What is this?

[crazy ivan]

What is this U shaped bracket with a doughnut hole in the middle? Two of the hatches on Nautilus have it, and I can't imagine what it might be used for. Anybody know?

[eckloss]

A handle of sorts, perhaps?

[Ralph --- SSBN 598]

Looking at the photos, it appears to me to be a sort of counter weight to hold the hatch open and to help pull it down to engage the locking lugs.

Also looks like a last minute fix for a possible weak hatch spring.

[subdude]

I'd vote for a tiedown point for a drawdown cable to guide a DSRV to the hatch.

[bharris]

Jim was close, the swivels are on the 2 hatches for the escape trunks. The cable from the emergency messenger buoy runs through the eye and into the messenger buoy cable reel.

Bob.

[crazy ivan]

Thanks Bob! I figured you or Bill would probably know the answer.

[wlambing]

The correct term is hatch bail. As Bob mentioned, the end of the messenger buoy cable swivels in the center so a rescue chamber/ DSRV can get centered over the hatch. The normal position for the bail is folded down almost parallel to the main deck. It pulls up over the hatch with tension from the buoy cable. Marlin has excellent examples on her hatches, too.

B^)

[JWLaRue]

...so during normal operational deployment there would be a cable routed through that center eye? If correct, why isn't it visible those photos?

-Jeff

[wlambing]

Jeff,

Remember, you're looking at Nautilus, a broken down piece of crap boat for her last few years. We Narwhal guys hated her, as we got all of her missed operations. We used to go to work on Mondays with full seabags, just in case we had to go cover something she was 'sposed to do. You are right, though. If in a norml situation a cable would be looped through the bail, both lengths routed back to the cable reel. When let go, the buoy rises, stripping cable off the reel, through the bail. If deep enough, the cable swivel end will come off the reel and be stopped at the bail. Either way, a rescue chamber can come down the cable and center up over the hatch. Then, you ring the doorbell and wait.....

I have no idea when the photos are from. On a deployment, the messenger buoy is welded down and the cable disconnected and stowed to keep things quiet. I suspect the right hand pic is current, with the cable removed at decomm for maintenance reasons. If you are not deployed, your buoy and cable are in operational status. Remember, the earth only has <1% of water depth where the buoy would be of use, anyway!

B^)

[JWLaRue]

Thanks, Bill. Makes perfect sense.

-Jeff

[crazy ivan]

Bill is correct about the pix on the right being current. It shows the forward hatch as it is now displayed in museum mode. The general touring public wouldn't know or care if there should be a cable there or not. Museums take liberties I guess. And the other bail isn't even over the aft escape trunk. It has been relocated to the engine room hatch for whatever reason. Go figure. It just goes to show that modelers like us should never get too much info off of a museum ship (USS Cobia not notwithstanding ;-) . Thanks Bob and Bill, you guys are the best!