Deep Background: Crush Depth

Paul Crozier and I have each had a big crush on that wily lady Wahoo for many years.

For me it began with Forest Sterling's Wake of the Wahoo -- the book which lit off my interest as a kid, cooking it into a passion when I was lucky enough to befriend its unassuming author in the last years of his life.

For Paul, the love affair also came at an early age. It was forged by his early exposure to George Grider's submarine memoir Warfish, in which the author's duty aboard Wahoo plays a major part. Paul's young interest evolved into a lifetime of Wahoo dedication, chronicling the boat's history, derring-do, and ongoing postwar legacy in detail on his aptly named website: warfish.com.

In recent years, both Paul and I have continually sought to honor the memory of this gallant boat and now legendary skipper and crew. We've recreated her war flag. We participated in her official Navy memorial ceremony at Pearl Harbor (the natural offshoot of the discovery of her wreck off Japan a few years back). We talk up her cause and history wherever we go -- probably to the point of annoyance to any around us who've heard it all before.

Yet the one thing that's eluded us so far, the special something we've both always wanted as a further personal memorial to our beloved Wahoo, was a large-scale accurate R/C model of the mighty sub -- surely the absolute "dream boat" of both of our burgeoning model fleets.

Enter well-known R/C submarine modeler Matt Thor, about five years ago, when this project got its real start. He showed up at the first-ever SubRon5 Fun Run with an in-progress 1/48 Gato hull master (prototype) he'd been working up, professing his intent not only to make it into a Wahoo, but in so doing to specifically honor the lost boat and crew with a truly standout model.

That did it: Stand by to answer bells and get underway . . .

Enter Jeff LaRue, famed provider of high quality photoetched parts to the model submarine community. Jeff tells us that for years potential customers had been after him to produce an accurate 1/48 scale photoetched fleetboat deck to rival the ones he'd already produced for U-boats in assorted scales. A little friendly arm twisting and, behold, Jeff soon agreed to craft the fabled deck to recreate Wahoo's own. In fact, he and Paul have already spent significant time poring over the myriad details differentiating a generic fleet submarine version from a deck specifically designed to replicate the one unique to Wahoo. Paul's in-depth research and Jeff's incredible attention to detail promise to combine in the creation of something very special. I like to think I helped out at least a little by providing scores of closeup shots of Silversides' deck -- Wahoo's close sister, two hull numbers away and built at the same time practically alongside one another at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard -- taken during a visit to Michigan where Silversides remains on display today.

Now enter Tom Kisler, a fellow fleetboat fancier who's likewise always wanted a fine example of a large-scale Gato class model for his own collection. Tom's a crack scratchbuilder in my book -- as evidenced by his supremely impressive Liberty Ship (I don't pay this compliment lightly) -- and with his interest keenly piqued soon signed on to help out with the creation of control surface parts (starting with a bow plane, I believe) to get things rolling.

The team is still coming together; perhaps others wait in the wings, we shall see. As for myself, I'm not the consummate modeler these other guys are. But I've definitely taken on the role of cheerleader -- planning, along with others, to record our progress with entries in this blog.

I guess you could say we're singling up all lines, readying ourselves for a grand adventure. Why not stay aboard and head out with us for the ride?

Jeff Porteous