Maritime Museums In The News

[Michael H. Standart]

From the Navy Newsstand:

Midway Museum Gets Wings From Tarawa Sailors

quote:

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Carlos Cepeda, USS Tarawa Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The Midway San Diego Aircraft Museum tapped into one of their greatest resources, the U.S. Navy, as two Sailors from amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) donated their time to help renovate the Midway flight deck April 30 to May 4.

Aviation Boatswain's Mate Handling 3rd Class Alejandro Zamora and Aviation Boatswain's Mate Handling Airman Thomas Vincent volunteered at the Midway Museum to paint the aviation boatswain's mate wings rating symbol on Midway’s superstructure.

“It was just a case where we were going down the list and getting the active Navy involved,” said Karl Zingheim, Midway historian, about the flight deck project. “We’re really appreciative of the Tarawa guys coming in and touching up the wings.”

Story at http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=29326

Comment: Martime museums in general and museum ships in particular are a subject which is near and dear to quite a few of us. Seems only proper that it would have it's own thread. The USS Midway CV-41) is a nice example of what's possible when an organization has it's act together and does what it takes to make things happen.

The Midway's website is at http://www.midway.org/site/pp.asp?c=coIMKTMCF&b=81432​

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From The Times Union.com:

Ship's history comes to life as crew reunites

quote:

ALBANY -- Sixty-three years and one day later, Ed Lavin was back in the engine room of the USS Slater.
The last time he was there, he was surrounded by fire and struggling to operate the release mechanism atop a tall canister of carbon-dioxide gas.

He stood next to an identical container late Friday morning and touched the lever.

"When I pulled that, it saturated the whole area with CO2," he recalled.

Lavin was a motor machinist's mate 17 days into his tour with the Slater on March 17, 1944, when another crew member accidentally opened the wrong valve.

Story at http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=590832

Comment: Museum ships are often the focal point of some very emotional reunions and the USS Slater is no exception. If these guys have their way, the ship's engines will be restored and the ship will be able to move under her own power for the first time since 1991. The museum website is at http://www.ussslater.org/

See also http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/766.htm​

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From The Shipping Times:

Roar of cannon-fire heralds ship's visit to London

quote:

The Swedish Ship Götheborg arrived in London yesterday. The English capital is the last stopover before the ship will return to its homeport Göteborg after an almost 20 month long expedition.

Götheborg is (not surprisingly!) the first replica of an East Indiaman that has ever sailed in to London. The ship gave a eight shot salute from her iron cannons as she sailed through Tower Bridge. The salute was returned by HMS Belfast firing - a perhaps even more astonishing first as it is the first time since her berthing in London that she has done so. Then Götheborg continued into London Pool.

Story at http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/item610_gotheborg.htm

Comment: This vessel will be open to the public. The hours are at the bottom of the article. Definately worth a look if you happen to be there.​

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From The Shipping Times:

Another clipper that needs attention

quote:

CUTTY SARK is not the only veteran sailing ship that requires considerable attention


With the tragic fire that has damaged one of the world's last composite sailing ships, the CUTTY SARK, holding the attention of the world, it is perhaps fitting to also turn our thoughts to another similar vessel.

In many ways she shares the same heritage. Scotland, England and Australia all have a claim on this vessel. The former because she spent so long there, England for that was where she was constructed and the latter because she was so much a part of the maritime fabric of that fledgling nation.

The vessel in question is the CITY OF ADELAIDE, built in Sunderland five years before CUTTY SARK in 1864

Story at http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/item615_carrick.htm

Comment: Sadly, this museum is one of the failures with the City of Adelaide due to be deconstructed, which is to say, broken up, but with every piece and detail recorded. I have no real hope that this ship can be saved as she appears to be too far gone. Still, if anything is to be done, it needs to happen now.​

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From the Army Times of all things:

Medal of Honor museum to reopen

quote:

On Friday evening – fittingly, the start of the Memorial Day weekend – the National Medal of Honor Museum will reopen to the public aboard the World War II aircraft carrier Yorktown in Charleston, S.C.

The museum closed last year for a complete renovation and expansion.

Story at http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/05/military_medalhonor_museum_070521w/

Comment: I've seen portions of this part of the museum and it's well worth the trip.​

 

[Dave Gittins]

Here in the city of Adelaide, somebody came up with a mad scheme to take the rig from Cutty Sark and fit it to City of Adelaide. You can't beat Aussies for ratbaggery! City of Adelaide has been lying around for years, while hopeful noises were made about saving her. Some even wanted to drag her over here and set her up at the SA Maritime Museum. As usual, the necessary millions were not to be seen. The museum struggles to maintain the small craft it has, such as the steam tug Yelta, which hasn't been anti-fouled since Noah skippered his Ark.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>City of Adelaide<<

They would need to do a lot more then nick the Cutty Sark's rig to make the City of Adelaide presentable to say nothing of safe. The hull is in pretty desperate shape.

On to the news, this one from the BBC:

Discovery hull 'safe' from worms

quote:

Damage to the hull of one of Scotland's most historic ships by a marine worm is not as bad as first feared.
It was thought that the Toledo worm had infested the timbers of the 100-year-old Discovery in Dundee.

But after the hull was power-washed, only two small infested areas were found. The worm is expected to die.

Captain Robert Scott's ship, used on his trip to Antarctica, is currently in dry dock undergoing £688,000 of conservation work to its hull.

Story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/6682867.stm​

 

[Dave Gittins]

I fancy they mean the teredo worm, a rather nasty critter that bores holes along the grain of planks and thus goes undetected for a long time.

 

[David G. Brown]

Toledo worm? Is that what's wrong with the city? I thought it was the mayor.

-- David G. Brown

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>I fancy they mean the teredo worm<<

That's what I'm thinking. Quite a few old wooden ships have ended up as lunch for these little buggers.

 

[David G. Brown]

But Michael...the Toledo worm is far more devastating. It can infect even steel ships like the SS Willis B. Boyer. As of June 1, the City of Toledo will quit spending all money on the ship. In effect, the city has cut it adrift. There is a chance that the local port authority may take over operation of the Boyer, but if not the ship will succumb to the "Toledo worm."

-- David G. Brown

 

[Denise A. Hunyadi]

Sounds like they need a massive amount of pesticide to battle that infestation in Toledo, Dave. I wonder, though, if even that would do the trick? Hard to say, since so many of these destructive vermin have proven highly resistant to all attempts to eradicate them. Such is life in the big city, I guess.

Let's hope that the port authority comes to the rescue and the Boyer, which is a classic example of a Great Lakes bulk carrier, survives.

Denise

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>Let's hope that the port authority comes to the rescue and the Boyer, which is a classic example of a Great Lakes bulk carrier, survives.<<

Amen to that. Looks to me like the city government is being incredibly short sighted in all of this.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

From The Sydney Morning Herald:

Bid to save historic ship gains impetus

quote:

To the weary pioneers of the new colony of South Australia the striking sight of white sails heading up the Adelaide coast must have been greeted with relief.

For 20 years in the latter half of the 19th century the British built clipper known as the City of Adelaide sailed between England and the new settlement, barely 30 years old, with the most valuable of cargoes.

As well as much-needed food and other supplies, the ship brought new settlers with several thousand people taking passage.

For the rest of the story, go to http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/bid-to-save-historic-ship/2007/05/25/1179601644611.html​

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Maritime Matters has updated their list of preserved ships at http://www.maritimematters.com/preserv.html Be sure to check out the links.