This is a letter I wrote to the Director of the Edison Collection at the Schenectedy Museum in Schenectady, NY, back around April of 2002 or so...

"Once upon a time, I was a Chief Deep Sea Diver for the US Navy. I spent time at the old Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines, before "The Volcano..." At the bottom of Olongopo Harbor there lies the old USS New York (CV-2), protected cruiser and once part of Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet. I know the detailed history of this vessel, but I'll bore you with the minutiae later... In 1984, I salvaged something called a "Cannon Director" from this sunken vessel. (That's another sea story altogether!) This unit is a Machined/Cast brass cube approx 12" on a side containing an intricate compass dial, 6-volt lighting system, and intricately-machined, hand operated gear sets. All of this is mounted atop a solid brass pedestal approx. 3' tall. The USS New York had 2 pair of these units, 1 pair each fore and aft, to mechanically set the Azimuth of the large 8" cannons mounted fore and aft. The forward pair had been missing for an unknown time, and my unit is one of the aft units. It's matching unit is still in place, awaiting some future salvage..... Anyway. I have photographs starting with the day I brought it to the surface covered in coral, and complete, step-by-step photos as I figured out how to disassemble it. All parts are "bagged and tagged" for examination and reassembly. I have the original 6-volt light bulb with intact filament. I have the original Manufacturer's Data Plate showing the unit was made by GE in 1893, showing Serial Number, Model Number and BluePrint Numbers. (GE conducted an extensive search for these blueprints in the late 80's, but never found them...) Now, getting to the point: I've dragged this heavy thing all over the world with me in the hopes of putting it together again. I'm making plans to return to the Philippines and retrieve the matching partner, and just can't take this thing back there with me. It's time SOMEBODY got this unit for Public Display. I am NOT looking to make any money off this, but I am seeking a few hundred dollars to cover my costs of bringing you this item, and that's all. Because there were no blueprints, a couple of pieces received minor damage during disassembly, but can be easily repaired. Also, the unit contained 2 iron bearings which rusted long before I took them apart, but which can be easily replaced with machined Nylon or Plastic spacers. The entire unit can be restored with just 2 days in a workshop, and I'll be glad to help. After my Deep Sea Diving Days, I became a Mechanical Designer. I know what I am talking about....this unit can easily be restored with very little cost or effort.