Mare Island) to adopt the latest systems and equipment, such as wanting to keep installing electric bow plane controls after the government yards had already introduced hydraulic controls. EB thought it was costly to shift gears to different systems and suppliers and it probably was. But heck, it was wartime.
Yes, the problems at Cramp Shipbuilding were numerous, including a shortage of skilled workers needed to build complex submarines. These led to boats taking much longer to be completed than those elsewhere. Some boats also had to be finished at Portsmouth and Boston.
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Mess cooking
Posts: 36
| Subject: RE: USS Dorado
Fred,
You confirmed what I already strongly believed. I have never heard anything of substance ever said about EB's quality during the war. The website www.ussdorado.com seems to be loaded with half truths, innuedo, unfounded speculation, and worst of all sensationalism. They don't seem to be selling anything, so the why is not known.
Dave |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 877
| Subject: RE: USS Dorado
The DORADO folks also seem to be applying today's standards to what happened 60 years ago.. when friendly fire (which isn't) incidents happen.. the media gets their pants in a knot.
Back then..and after the havoc the Uboats caused.. oh well. things were a lot more dangerous then.. mistakes did happen.. |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 8
| Subject: RE: USS Dorado
... And the efforts to wipe Japanese subs off the map in the Pacific led to some very unfortunate incidents as well against our subs. |
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Crew
Posts: 66
Location: Concord Twp Ohio | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
Ric, I don't ever remember seeing THAT patch. I know it was after we got out, but even at any of the reunions, didn't see or hear of it. Looks kinda neat though!
fritz sends >>>> |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: USS Dorado
I got this from Gary Giesler at the Hagerstown convention/reunion. Gary passed away the next year before I could see him again. We really hit it off and became good friends.
Ric |
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USS Dorado
