USS Texas
Mike
By Michael Graczyk
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 29, 2004
LA PORTE, Texas -- Age, relentless corrosion from saltwater and
tight budgets are doing what no bombs, torpedoes or bullets could
accomplish. Sixteen years after the state spent $14 million to help
preserve it, the nearly century-old USS Texas -- the remaining
battleship to survive World Wars I and II -- needs an overhaul to keep
it from rusting away.
"The ship is in need of significant repair," said Steve Whiston,
director of the infrastructure division of the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department, which maintains the 573-foot-long, 34,000-ton
vessel in a berth on the Houston Ship Channel. "There is corrosion at
the water line. We're continuing to experience problems that cause us
concern. And the ship, given its age, is pretty fragile."
So fragile that chronically leaky air tanks -- known as blisters
and added to the exterior during the 1920s for stability -- sprung a
serious leak one night. Workers were greeted the next morning with the
ship sporting a 4-degree starboard list.
"It got all of us excited, but we're satisfied it's stable," Mr.
Whiston said.
The water was pumped out and the leak was patched, at least
temporarily.
"If you are going to acknowledge you're going to keep some
historic ships, there is a very strong argument this is at least as
good, if not the best, one to keep," said Barry Ward, curator of the
Texas.
Mr. Ward said the ship is a unique piece of technology in terms of
the time period it represents. "This goes from the very beginning of
the age of flight through the nuclear age," he said.
The oldest of the eight remaining American battlewagons, the Texas
is the last of the Dreadnought class, patterned after the British
battleship that featured unprecedented speed and armaments at the turn
of the 20th century. Launched in 1912 and commissioned two years
later, the Texas was touted as the world's most powerful weapon.
In World War I, it served as U.S. flagship in the British Grand
Fleet. In 1940, it was named flagship of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, took
part in D-Day in 1944, later experienced casualties when hit by German
artillery off France and provided Pacific support for World War II
battles at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Decommissioned in 1948, the Texas eventually went under the care
of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which keeps the ship as
part of the San Jacinto Battlegrounds State Park near Houston.
In 1988, a major restoration -- the first in 40 years -- required
it to be towed to a Galveston shipyard where the hull essentially was
replaced. Despite what turned out to be a temporary solution, Mr. Ward
said, he believes the work saved the ship from an almost certain
demise.
"Possibly, within a year or two, if they hadn't done that, this
ship would no longer have been able to be towed anywhere for repair,"
he said.
The same kind of decision looms now -- without money or a
convenient place for repairs.
"A ship like that really needs significant dry-dock repairs every
eight to 10 years, so we're really past our cycle," Mr. Whiston said.
The Texas Legislature approved about $12 million in bonds to pay
for renovations but didn't provide debt service -- the money -- to
issue the bonds, Mr. Whiston said. Park officials hope to remedy that
with a budget request when lawmakers return to Austin in January.
But since the last round of extensive repairs, the Galveston dry
dock where the Texas was towed ceased business, and there is doubt any
shipyard in Texas can do the job. The Parks and Wildlife Department
hasn't been immune to state budget trimming. There also is uncertainty
whether the ship could endure the rigors of a move.
"It's fine floating in one place, but when you put a ship of that
age in open water, that stress, we were concerned we may lose it," Mr.
Whiston said.
One proposal calls for building a dam around where the ship is now
docked, along with a dry dock, allowing engineers to remove the water
as needed to make repairs. Another idea is to permanently elevate the
ship from the water on a kind of cradle.
"As long as the state decides to have this, it's my job to do the
best I can to take care of it and guide the state in the
decision-making process of how to take care of it," said Mr. Ward, who
has been in charge of the ship for the past five years.
For now, that means an almost continuous painting effort with
Measure 21 Dark Blue, the color the Texas wore at the end of World War
II. The wood deck, originally teak, was replaced decades ago with less
expensive southern pine, then at some point after decommissioning was
covered with cement -- an error that has led to maintenance problems.
The deck is being scrubbed of cement and repainted. Deck replacement,
even with pine, easily would top seven figures, Mr. Ward said.
Inside the Texas, some of the living quarters and working areas
are being restored with as many actual ship items as possible. Mr.
Ward has been scouring Internet auctions for artifacts. Some equipment
that can't be replaced, such as small light fixtures over desks, are
being handmade to duplicate originals.
The curator said he would like to equip areas of the ship with
taped audio presentations for the 150,000 annual visitors whose $5
admission fee goes into the department's general fund.
Areas closed off to the public show how difficult the work is.
Lead paint and asbestos must be removed and rust and dirt are
everywhere. Except for a few scattered hang-on units that obviously
weren't original, there is no air conditioning.
A project under way will restore the quarters of the ship's
physician. Another involves restoration of the radio room. In an
eating area, Mr. Ward found a painted wood wall section with dozens of
pinholes. It turned out to be the old location for a dartboard, and he
was able to find an exact match.
Victories like that are small for a ship where "challenges are
everywhere you turn," he said.
"I'm a museum specialist, a historian and archaeologist by
training," Mr. Ward said. "This is the kind of thing you are not
schooled to be an expert in. You become one."
Tamas Feher
>tight budgets are doing what no bombs, torpedoes or bullets could
>accomplish. Sixteen years after the state spent $14 million to help
>preserve it, the nearly century-old USS Texas -- the remaining
>battleship to survive World Wars I and II -- needs an overhaul to keep
>it from rusting away.
Ask the russkies how they managed to preserve the Aurora, a pre-1905
light cruiser which started the bolshevik revolution with its salvo. I
think the Aurora does not actually float, but rather it is embedded in a
huge block of concrete under the waterline. At least rumor says so.
David E. Powell
"Mike" <yared...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:cd3bf67d.0410...@posting.google.com...
Peter H. Granzeau
>Time is winning this war
>By Michael Graczyk
>ASSOCIATED PRESS
>Published October 29, 2004
>
> LA PORTE, Texas -- Age, relentless corrosion from saltwater and
>tight budgets are doing what no bombs, torpedoes or bullets could
>accomplish. Sixteen years after the state spent $14 million to help
>preserve it, the nearly century-old USS Texas -- the remaining
>battleship to survive World Wars I and II -- needs an overhaul to keep
>it from rusting away.
> "The ship is in need of significant repair," said Steve Whiston,
>director of the infrastructure division of the Texas Parks and
>Wildlife Department, which maintains the 573-foot-long, 34,000-ton
>vessel in a berth on the Houston Ship Channel. "There is corrosion at
>the water line. We're continuing to experience problems that cause us
>concern. And the ship, given its age, is pretty fragile."
Gee. Park it at a mooring and spend no money at all on maintenance.
What did they expect?
Andy Dingley
<eto...@freemail.hu> wrote:
>Ask the russkies how they managed to preserve the Aurora, a pre-1905
>light cruiser which started the bolshevik revolution with its salvo.
They didn't - that's not the Aurora.
William Black
"Andy Dingley" <din...@codesmiths.com> wrote in message
news:88n7o05fvuqij53m1...@4ax.com...
OK, what about HMS Belfast?
--
William Black
------------------
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords
is no basis for a system of government
Keith Willshaw
Jack Love
They're using the same embalmers that they used on Lenin (and Stalin).
>Keith
>
DM
> OK, what about HMS Belfast?
Or the Huascar in Chile
DM
Joachim Schmid
> Ask the russkies how they managed to preserve the Aurora, a pre-1905
> light cruiser which started the bolshevik revolution with its salvo. I
> think the Aurora does not actually float, but rather it is embedded in a
> huge block of concrete under the waterline. At least rumor says so.
This was quite the other way. During preparation as a museum in 1945-47,
the underwater hull had been filled with concrete, but the ship was kept
floating at her berth.
The concrete caused massive corrosion, so during a major overhaul in
1984-87 the whole underwater hull has been removed and replaced by a
"model", i.e. a new simple steel hull made in modern style.
I would not call the treatment of Aurora a preservation. In both
"overhauls" the vessel had undergone substantial modifications,
effectively destroying nealry all authentic value. Only the external
appearance is conserved, everything else is Bolshevik Disneyland. The
armament had been falsificated in 1945 by using old land guns in army
mounts with added shields, new-built in the old appearance. The belt
armor has vanished in the last overhaul and used to create a new armored
deck. Only one engine has remained, but put in the other engine room.
The first engine room is mimicking a boiler room now, with forged
boilers. Superstructures, funnels and masts are all made new in both
overhauls. The inner rooms were almost entirely rebuilt and reequipped
in both overhauls, featuring now museum exhibition halls, museum staff
accomodation, power station, air conditioners (!), and other auxiliary
machinery.
Regards
Joachim
Joachim Schmid
>>>Ask the russkies how they managed to preserve the Aurora, a pre-1905
>>>light cruiser which started the bolshevik revolution with its salvo.
>>
>>They didn't - that's not the Aurora.
>
> So what do you think it is ?
>
> http://www.saint-petersburg.com/museums/cruiser-aurora.asp
Something that had been the Aurora before people full of Bolshevik
spirit, but lacking conservational expertise and sensibility changed her
step by step into a 1:1 waterline model and floating exhibition
pavilion, leaving only parts of the hull shell unchanged.
Regards
Joachim
Andy Dingley
<keit...@kwillshaw.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>So what do you think it is ?
No idea - it's a long time since I heard the story. It's even longer
(Brezhnev was still on the throne) since I was on board.
But AFAIK (and you can search as well as I can) at some time ('50s ?)
the Aurora was in a terrible state and the hull was barely afloat. So
she wandered off for "restoration" for a while - which basically
involved swapping the ship's bell and any recognisable features onto
the hull of another cruiser from the same period.
So "The Aurora" is still afloat on the Neva. But there's not a lot of
"Aurora" left to her.
--
Smert' spamionam
Keith Willshaw
Well thats 2 contradictory versions so far but I'll accept that she's a
little
less than original :)
Keith
raymond o'hara
what is it? a replica?
Joachim Schmid
> Well thats 2 contradictory versions so far but I'll accept that she's a
> little less than original :)
My informations come from the official Russian Central Naval Museum
website and the book "Kreyser Avrora" by L.L. Polenov, backed by
personal observation in 1975, when Aurora was oviously afloat, and in
1986, when Aurora was not present at her usual berth. I was not able to
take a look at her since then, but many pictures show now something
looking like Aurora at the old place.
I do not believe in the version of another old cruiser being swapped for
Aurora. Which one should that be? All her sister ships were already sunk
in the Russo-Japanese war, and I do not know of any other Russian
armored cruiser surviving after WW II - at least none which would have
fitted in size.
Regards
Joachim
Joachim Schmid
>>OK, what about HMS Belfast?
>
> Or the Huascar in Chile
Or Mikasa at Yokosuka.
Regards
Joachim
Andre Lieven
Working with " Soviet Warship Development; Volume 1; 1917-1937 ",
by Siegfried Breyer, 1989, 1992, states that Aurora had two
sisters. Pallada was sunk in the Russo Japanese War, and was
repaired by the IJN, as their Isugaru, and was scrapped by them
in 1923. Diana was scrapped in Bremen, Germany, in 1922.
So, no other such ships survived. The later Bogatyr class, similar
in overall size, had Varying fates. One was lost on the slip,
while under construction. Another was sunk by RN CMBs, in 1919.
One was cannibalised, and scrapped in Bremen, in 1922. One went
with the Whites, and was scrapped in 1933. The past one, ex-Kagul,
was a war loss in the Black Sea, and was sunk as a blockade in
the Khopi estuary. Broken up in 1958. Her Soviet name was
Komintern.
Also, the book notes about the Aurora's overhaul and restoration
in 1985-86, and that it was done at the Zhdanov Shipyard.
Andre
--
" I'm a man... But, I can change... If I have to... I guess. "
The Man Prayer, Red Green.
Daniel
> My informations come from the official Russian Central Naval Museum
> website and the book "Kreyser Avrora" by L.L. Polenov, backed by
> personal observation in 1975, when Aurora was oviously afloat, and in
> 1986, when Aurora was not present at her usual berth.
I think I remember seeing her in July '86, either from across the river
or from a hydrofoil. When would she have been moved?
Andy Dingley
<ab...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>OK, what about HMS Belfast?
What, that modern thing ? 8-)
How about HMS Caroline ? Last Jutland survivor. Still afloat, in good
structural order, despite having a large garden shed erected on deck.
Yet there is barely anyone in Belfast who knows she's even there.
--
Smert' spamionam
Andy Dingley
wrote:
>I do not believe in the version of another old cruiser being swapped for
>Aurora.
Fair enough - I'm probably wrong here, it's only a vague memory of the
details. But what you look at when you see here today is more of a
Potemkin (in the village sense) than the original Aurora.
ANDREW ROBERT BREEN
I was going to mention her :)
Then there's Gannet, Warrior, Unicorn, Trincomalee and the old lady
herself, Victory - in various stages of "authenticity", whatever
that means in this context..
--
Andy Breen ~ Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
"Time has stopped, says the Black Lion clock
and eternity has begun" (Dylan Thomas)
ANDREW ROBERT BREEN
But is she any more so than many other preserved ships - Warrior
springs to mind in this context, where there ain't a lot else
original apart from the hull itself.
But you'd not have wanted to keep her as she was at the start of the
80s..
--
Andy Breen ~ Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)
Peter H. Granzeau
wrote:
>what is it? a replica?
Evidently, it's a lot of restoration on what was salvageable of the
original vessel. Hull underwater not original, gun mounts not
original, etc.
Brian Sharrock
"ANDREW ROBERT BREEN" <a...@aber.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:cm54gt$8kv8$1...@central.aber.ac.uk...
> In article <0f4co0d2lmp4bcl8n...@4ax.com>,
> Andy Dingley <din...@codesmiths.com> wrote:
> >On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 02:08:48 +0100, Joachim Schmid <E94...@yahoo.de>
> >wrote:
> >
> >>I do not believe in the version of another old cruiser being swapped for
> >>Aurora.
> >
> >Fair enough - I'm probably wrong here, it's only a vague memory of the
> >details. But what you look at when you see here today is more of a
> >Potemkin (in the village sense) than the original Aurora.
>
> But is she any more so than many other preserved ships - Warrior
> springs to mind in this context, where there ain't a lot else
> original apart from the hull itself.
> But you'd not have wanted to keep her as she was at the start of the
> 80s..
>
This is the axe George Washington used to chop the cherry tree ...
'course it's had three heads ...
five handles ....
and six wedges .....since then ...
but it's the same axe!
--
Brian
Joachim Schmid
> What is it that they say;- ?
> This is the axe George Washington used to chop the cherry tree ...
> 'course it's had three heads ...
> five handles ....
> and six wedges .....since then ...
> but it's the same axe!
Smile ...
Yes, this is the problem of all conservation. Look at old houses.
Everywhere you need to replace rotten parts from time to time.
But real conservation tries to preserve the object not only in external
appearance, but also in internal situation, materials and ways of
manufacture. Of course one loses authenticity with every repair, and
sometimes a modification is inevitably. But this is different to
destroying the original and setting up a pretense of reality.
Regards
Joachim
Andy Dingley
<david....@btinternet.com> wrote:
>Or the Huascar in Chile
How did that happen ? AIUI, the Huascar was in one hell of a state
after its pounding. Those days weren't big on preservation, so how
did it happen that she survived ? Is there a good story in there ?
Peter Skelton
There are several good web sites that tell it
Peter Skelton
Keith Willshaw
"Peter Skelton" <skel...@cogeco.ca> wrote in message
news:rffdo0p3r0l6piq9c...@4ax.com...
Then why not post the URL's ?
Keith
Andrew C. Toppan
wrote:
>I do not believe in the version of another old cruiser being swapped for
>Aurora.
Not another cruiser, the SAME cruiser. AURORA's recent "restoration"
apparently included construction of a new lower hull, onto which the
upper parts of the old hull were placed. The old hull, complete with
machinery, was seen floating in a scrapyard after the restoration was
completed. So if AURORA was in two places at the same time, which is
the original ship?
--
Andrew Toppan --- acto...@gwi.net --- "I speak only for myself"
"Haze Gray & Underway" - Naval History, DANFS, World Navies Today,
Photo Features, Military FAQs, and more - http://www.hazegray.org/
Peter Skelton
Because I last looked a couple of years ago & was doing supper.
It's an easy search, the Ship's name did it or so I recall.
You can link to several from
http://www.oz.net/~markhow/pre-dred/huascar.htm
Peter Skelton
jchase
> Tamas Feher wrote:
(snip)
> The
> armament had been falsificated in 1945 by using old land guns in army
> mounts with added shields, new-built in the old appearance.
Of course, the USS Olympia in Philadelphia has sheet metal recreations
of her main guns. No intent to decieve- she was disarmed around WWI at
a time when she was just "old" and not yet "historic"
I do hope the Texas is reapaired properly- with her pre-WWI powerplant
and main guns, and the whole WWII topside and AA weapons, she's a
veritable encyclopedia of warship design.
ANDREW ROBERT BREEN
Repaired, much rebuilt and re-armed and put back into service.
Became a training ship in the 1890s, IIRC. Not preserved as such
until maybe the 1950s?
--
Andy Breen ~ Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
Graeme Wall
Joachim Schmid <E94...@yahoo.de> wrote:
> DM wrote:
>
> >>OK, what about HMS Belfast?
> >
> > Or the Huascar in Chile
>
> Or Mikasa at Yokosuka.
>
Sarmiento and Uruguay in Buenos Aires.
--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at <http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html>
Peter H. Granzeau
<acto...@gwi.net> wrote:
>Not another cruiser, the SAME cruiser. AURORA's recent "restoration"
>apparently included construction of a new lower hull, onto which the
>upper parts of the old hull were placed. The old hull, complete with
>machinery, was seen floating in a scrapyard after the restoration was
>completed. So if AURORA was in two places at the same time, which is
>the original ship?
There was an old theory that if every single piece of wood and metal
in a ship were replaced, she was still the same ship.
Kind of like the 200 year old axe, which has had two new heads and
three new handles, but is still the same axe.
Andrew C. Toppan
<pgr...@cox.net> wrote:
>There was an old theory that if every single piece of wood and metal
>in a ship were replaced, she was still the same ship.
The difference is piecewise replacement vs. wholesale construction of
a new vessel. If you've got two hulls floating at the same time...only
one can be the original ship.
sfb
"Andrew C. Toppan" <acto...@gwi.net> wrote in message
news:p63go096413t8tvv5...@4ax.com...
Jack Love
theobviou...@theobviousindiana.edu (Geoff Cashman) wrote:
>In article <jHQhd.13332$233.3092@okepread05>,
>Peter H. Granzeau <pgr...@cox.net> wrote:
>USS Constitution has only something like 13% of her original
>material.
Where have you seen that number? When I was on the tour they seemed
to indicate much less.
>-Geoff
Moramarth
<a...@aber.ac.uk> writes
>In article <cpddo05ilrmfsbh4p...@4ax.com>,
>Andy Dingley <din...@codesmiths.com> wrote:
>>On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 20:48:48 +0000 (UTC), "DM"
>><david....@btinternet.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Or the Huascar in Chile
>>
>>How did that happen ? AIUI, the Huascar was in one hell of a state
>>after its pounding. Those days weren't big on preservation, so how
>>did it happen that she survived ? Is there a good story in there ?
>
>Repaired, much rebuilt and re-armed and put back into service.
>Became a training ship in the 1890s, IIRC. Not preserved as such
>until maybe the 1950s?
"Huascar" probably isn't so much preserved as in reserve, and there are
contingency plans for mounting Exocets on the turret roof...
>
Regards,
--
Moramarth
Moramarth
<E94...@yahoo.de> writes
>I would not call the treatment of Aurora a preservation. In both
>"overhauls" the vessel had undergone substantial modifications,
>effectively destroying nealry all authentic value. Only the external
>appearance is conserved, everything else is Bolshevik Disneyland. The
>armor has vanished in the last overhaul and used to create a new
>armored deck. Only one engine has remained, but put in the other engine
>room. The first engine room is mimicking a boiler room now, with forged
>boilers. Superstructures, funnels and masts are all made new in both
>overhauls. The inner rooms were almost entirely rebuilt and reequipped
>in both overhauls, featuring now museum exhibition halls, museum staff
>accomodation, power station, air conditioners (!), and other auxiliary machinery.
Reminds me of an exchange in the recent remake of "Battlestar
Galactica", which runs something like:
"Why can't we use the starboard launch bay?"
"It's a gift shop..."
>
>
Cheers,
>
>Joachim
--
Moramarth
ANDREW ROBERT BREEN
Reminds me of the cartoon in Navy News during the Falklands/Malvinas
"incident" (it didn't become a war officially until after the '83
election). Jack telling his mate "They're talking about re-commissioning
BULWARK". In the background VICTORY is heading out to sea..
--
Andy Breen ~ Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
"Who dies with the most toys wins" (Gary Barnes)
Jack Linthicum
> .. only one can **claim** to be the original ship ...
>
> "Andrew C. Toppan" <acto...@gwi.net> wrote in message
> news:p63go096413t8tvv5...@4ax.com...
> > On Tue, 02 Nov 2004 13:51:48 -0500, Peter H. Granzeau
> > <pgr...@cox.net> wrote:
> >
> >>There was an old theory that if every single piece of wood and metal
> >>in a ship were replaced, she was still the same ship.
> >
> > The difference is piecewise replacement vs. wholesale construction of
> > a new vessel. If you've got two hulls floating at the same time...only
> > one can be the original ship.
> >
>
Joshua Slocum, Sailing Alone Around the World, "Now it is a law in
Lloyd's that the Jane repaired all out of the old until she is
entirely new is still the Jane."
Alan Lothian
<jackxx...@earthlink.net> wrote:
Hmm. Anyone know how much of HMS Victory is "original"? (For various
definitions, as several posters have alluded, of "original"; which
considering Victory's long service, could stretch things considerably.
Laid down 1759, launched 1765, not commissioned until 1778. How much
is left of the launch timber? How much left of the ship that fought at
Trafalgar 27 years later? I've come across various widely differing
estimates. The otherwise excellent website
http://www.hms-victory.com
doesn't seem to be much help, although I may have missed something.
--
"The past resembles the future as water resembles water" Ibn Khaldun
My .mac.com address is a spam sink.
If you wish to email me, try atlothian at blueyonder dot co dot uk
Jack Love
wrote:
The comment I recall, now some 20 years in the past, was "down here,
you can see the only original piece remaining" it was IIRC one of the
knees. Which wuold imply that the keel had been replaced??
Anyway, it's a matter of some interest to me. There was a drawing
also some years ago on the original parts remaining on the current
B-52s: a couple of plates here and there.
Andrew C. Toppan
<jackxx...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>USS Constitution has only something like 13% of her original
>>material.
>
>Where have you seen that number? When I was on the tour they seemed
>to indicate much less.
13% seems reasonable, if not a bit low. The keel and much of the
framing and planking down low in the hull are original.
Jack Love
<acto...@gwi.net> wrote:
>On Tue, 02 Nov 2004 17:23:07 -0800, Jack Love
><jackxx...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>>USS Constitution has only something like 13% of her original
>>>material.
>>
>>Where have you seen that number? When I was on the tour they seemed
>>to indicate much less.
>
>13% seems reasonable, if not a bit low. The keel and much of the
>framing and planking down low in the hull are original.
Interesting. Have you seen a drawing of the old/new anywhere?
Andrew C. Toppan
<jackxx...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>Interesting. Have you seen a drawing of the old/new anywhere?
No drawing, although I've seen it hands-on.
Jack Love
<acto...@gwi.net> wrote:
>On Wed, 03 Nov 2004 13:33:34 -0800, Jack Love
><jackxx...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>Interesting. Have you seen a drawing of the old/new anywhere?
>
>No drawing, although I've seen it hands-on.
Sounds like another case of don't trust tour guides :) in that case.
Jack Linthicum
Here are two books that might have something, I would try to find the
authors to ascertain whether they have seen drawings. As a real aside
the TV program "This Old House" visited the Constitution several years
back and did a tour of the renovation/restoration facility. Included a
giant steam bending point for major league timbers for replacement of
those on the ship. If you are really interested you might spend time
on the telephone, their Internet site seems to be undergoing
'restoration' too, and see what they can do for documents.
About the Ship and Her Commanders
A Most Fortunate ship
by Tyrone G. Martin
Note: A Most Fortunate Ship by Commander Tyrone Martin, a perennial
best-seller at the Museum, and a great historical narrative of the
history of USS Constitution is no longer available as a hardcover
book.
440 pages, Softbound Naval Institute Press, 1997
(9621) $ 26.95
OLD IRONSIDES, The Rise, Decline, and Resurrection of USS
Constitution
by Thomas Gillmer
Writing from the his unique perspective as a naval architect and as a
restorer of such vessels as the Pride of Baltimore, author Gillmer
tells the story of "Old Ironsides" as well as speaking to the
questions raised in restoring an old warship. Handsomely illustrated
by William Gilkerson.
239 pages, Softbound McGraw Hill, 1996
(19414) $ 21.95
P.O. Box 1812 Boston, Massachusetts 02129 617-426-1812
Jack Linthicum
> On Wed, 03 Nov 2004 13:33:34 -0800, Jack Love
> <jackxx...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> >Interesting. Have you seen a drawing of the old/new anywhere?
>
> No drawing, although I've seen it hands-on.
Possible source
http://www.maritime.org/conf/conf-otton-doc.htm
USS CONSTITUTION DOCUMENTATION
Patrick Otton, Technical Writer
Naval Historical Center Detachment Boston
Bldg 24 M&R B.N.H.P.
Charlestown Navy Yard
Boston, MA 02129 USA
617-242-0752, phone
617-241-5232, fax
e-mail: potton-n...@worldnet.att.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHY DOCUMENT?
The purpose of documentation is to establish the historic record for
your ship. This is the reference file that answers all the questions
asked about your ship concerning the history, the on-going work, and
questions concerning planning, operations and use. As Historians or at
least people with an interest in history ask "Where do the historical
records come from?" Then, set up your ideal world of information
exchange and access and compare that to what is presented by NHCDET
Boston.
The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Vessel
Preservation Projects is an excellent reference for defining the
practice of documentation. The SHPO may be of assistance in the
documentation process, but the responsibility rests with the
conscience of each individual. Ask yourself:
How much do you like your ship?
How long do you want it to last?
Answer to these questions establish your documentation goals.
According to the Standards, there are three qualifying objectives for
documentation:
Documentation provides the "paper" reproduction of the physical
object, this gives protection against loss.
Documentation records the changes in the vessel's fabric
Documentation enables future planning.
Documentation is arguably the most important aspect of our
relationship with our historic ships. It is the reason for this
conference. Through documentation we come to know and understand the
maintenance, repair, and future of our historically significant ships.
WHAT IS DOCUMENTATION? And useable FORMATS.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The camera is never far out of hand. It is important to have someone
who is interested in photography as well as savvy and adept in
shipboard practices for the greatest utilization of photography.
HABS/HAER define the requirements of photo-documentation to satisfy
the Library of Congress collections. HABS/HAER photo-documentation
Level 4 is satisfactory for the day-to-day documentation of our ships.
Level's Three, Two and One may be utilized in an as-needed
requirement.
Each picture frame should contain sufficient definition that anyone,
including those not familiar with the ship, can determine the field of
view. Date, deck level, position and "thing" should be defined within
the frame. Using 12 x 14 inches dry mark erasable boards are an asset
when labeling frames.
NHCDET Boston Constitution: About 5 thousand photos:
B/W, color, 35mm, 120mm, and slide formats
VIDEO
Video is an excellent record that combines both sound and picture into
one medium. This format is desirable for survey/condition evaluations
where verbal descriptions are essential and are a "must" for recording
one-time evolution, such as docking/undocking, stepping of masts, or
other singular processes.
NHCDET Boston Constitution: About 120 cassettes:
VHS, S-VHS, Beta, 8mm, formats etc.
MANUALS
Manuals are an excellent record of current and existing procedures and
ship board practices. NHC DET Boston has either in-use, being updated,
or being developed, manuals for:
Sail Training Manual
Methods
Mooring, Procurement
Procedures:
Safety/Systems: Sound and Security
Flooding, de-watering, generators
Damage Control
Fire, Medical, Flooding, etc..
Maintenance Manual
All of these sources should be considered as documentation.
DRAWINGS AND SKETCHES
Historic Drawings
Historic drawings need to be collected, identified, defined, contents
described, and cataloged to be of value as primary source
documentation.
NHCDET Boston Constitution: About 800 NHCDET Boston Drawings of the
current configuration of the ship and another 300 National Archive
copies of historic drawings dating from the early 1800's. All of these
drawings exist in three formats:
Archived originals,
Photocopied working copies,
Aperture card images for reproduction.
These are all recorded in tabular format on the PC using the following
table entries:
DRAWING NUMBER
TITLE or VIEW
DESCRIPTION
Naval Architect or Draftsman
Location, Where drawing was made
scale
date
size
original, on record
copies, number of working copies
This WORD document is fully searchable for any word entry.
Current Working Drawings
Current working drawings detailing the "as-worked" or "as-repaired" or
"as-restored" configurations are important as accurate records of the
dimensional and configuration changes within the ship. For the recent
Rehabilitation and Restoration of Constitution, NHCDET Boston has
logged over 5,000 volunteer hours generating measured drawings of
inboard and outboard profiles, sail and rigging plans, and decks as
work progressed on Constitution.
Working drawings of the "as-found" conditions may assist in
documenting archeological studies in determining previous structure of
the ship. Constitution generated archeological drawings to help
identify earlier ship structure particularly old fasteners' holes in
the lower futtock sections of Constitution.
It is important to document both the "before" and "after"
configuration and condition as physical work progresses on the ship.
WRITTEN - TASK DOCUMENTATION
At NHCDET Boston, there is an established format for documenting and
establishing a written record for each job that is performed and for
all repair activity involving the ship. This entails entries for:
description and definition of work task item
history
materials acquisition/procurement
manufacturing reports
methods, procedures, problems
tooling usage
finishes
materials disposition
photo/video reference archive
An example of one of the 179 tasks performed as the Rehabilitation and
Restoration of Constitution is attached.
TRANSCRIPTION OF HISTORIC RECORDS
Substance for our ships is derived from historic records. These are
the primary sources such as Logbooks, Letter books, Journals,
Notebooks, Receipts, Contracts, and known Period Reference Sources
such as reference texts and manuals.
Repeated searching requires ease of access and the capability to
search for individual key words. Transcription of original manuscripts
on to the PC makes this possible. Transcription as an electronic copy
preserves the original document and makes the copy infinitely
transportable.
NHCDET Boston has transcribed about 1000 pages of handwritten
manuscripts; Letterbooks, Notebooks, and Deck logs onto the PC.
Additional transcription of period letters, repair records, sourced
from records from the yard, town, or state where the repair was
completed, and logbooks are planned. There are estimated to be about
20,000 pages that are readily available, with an unknown quantity that
remain to be found.
MICROFILM
Microfilm provides a manageable format for preserving historic
records. NHCDET Boston has filmed Constitution's designers, (Joshua
Humphreys and Joshia Fox) note and letter books. These historic
records yield much information concerning sizes, dimensions, and
repairs to Constitution.
Notebooks from designers, constructors, crew, etc. are being filmed to
ensure longevity and access.
CONTEMPORARY SOURCES
Collection of external news articles also documents the activity
concerning our ships. Newspaper, journal, and letters are all
collectable as official records. Video broadcast formats are also
collectable. These sources will eventually become part of the historic
record of the ship.
Within the organization, current Work orders, Change Orders, Personnel
lists, etc., all comprise the historical record. These sources need to
be documented and archived.
As a matter of habit, everything is photocopied as the original is
archived and working copies are distributed.
MODELS
Historic Models
Historic period models help define the ship's configuration, either
through the research of a contemporary modeller or in the
configuration of a known period model itself. There are about 15
models of Constitution depicting Constitution in various
configurations and time periods.
Contemporary Working Models
Models have been used two times to determine the hull configuration (a
1:16 scale model of the ship's structure) and sailing behavior (a 1:25
rigged tow tank test sailing model) of Constitution. These models are
important documents of the existing structure of the ship and our
understanding of the ship's behavior.
HOW TO DOCUMENT?
Example of Documentation Package: See Attachment A
CONCLUSIONS
Documentation is the "BIG" picture of your ship. Documentation
provides the source information for answering the question: What, How,
and Why. It is both the current active creation of the historic record
of the ship for future use as well as the historic research to support
the on-going work.
In the short term, documentation enables the administrative functions
to continue -- sourcing of materials, planning, estimating and
scheduling of labor, tooling, facilities for the on-going maintenance.
For the long term, documentation allows researchers to understand what
happened.
There are those who as they document, creating the historical record,
live in the present for the future, and there are those who are the
historians that live in the past for the present -- both are needed.
Remember, it is documentation that spans all time and enables our
ships to live.
Return to the Preservation Conference Schedule page.
Return to the Maritime Park Association home page.
Copyright (C) 1997, Maritime Park Association.
All Rights Reserved.
Version 1.04, 11 Aug 1997
Graeme Wall
Alan Lothian <alanl...@mac.com> wrote:
[snip]
>
> Hmm. Anyone know how much of HMS Victory is "original"? (For various
> definitions, as several posters have alluded, of "original"; which
> considering Victory's long service, could stretch things considerably.
> Laid down 1759, launched 1765, not commissioned until 1778. How much
> is left of the launch timber? How much left of the ship that fought at
> Trafalgar 27 years later? I've come across various widely differing
> estimates. The otherwise excellent website
> http://www.hms-victory.com
> doesn't seem to be much help, although I may have missed something.
>
Talking to one of the guides a few years ago, he claimed the only timber
surviving from Trafalgar is the bit of the cockpit where Nelson died. There
are a lot of buildings in Hampshire which claim to have bits of Victory's
timber in their construction.
Andrew C. Toppan
<jackxx...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>No drawing, although I've seen it hands-on.
>Sounds like another case of don't trust tour guides :) in that case.
When the tour guide is the CO of the ship, and you're in the bottom of
the drydock during the most recent restoration, I think the quality of
information is a bit higher.
Jack Love
<acto...@gwi.net> wrote:
>On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 01:22:25 -0800, Jack Love
><jackxx...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>>No drawing, although I've seen it hands-on.
>>Sounds like another case of don't trust tour guides :) in that case.
>
>When the tour guide is the CO of the ship, and you're in the bottom of
>the drydock during the most recent restoration, I think the quality of
>information is a bit higher.
No doubt at all...I was referring to -my- tour guide.
thexporter
I'm a volunteer that runs the Volunteer Restoration Crew aboard the
Battleship Texas. There are three websites you will find of interest
about the TEXAS.
www.usstexasbb35.com
Current Information on the Battleship TEXAS.
http://users3.ev1.net/~cfmoore/
Excellent technical data on the Battleship TEXAS
http://users4.ev1.net/~ctomscott/
Excellent photo tour of the Battleship TEXAS.
If you have any other questions let me know.
For those of you interested they offer a "Hard Hat Tour" of the
Battleship TEXAS. For details go to;
http://www.usstexasbb35.com/hard-hat-tours.htm
Dennis Mitchell
First TEXAS Volunteer
---------------------------------------------------------------
> Time is winning this war
> By Michael Graczyk
> ASSOCIATED PRESS
> Published October 29, 2004
>
> LA PORTE, Texas -- Age, relentless corrosion from saltwater and
> tight budgets are doing what no bombs, torpedoes or bullets could
> accomplish. Sixteen years after the state spent $14 million to help
> preserve it, the nearly century-old USS Texas -- the remaining
> battleship to survive World Wars I and II -- needs an overhaul to keep
> it from rusting away.
> "The ship is in need of significant repair," said Steve Whiston,
> director of the infrastructure division of the Texas Parks and
> Wildlife Department, which maintains the 573-foot-long, 34,000-ton
> vessel in a berth on the Houston Ship Channel. "There is corrosion at
> the water line. We're continuing to experience problems that cause us
> concern. And the ship, given its age, is pretty fragile."
> So fragile that chronically leaky air tanks -- known as blisters
> and added to the exterior during the 1920s for stability -- sprung a
> serious leak one night. Workers were greeted the next morning with the
> ship sporting a 4-degree starboard list.
> "It got all of us excited, but we're satisfied it's stable," Mr.
> Whiston said.
> The water was pumped out and the leak was patched, at least
> temporarily.
> "If you are going to acknowledge you're going to keep some
> historic ships, there is a very strong argument this is at least as
> good, if not the best, one to keep," said Barry Ward, curator of the
> Texas.
> Mr. Ward said the ship is a unique piece of technology in terms of
> the time period it represents. "This goes from the very beginning of
> the age of flight through the nuclear age," he said.
> The oldest of the eight remaining American battlewagons, the Texas
> is the last of the Dreadnought class, patterned after the British
> battleship that featured unprecedented speed and armaments at the turn
> of the 20th century. Launched in 1912 and commissioned two years
> later, the Texas was touted as the world's most powerful weapon.
> In World War I, it served as U.S. flagship in the British Grand
> Fleet. In 1940, it was named flagship of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, took
> part in D-Day in 1944, later experienced casualties when hit by German
> artillery off France and provided Pacific support for World War II
> battles at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
> Decommissioned in 1948, the Texas eventually went under the care
> of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which keeps the ship as
> part of the San Jacinto Battlegrounds State Park near Houston.
> In 1988, a major restoration -- the first in 40 years -- required
> it to be towed to a Galveston shipyard where the hull essentially was
> replaced. Despite what turned out to be a temporary solution, Mr. Ward
> said, he believes the work saved the ship from an almost certain
> demise.
> "Possibly, within a year or two, if they hadn't done that, this
> ship would no longer have been able to be towed anywhere for repair,"
> he said.
> The same kind of decision looms now -- without money or a
> convenient place for repairs.
> "A ship like that really needs significant dry-dock repairs every
> eight to 10 years, so we're really past our cycle," Mr. Whiston said.
> The Texas Legislature approved about $12 million in bonds to pay
> for renovations but didn't provide debt service -- the money -- to
> issue the bonds, Mr. Whiston said. Park officials hope to remedy that
> with a budget request when lawmakers return to Austin in January.
> But since the last round of extensive repairs, the Galveston dry
> dock where the Texas was towed ceased business, and there is doubt any
> shipyard in Texas can do the job. The Parks and Wildlife Department
> hasn't been immune to state budget trimming. There also is uncertainty
> whether the ship could endure the rigors of a move.
> "It's fine floating in one place, but when you put a ship of that
> age in open water, that stress, we were concerned we may lose it," Mr.
> Whiston said.
> One proposal calls for building a dam around where the ship is now
> docked, along with a dry dock, allowing engineers to remove the water
> as needed to make repairs. Another idea is to permanently elevate the
> ship from the water on a kind of cradle.
> "As long as the state decides to have this, it's my job to do the
> best I can to take care of it and guide the state in the
> decision-making process of how to take care of it," said Mr. Ward, who
> has been in charge of the ship for the past five years.
> For now, that means an almost continuous painting effort with
> Measure 21 Dark Blue, the color the Texas wore at the end of World War
> II. The wood deck, originally teak, was replaced decades ago with less
> expensive southern pine, then at some point after decommissioning was
> covered with cement -- an error that has led to maintenance problems.
> The deck is being scrubbed of cement and repainted. Deck replacement,
> even with pine, easily would top seven figures, Mr. Ward said.
> Inside the Texas, some of the living quarters and working areas
> are being restored with as many actual ship items as possible. Mr.
> Ward has been scouring Internet auctions for artifacts. Some equipment
> that can't be replaced, such as small light fixtures over desks, are
> being handmade to duplicate originals.
> The curator said he would like to equip areas of the ship with
> taped audio presentations for the 150,000 annual visitors whose $5
> admission fee goes into the department's general fund.
> Areas closed off to the public show how difficult the work is.
> Lead paint and asbestos must be removed and rust and dirt are
> everywhere. Except for a few scattered hang-on units that obviously
> weren't original, there is no air conditioning.
> A project under way will restore the quarters of the ship's
> physician. Another involves restoration of the radio room. In an
> eating area, Mr. Ward found a painted wood wall section with dozens of
> pinholes. It turned out to be the old location for a dartboard, and he
> was able to find an exact match.
> Victories like that are small for a ship where "challenges are
> everywhere you turn," he said.
> "I'm a museum specialist, a historian and archaeologist by
> training," Mr. Ward said. "This is the kind of thing you are not
> schooled to be an expert in. You become one."
Michel Eyckmans {MCE}
Graeme Wall <ra...@greywall.demon.co.uk> writes:
|> In message <031120041309343809%alanl...@mac.com>
|> Alan Lothian <alanl...@mac.com> wrote:
|>
|> [snip]
|> >
|> > Hmm. Anyone know how much of HMS Victory is "original"? (For various
|> > definitions, as several posters have alluded, of "original"; which
|> > considering Victory's long service, could stretch things considerably.
|> > Laid down 1759, launched 1765, not commissioned until 1778. How much
|> > is left of the launch timber? How much left of the ship that fought at
|> > Trafalgar 27 years later? I've come across various widely differing
|> > estimates. The otherwise excellent website
|> > http://www.hms-victory.com
|> > doesn't seem to be much help, although I may have missed something.
|> >
|>
|> Talking to one of the guides a few years ago, he claimed the only timber
|> surviving from Trafalgar is the bit of the cockpit where Nelson died. There
|> are a lot of buildings in Hampshire which claim to have bits of Victory's
|> timber in their construction.
I visited her last July and just finished reading the +-1999 account
of her various restorations. Not a lot is left (e.g. the masts now
are iron ones and have been so for more than 100 years).
But for at least one of the lower decks a considerable amount of
planking is nowadays "reliably believed" to be launch timber. Or
at least so says the report. It also contains a percentage estimate
for the "Trafalgar time" material, but I don't remember the figure
and don't have the book handy right now.
MCE
--
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M. Eyckmans (MCE) eyckmans-at-imec-dot-be
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