Post #440424 by uncle trav on Mon, Mar 16, 2009 3:39 PM

A side note to his invention that I thought was noteworthy. From the Bar's Leaks website. I believe this dates to the early 50's Cold war era. Make a fortune and start a Tiki Palace.

"Founded in 1947 by Fred Barton, Bar's Leaks was more than just a stop leak, it was history in the making!

The True story of How Bar’s Leaks Saved the USS Nautilus.

Bar's Leaks Yesterday:

In an automotive radiator a tiny leak might not mean disaster: But on a U.S. nuclear submarine during a top-secret mission under the Arctic ice cap, a tiny salt-water leak would have proven deadly for the sailors aboard the USS Nautilus were it not for the amazing stop leak capability of Bar’s Leaks.

Here is their true story:

En route to the polar ice cap, the engineering crew discovered that a small salt-water leak had developed on one of the nuclear reactor steam condensers. The leak was spilling sea water onto a critical piece of machinery, causing noxious fumes to fill the Engine and Maneuvering Rooms. A submarine is a labyrinth of tubes and pipes, so pinpointing the leak while at sea would have been impossible. Something had to be done.

In Seattle, the sub’s last port before embarking north, the commander had an idea to save the mission: He sent his men out to buy as much Bar’s Leaks as they could find. Dressed in civilian clothes, the crew covertly spread out over Seattle to purchase the legendary stop-leak solution.
With the Bar’s Leaks safely on board, sailors poured 70 quarts of it into the submarine’s condenser system.

It worked!

With the leak stopped, the USS Nautilus was able to complete its top-secret mission, becoming the first submarine to cross the North Pole underneath the Arctic ice cap."

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2009-03-16 15:40 ]