Submarine batteries (RE: [rescue] Introduction + Cray Solaris questions)

[rescue at sunhelp.org]

> > ... The best solution I came up with (and
> > have begun implementing) is a bank of submarine batteries...
> 
> PHOTOS! I've got to see what these things look like. I've seen an
> eletric house run off of two 500 lb forklift batteries.

Photos don't do justice.  The proper way to experience these
batteries is crawling around on top of them ( <24" space above
the batteries in the battery well) taking gravities while 
praying that some random metal object doesn't fall out of your
uniform/poopie suit and short across the terminals.  Oh yeah, and
praying you don't splash acid on yourself as you open a bunch of
cells in an almost-random order.  IIRC, cells were only rated for
about 2V apiece...but *lots* of amps (okay, Ampere-Hours).

Damn, now you're going to make me go re-acquaint myself with
those batteries--Hmm.

  Standard submarine batteries are lead-acid; the new ones
  in Seawolf class weigh 1500 lbs. apiece full
    (source: www.jjma.com/Documents/Features/batteryd.pdf )

It looks as though a lot of NAVSEA crap that used to be 
online has been taken offline in the wake of 2001-09-11.
As a security weenie in my present life, I can't fault
them too much although it makes it more difficult to
research.  I can't even find data to confirm number of
cells in battery compartment on USS Usetafish.

Sambo, how in the *BLEEP* are you going to power anything
noticeable with 2,4, or 6 of these cells?  It would take
a grunch of these, plus a DC-AC converter, to power anything
that was expecting US 110VAC...because the individual cell
output on these batteries is low volts high crankage.

  --Rip