BB-35 Parade Float
by John Mianowski
This is the preliminary design for a parade float to promote the North Texas
Battle Group. Several opportunities for parades can be found in the North Texas
area, including:
St. Patrick's Day, downtown Dallas and lower Greenville Ave.
4th of July in a number of cities (Arlington has a particularly large parade)
Festival of Lights in Ft. Worth, early December
Cotton Bowl, New Year's Day, in Dallas
State Fair, opening as well as daily opportunities
Each of these major parades, as well as many minor 4th of July, Christmas, municipal
festival, and other parades present opportunities for visibility where there may be
large audiences. Parades also can be quite a bit of fun, and showcase the club in
a very favorable light.
General Design
An informal committee consisting of CO "Gryf" Weber and John Mianowski have worked
out the basic requirements and design. Several options were considered, with those
remaining considered to be the most appropriate. Among the considerations were
size (minimum and maximum), reasonable cost, ability of the club to construct the
design given the tools, materials, and talents of the members, storage and transportation
requirements. Some research was conducted into typical costruction methods used in
commercial parade floats. It was generally accepted that the basic design should
at least have the appearance of a warship. The general appearance of the float was
selected from the following basic options:
A reasonably true scale model of USS Texas (BB-35), either full-hull or waterline.
This would seem to be preferable, given the club's location.
A somewhat scale model of some "generic" battleship, such as USS Missouri (BB-63)
that might be recognizable by the general public.
A "cartoon" battleship, that isn't modeled on any particular ship - perhaps with
3 triple turrets, and extreme out-of-scale features. This was considered for ease
of construction as well as the likelihood that most people probably wouldn't recognize
a "real" battleship, anyway.
The decision was made to recommend a waterline scale model of USS Texas (BB-35).
Since the float is to be built at least close to scale, a particular scale needed
to be chosen. Based on the maximum sizes of floats allowed in those parades that
have such restrictions, and on what was reasonably figured the club could build,
a 1:16 scale model is recommended. This would have a length of about 36', width of
about 6', and height of about 10', when all masts are in place. Tall items such
as masts would be removable, with stowage space provided in the float's "hull".
General Construction
A major consideration of the float's overall size and structure was the choice of
a platform upon which to build the float. It was desired that the float be self-
propelled (i.e. not towed, as with a trailer). The obvious thing to do would be
to build the float on a car or light truck chassis, as is done by commercial parade
float builders. A "ladder"-style frame is desired as the base vehicle. This would
provide the greatest strength of structure when the body is removed, and should be
the easiest to build on top of. A unibody would lose considerable structural strength
with the body cut up or removed. The scale dimensions desired suggested that a
small pickup truck would be the ideal base platform. Based on the parmeters chosen
so far, the completed float might look something like what is shown in Figure 1. This
diagram includes a truck chassis and human figures ("riders") to show the approximate
scale of the finished float.
Figure 1.
General Float Layout.
Float Chassis
To avoid a large overhang, and the structural issues that go with it, it is recommended
that the float be constructed of 3 main segments. The center segment would be built
on the truck chassis, with a forward and aft segment each built on a triangular frame
built of square steel tubing. The frames would roll on swivel casters, and attach to
the forward and aft ends of the truck frame. The triangular segments would attach
to the truck frame with hitch pins, allowing the segments to be separated for transportation,
storage, etc. This would also allow the entire chassis to articulate when traveling
over uneven terrain such as severely crowned streets and during loading or unloading
from a trailer. Figure 2 shows the general layout of the float chassis:
Figure 2.
Float Chassis.
Float Frame
The visible portion of the float (the float's superstructure - distinct from a ship's
superstructure, since it will contain hull above the waterline) is expected to be
built from framing wood in a more-or-less conventional model shipbuilding technique.
Covering of vertical surfaces is expected to be vinyl or nylon "floral sheeting" that
is commonly used in parade float construction. Decks and platforms will be built
of plywood and the entire frame will need to be strong enough to support several
human riders. Turrets will be built to allow for rotation, either manually or electrically
actuated (which may be determined later). Barbettes will be built with a wood frame
and Masonite track. Turrets will drop into the barbettes, with fixed casters rolling
on the barbette tracks to allow rotation. Figure 3 shows the general construction
of the float frame:
Figure 3.
Float Frame.
Next Steps
The following items need to be addressed, assuming that the club decides to go
ahead with the float construction:
Continue analysis, to get a decent idea of the cost & weight of
materials.
Find & acquire an appropriate base vehicle. A rust-bucket is OK, as
long as it runs well & the frame is in good shape.
Secure a location to build & store the float. We'll also need access
to welding & steel cutting/grinding equipment as well as somebody who can
operate same.
Strip the truck down to bare chassis.
Acquire materials, build the float chassis A-frames, attach to truck
chassis, & test-drive.
Build the float superstructure on top of the completed float chassis.
More details will be posted as the plan progresses.
Return to Black Programs and Projects
NTXBG Home