USS Cobia Living History Crew

[1917Corpsman]

Hello All,

 

A group has been started and we are looking for any WWII US Navy reenactors that would be interested in portraying the submarine crew aboard the USS Cobia during special events and reunions of the remaining crew members from 1944 to 1945. Our group is currently of Facebook and can be found at:

 

http://www.facebook.com/groups/342674725761619/

 

I am getting patterns made for the WWII US Navy uniforms and they will have reproduction ratings, specialty marks and service stripes for the enlisted and period rank for the officers. We are working alongside the Wisconsin Maritime Museum staff to become the official and most authentic living history crew of the USS Cobia. The past crews have worn modern US Navy uniforms to portray the crew during WWII which I honestly found disrespectful to honor the memory of the original commissioned crew. If there is any interest and you are in the vicinity or able to drive to Manitowoc, Wisconsin feel free to either join our Facebook page or contact me at [email protected] to get the idea of what this unit will be like. Look forward to your replies and hopefully recruiting some new members!

 

Richard

[willysmb44]

Okay, I have to say this to all those who use facebook as their primary source of commo....

There is an entire world of people who don't use facebook! :thumbdown:

I can't count the times I've seen groups who use that as their only source of commo. But if you're not on facebook, then you've missed what really is the majority of your audience.

Sorry, but I'm sick to the gut of facebook users who think everyone else on the planet is also there when in fact that isn't the case at all!

There are plenty of free website hosts that you can build a simple website off of. If you want people, facebook is really the very last place you want to do it. Sure, have your facebook stuff, but don't make it the only way someone can see what you have!

[1917Corpsman]

Okay, I have to say this to all those who use facebook as their primary source of commo....

There is an entire world of people who don't use facebook! :thumbdown:

I can't count the times I've seen groups who use that as their only source of commo. But if you're not on facebook, then you've missed what really is the majority of your audience.

Sorry, but I'm sick to the gut of facebook users who think everyone else on the planet is also there when in fact that isn't the case at all!

There are plenty of free website hosts that you can build a simple website off of. If you want people, facebook is really the very last place you want to do it. Sure, have your facebook stuff, but don't make it the only way someone can see what you have!

 

Lee thank you for your input. I'm sorry you appear to have a strong distaste for the website, but this is a site for a living history crew and I was in no way promoting Facebook. I do know some people don't use Facebook, but that is also the reason I posted my email for those who don't have one. Last time I posted about the M1895 Lee Navy rifles being reproduce you had posted how unpopular they would be. Norton Firearms has received over 60 orders of the 6mm rifles since that post from various reenacting companies, the USS Olympia, Sons of Spanish American War Veterans and many museums across the US. I don't mean any disrespect, but I would appreciate it however if criticizing comments were kept out.

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

[1917Corpsman]

Okay, I have to say this to all those who use facebook as their primary source of commo....

There is an entire world of people who don't use facebook! :thumbdown:

I can't count the times I've seen groups who use that as their only source of commo. But if you're not on facebook, then you've missed what really is the majority of your audience.

Sorry, but I'm sick to the gut of facebook users who think everyone else on the planet is also there when in fact that isn't the case at all!

There are plenty of free website hosts that you can build a simple website off of. If you want people, facebook is really the very last place you want to do it. Sure, have your facebook stuff, but don't make it the only way someone can see what you have!

 

Thanks again Mr. Bishop for your reply to this, but Facebook is really the way for the future. You say that the majority of the audience is not on Facebook? There are over 800,000,000 people worldwide on Facebook and half that amount log in every single day. This number is estimated to increase to two times the amount by the end of this year. If you don't have a Facebook, it mainly tells me you may be a little too old to portray a submariner during WWII. But really do appreciate the input, though I'd have to differ with you on this one and my current members prove this too. In first hour of posting our group on Facebook we had 10 members join us. I hope people can look at this from a future perspective and not just using email or what are considered 'old school' ways to getting a unit started. You will find over 1,000,000 reenactment groups worldwide have gotten their start on Facebook.

[willysmb44]

Boy, I really touched a nerve, huh? I’m still chuckling at your “1,000,000 re-enactment groups” comment. It’s the best comedy I’ve seen all week. There aren’t that many re-enactment groups on Earth total, much less just ones formed by Facebook. Heck, I truly doub there are a million people in re-enacting, worldwide, total! I’m not beating up on you personally (well, maybe a little with the one million groups thing. Man, that was funny!), but I think that Facebook users have gotten into a mindset that everyone uses that site. That’s really not the case at all. Facebook has created some kind of cult-like behavior among those who use it. Statistically, Facebook users are hardly the majority of all people, not even the majority of people online. If you look up REAL internet statistics instead of the ones you just make up, you’d know that.

If you’re using that as your only means to show people what you have going on, then you do a disservice to your group. If you wanted to limit your group to Facebook users, that’s just fine. You’re going to do that even if you didn’t intend to. Sorry I took that out on you specifically, but I am sick to death of seeing public notices on forums that lead only to Facebook pages. I heard a very lively discussion at a re-enactment over the summer. Of about 20 people sitting around, only 2 were on Facebook and they all wondered why so many event and group pages are sealed deep within the Facebook cult compound. Another discussion at a parade among re-enactors (several of them were “Facebook age” as you put it) revealed that almost none of them were active users and most never having been on at all. This might have to do mostly with the fact that most re-enactors tend to be past the ADD-addled adolescent age group you might be aiming for with your recruitment effort. Don’t feel singled out, I’m pretty much posting the same kind of response in other places where I see this and will continue to do so until people realize that Facebook reaches only a small portion of the re-enacting audience when used as the ONLY means of communication. Most (if not all) successful re-enactment groups use public pages that anyone can open and look at without a ‘secret handshake.” I think that says it all. Facebook is fine for one of many channels of communication. But for the ONLY channel, it just proves that the cult of Facebook really makes its followers think every human being on Earth is on it.

Of course, do whatever you want. It really wasn’t worth my time to post that or reply now as I’m on the opposite side of the country and have little interest in anything USN related, so for me it’s a moot point that I shouldn’t have wasted time in trying to make the point. If you intended to recruit mostly teens and 20-somethings that live and breathe social media, then you probably have a good grip on that demographic (and your comments suggest that might be your age group, so that would make sense). Otherwise, you ARE missing out on some people who won’t get to see your information. You had 10 people from Facebook. Wow. It never occurred to you that you might have MORE than that if you opened it up to something people not on Facebook can see? Again, the cult is strong.

And as for the Lee rifle issue, I had no idea this was you as well, not that would have changed my response. I am also a Span-Am era re-enactor and I still stand firm that those rifles aren’t going to sell all that much as I know plenty of the people that would be most likely to want one at all and I have yet to encounter anyone who’d pay full retail price for a reproduction, even among the target market for one. And yes, I have asked. You’ve admitted yourself they’ve only gotten over 60 orders total. If they’re being made in such small numbers, then that’s great. I had no idea anyone would do a run that small. Normal production runs I have seen from other companies have to be a lot more than that (one company looked into Krag carbines –a far more likely design to sell on an open market - and said their minimum run was 1000, so they were never made), so from that standpoint my questioning the demand was quite valid as your own numbers have backed up my point.

Have fun with your “looking for Facebook cult members only” recruitment efforts. I’m done here as the kool-aid has been drunk yet again.

[1917Corpsman]

Boy, I really touched a nerve, huh? I’m still chuckling at your “1,000,000 re-enactment groups” comment. It’s the best comedy I’ve seen all week. There aren’t that many re-enactment groups on Earth total, much less just ones formed by Facebook. Heck, I truly doub there are a million people in re-enacting, worldwide, total! I’m not beating up on you personally (well, maybe a little with the one million groups thing. Man, that was funny!), but I think that Facebook users have gotten into a mindset that everyone uses that site. That’s really not the case at all. Facebook has created some kind of cult-like behavior among those who use it. Statistically, Facebook users are hardly the majority of all people, not even the majority of people online. If you look up REAL internet statistics instead of the ones you just make up, you’d know that.

If you’re using that as your only means to show people what you have going on, then you do a disservice to your group. If you wanted to limit your group to Facebook users, that’s just fine. You’re going to do that even if you didn’t intend to. Sorry I took that out on you specifically, but I am sick to death of seeing public notices on forums that lead only to Facebook pages. I heard a very lively discussion at a re-enactment over the summer. Of about 20 people sitting around, only 2 were on Facebook and they all wondered why so many event and group pages are sealed deep within the Facebook cult compound. Another discussion at a parade among re-enactors (several of them were “Facebook age” as you put it) revealed that almost none of them were active users and most never having been on at all. This might have to do mostly with the fact that most re-enactors tend to be past the ADD-addled adolescent age group you might be aiming for with your recruitment effort. Don’t feel singled out, I’m pretty much posting the same kind of response in other places where I see this and will continue to do so until people realize that Facebook reaches only a small portion of the re-enacting audience when used as the ONLY means of communication. Most (if not all) successful re-enactment groups use public pages that anyone can open and look at without a ‘secret handshake.” I think that says it all. Facebook is fine for one of many channels of communication. But for the ONLY channel, it just proves that the cult of Facebook really makes its followers think every human being on Earth is on it.

Of course, do whatever you want. It really wasn’t worth my time to post that or reply now as I’m on the opposite side of the country and have little interest in anything USN related, so for me it’s a moot point that I shouldn’t have wasted time in trying to make the point. If you intended to recruit mostly teens and 20-somethings that live and breathe social media, then you probably have a good grip on that demographic (and your comments suggest that might be your age group, so that would make sense). Otherwise, you ARE missing out on some people who won’t get to see your information. You had 10 people from Facebook. Wow. It never occurred to you that you might have MORE than that if you opened it up to something people not on Facebook can see? Again, the cult is strong.

And as for the Lee rifle issue, I had no idea this was you as well, not that would have changed my response. I am also a Span-Am era re-enactor and I still stand firm that those rifles aren’t going to sell all that much as I know plenty of the people that would be most likely to want one at all and I have yet to encounter anyone who’d pay full retail price for a reproduction, even among the target market for one. And yes, I have asked. You’ve admitted yourself they’ve only gotten over 60 orders total. If they’re being made in such small numbers, then that’s great. I had no idea anyone would do a run that small. Normal production runs I have seen from other companies have to be a lot more than that (one company looked into Krag carbines –a far more likely design to sell on an open market - and said their minimum run was 1000, so they were never made), so from that standpoint my questioning the demand was quite valid as your own numbers have backed up my point.

Have fun with your “looking for Facebook cult members only” recruitment efforts. I’m done here as the kool-aid has been drunk yet again.

[1917Corpsman]

Oh no you didn't strike a nerve at all sir! I'm just chuckling at how much of a troll you just proved yourself to be if you even know what that means. The exaggeration of the many of number of reenactment groups was really a way to see if you'd reply to this and continue ranting like you did. I hope you're done now?

[USN1945]

And moving away useless banter to actual discussion.... :think:

 

We'll have our own formal webpage up in a few weeks, since the formal organizational processes are currently underway . Yes, we are more than aware that not everyone uses Facebook as a means to get information about upcoming events, etc.

 

We are looking to have a close relationship with the Wisconsin Maritime Museum and the Cobia, as well as doing events around the Midwest.

[Sgt. Boghots]

I'm just another "old school guy" who happens to agree with most of what Willys has to say about Facebook. While I do agree that F/B happens to be the wave of the present and future, no matter what my opinion is, to say that it alone will make you successful is a big stretch.

 

But then again, those of us in the older demograpic who don't care for "social networking" beyond forums of our specific choosing, my not be the answer to successful promotion.

 

My own start for large scale promotion of a militaria business was gunshows and Shotgun News. -Cutting edge in 1985, but not necessarily now.

 

But my advice is for you to bridge the gap in media prefernce . . . something us old farts are apt to see, along with what younger, more tech-savvy folks are likely to be watching. So Facebook and similar play a large part, but it's easy to pass off the printed and online sources that those of us who have been around awhile choose to use.

 

And we're really only talkin' the difference between being 30 and 50 years old, when it's all said and done. Not that much time really that separates how we shop and interact, all with the same interest and goal in mind.

 

My best of luck to you and your endeavors,

Paul

 

With respect to Willy: . . . there's no money in yachts !! (crapgame)

Paul

[Sgt. Boghots]

And moving away useless banter to actual discussion.... :think:

 

If you truly believe in the heritage of your username of " USN1945 " and want to promote a successful business, then I would suggest you throw the words "useless banter" out of your vocabularly. - Take something positive away from what may appear to be criticism. Many of those veterans of WW2 who did similar after WW2, accomplished great things.

 

My best regards to your endeavor, and I truly wish you the best of success.

 

Paul Walker

Klamath Falls, Oregon

[1917Corpsman]

I'm just another "old school guy" who happens to agree with most of what Willys has to say about Facebook. While I do agree that F/B happens to be the wave of the present and future, no matter what my opinion is, to say that it alone will make you successful is a big stretch.

 

But then again, those of us in the older demograpic who don't care for "social networking" beyond forums of our specific choosing, my not be the answer to successful promotion.

 

My own start for large scale promotion of a militaria business was gunshows and Shotgun News. -Cutting edge in 1985, but not necessarily now.

 

But my advice is for you to bridge the gap in media prefernce . . . something us old farts are apt to see, along with what younger, more tech-savvy folks are likely to be watching. So Facebook and similar play a large part, but it's easy to pass off the printed and online sources that those of us who have been around awhile choose to use.

 

And we're really only talkin' the difference between being 30 and 50 years old, when it's all said and done. Not that much time really that separates how we shop and interact, all with the same interest and goal in mind.

 

My best of luck to you and your endeavors,

Paul

 

With respect to Willy: . . . there's no money in yachts !! (crapgame)

Paul

 

Thanks for you kind advice. We are in the process of creating a website right now. Myself and Co-founder are looking over the unit goals and by-laws and discussing on perfecting the website. Fliers are certainly something we can do to hand out at the various reenactments we plan on attending. We always look forward to kind advice about how we can currently improve ways of expanding our group.

[sigsaye]

I have been looking for a source of the correct Navy blue melton wool that the ww2 dress blue jumpers and trousers were made out of. Also, the correct weight Navy blue Pendelton wool flannel for the undress blue jumpers. Since you are having patterns made, I'm guessing you have found this fabric. It hasn't been made in almost 40 years, so who is cranking it out? I love that stuff and could use some myself. Also, are they also making the correct 32 oz melton for the P-Coats?

 

Steve Hesson

[sigsaye]

I would also be interested in the supply of "Notions" you may have found, correct buttons, particulerly fort he dungaree shirts, the small brass zippers for the left front pocket of the trousers and the piping for the Dress Blue Jumpers. I have tracked down the Navy's source for this odd sized piping, but they are only making for the Navy. Are you also going to be making CPO uniform items/patterns available? I have discussed this with WW 2 Impressions (including reproducing Naval insignia such as hashmarks, and That seems to be a "Down the Road Maybe" thing. I understand, as the materials used to make these uniforms and the equipment required to reproduce them correctly for that "Factory look" are both now hard to find and expensive. Any way, please let me know of your sources for these items. I will not go into compition. 10 years of producing 19th century Naval uniforms has me pretty set in a niche, but I would love a set of WW 2 Naval uniforms that fit me, for me, particularly CPO.

 

STeve Hesson

[Dirt Detective]

Thanks for you kind advice. We are in the process of creating a website right now. Myself and Co-founder are looking over the unit goals and by-laws and discussing on perfecting the website. Fliers are certainly something we can do to hand out at the various reenactments we plan on attending. We always look forward to kind advice about how we can currently improve ways of expanding our group.

 

 

Cool. I think what your group is trying to do is great. I remember taking the tour on the WWII sub in San Francisco, if they would have had guys in period uniforms and acting roles and answering questions that would have been fantastic.

 

As far as getting the word out, well the more places the better. Good idea keep up the good work.

[1917Corpsman]

Cool. I think what your group is trying to do is great. I remember taking the tour on the WWII sub in San Francisco, if they would have had guys in period uniforms and acting roles and answering questions that would have been fantastic.

 

As far as getting the word out, well the more places the better. Good idea keep up the good work.

 

A note:

 

We do not represent the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in any way shape or form until due notice.

[TomcatPC]

My Wife is from Manitowoc (did I spell that right?), I have been on the USS Cobia. Good luck with your endevour, if I lived closer I'd be checking into what I could help out with.

Mark