The USS Batfish, a World War II submarine that's dry-docked in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and the USS Oklahoma Amateur Radio Club recently took a major hit during a severe storm on July 14th 2016. The club lost its radio tower, its tri-band, 4 element beam, and a 40 Meter quarter wave vertical on the boat, and needs your help to replace them. It also received damage to some of the wire antenna supports, causing damage to the 80 Full Wave Loop. This is in addition to the damage received to the Muskogee War Memorial Park property and the 60 foot flag pole. The USS Oklahoma ARC is a small club which was formed to promote amateur radio, preserve the history of the United States military and proudly honor those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The damage to the tower and antennas is too great to repair, and these will all need to be replaced. Funds raised will be used to purchase a replacement tower and antennas for the club, with any additional funds being used to support repairs to the Museum. You can donate through PayPal, or GoFundMe. If you have a PayPal account, you can visit the PayPal link for the fund – it will show a photo of Gary W5ODS who is the club treasurer..https://www.paypal.me/BatfishTowerProject Or you can go to the GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/ussBatfishARC?ssid=747486833&pos=1&pc=d_r_don1307_v2c Any which way you do it, your donations are not tax deductible, but are most appreciated and very much needed! Remember, the next major operating event for the club will be the first weekend in December for the 75th Anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, which is where the USS Oklahoma was lost, and the entry of America into World War II and why the Batfish was built.
Thank you Mark for getting the word out on QRZ ! If anyone would like to go check out the clubs Facebook page where there are photos of the storm damage, here is the link. https://www.facebook.com/Batfisharc/ We are trying to get replacement equipment in place and back on the air before the Dec 7th special event, but even if that does not happen, we will be on the air field day style if the weather is permitting. Either way, we hope to make lots of contacts! 73’s Wade Wade Harris KF5IF Trustee WW2SUB - USS Batfish Trustee WW2OK - USS Oklahoma The USS Batfish and USS Oklahoma Amateur Radio Club Muskogee War Memorial Park Muskogee Oklahoma Reminder: Meeting this Saturday morning, 10am at The Muskogee OK, War Memorial Park 3500 Batfish Rd Muskogee, Oklahoma 74402 All interested Amateur radio Operators Welcome.
I wish I had some $$$ to help out. I worked your station back in 2012, Good Luck & God Bless KB3WGE a.k.a. Jimi, p.s. 73's ALL ..
