BB-35 ¤ Fall Season 2OO5

Special Reports on USS Texas BB~35 Dreadnought. .

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Cpt Spike Mike
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BB-35 ¤ Fall Season 2OO5

Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-13-2005 11:33 PM

And what a glorious one it will be! :D

Yes, for the first time in many moons I got on my steel Horse and kicked all the way to my ship, the USS Texas in the San Jacinto Battleground State Park. No bonk today, just a good but lengthy ride. AT least, on a 45-pound bike with an eight-pound pack. FOr some of our newer pirates: I'm a member of the First Texas Volunteers, a volunteer group that helps Texas Parks & Wildlife restore & maintain the USS Texas (hull number BB-35), the last dreadnought battleship in the world and the nation's oldest floating museum.

Today was a workday, as well as a meeting day for the FTV. The Senior Officer's Stateroom common hall was partially painted, as well as a base coat in McArdle's Stateroom. That's basically the name of it: the McArdle Project. You see, McArdle was the surgeon onboard in WWII. He's since passed on, but his family ponied up some cash to help us restore is stateroom. Well, that part of the ship has been restricted from public access for about 3O-4O years. And what good is restoring one stateroom if nobody can see it? So we're restoring the entire area forward of the wardroom ,with the exceptions of the enteriors of the other rooms, and I'm not sure about the Officer's Head.

Here's Restoration Chief Dennis Mitchell & HVIC on this project shooting a coat of Officer Green enamel. He's the one in the white. Looks like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. :D

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Post by Linnea » 08-13-2005 11:35 PM

Great, Spike Mike. Glad we are getting some updates and new pics!

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Getting There . . .

Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 12:38 AM

from approx. 1O:OOam CDT

Had to stop along Ferry Road and catch some shots of the pelicans in Burnett Bay. :cool:

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 05:15 PM

around 1O:3Oam CDT

When I get to the ship I always go to my regular picnic table, on the port side of the ship's slip (3 times fast). Here's the view from the table: you can see a lot of painting has gone on lately. Measure 21 Blue all over, except the boat cranes (too hazardous), but they've still got a little bit to do. Like that section of 5-inch casemate there on the Aircastle.

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 05:19 PM

logged in on ship at 11:OOam CDT

I park my bicycle on the Main Deck, just starboard of centerline of the "Black Forest", a collection of vent pipes just aft of Turret #3. There, I found head FTV honcho Chief Don Fisher, the big man himself painting a (non-working) blower motor. Here's what it looked like when he was was done. Going down in the Boiler Room #3, also known as Boiler 3. We'll get down there later.

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 05:36 PM

Head down to my locker to stow my gear and get my water mug (six 12-oz mugfuls will get me through the day. And we got ice! :D ) There's some FTV crewmembers done there painting the deck.

At my locker I take stuff I'll need out of my backpack and stuff it in the top hole, lockup and go get some ice & water at the fountain in the port Aircastle. There's Norm, one of the ship's hired workers. They actually work for TPWD, and most have shipwright's skills. NOrm greets me with a wide-faced grin, happy to see me after many months. But no time to chat; he's got work to do as well. It never stops around here. :)

So, now we're off to the Ward Room and forward, into restricted-access-general-public- or RAG-P area. You might want gloves . . . . ?:eek: :D :cool:

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 05:55 PM

Let's duck under the yellow tape (Lance? :D ) and open the Ward Room door feel the vacuum and WHOOSH! When you close the door the paint fumes hit you hard. Well, Dennis' e-mail did say we should wear our respirators at this work party.

And evidently the party is in full swing in here! Sitting in on the band are Steve Boswick and his son Andy, helping the venerable Chuck Moore and others keep the Officer Green paint flowing. Inside is someone I couldn't recognize in a blue, protective suit, and Chief Dennis in a white suit, painting away. That's the shot up in the opening post. Stepping inside that room was even more concentrated with the aeorsolized, marine-grade enamel, and you don't want to spend much time in here. I popped three shots and ducked back out. In the shot below you can see many "false orbs": that's the paint they were spraying lit up by my flash. :eek:

I've since cropped & enhanced the shot, and sent the results to Dennis titled 'Space Odyssey', with the simple message, "Open the pod bay doors, Hal." :D :D

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 06:02 PM

Let's get out of here, it's burning my eyes. :)

Go get more water and drink about half a mug, then refill. We're off to Boiler Room #3. I pass by the Crew Break Room and check to see if any FTVs are "breaking". No one to be seen so we're headed down to 3rd Deck. There's a caged hatch down here, so this is more than just ducking under caution tape. You gotta have keys to get in here. All the long-time FTV do, so we go through and crawl into one of small hatches in the side of the starboard Ammo Pass. Down through another armored deck hatch, twist around and through the double doors which kept the room airtight (when it was an operating boiler room). Then down another, narrow, steep staircase (claustrophobic yet? ;) ) and finally- Boiler Room #3 in all its granduere. :cool:

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 06:12 PM

In that shot you can see the port side boiler is unrestored, but the starboard side boiler is much different. :D

This project has been headed up by Master-At-Arms & one of my personal ship buds, J.D. Oliver. An old, Navy hand, JD just retired and has been cleaning out his garage for the last 2½ months. He donated two metal file cabinets to the FTV and later, he & I moved them to the Main Deck office. He wasn't here yet, but would show later as he also helps greatly on the Overnight Sleepover program now called the Youth Education Program and run by Chief Jerry Erwin.

Here's the face of the starboard boiler, in Boiler 3. Almost a total facelift, with a little work to go. I've got to hand it to them: it looks almost brand-spanking new. And a little side note: nothing on this ship will ever again look absolutely new. There's just too much lost to history, so we do as best as we can. And most of the time, that's pretty damn good. :cool:

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 06:56 PM

I'm down here, taking several shots; the compartment is a little dusty. It hangs in the air like thin smoke. It doesn't show up in my photos because I shot a lot of these on timed exposures. By the time I stepped in the space and started about to putting my camera on my tripod, the sweat was starting to drip. It's quite still down here, and the air feels a little heavy.

But I've got work to do as I feel these shots are an important part of documenting FTV restoration history. The camera is mounted on a short, mutli-axised, machinist's tool mount, used in lathing & milling. It's got a magnetic base that can be mechanically switched from active to inert with the flip of a knob. I'm on my knees for this shot. getting rusty on the grating here. There's no deck plate, as this floor had to allow air pressures to stay equal throughout the compartment.,. as coal and oil-fired boilers operate in a pressurized room. Still sweating & mopping my face with a rag. The beads are starting sting my eyes. More water! :D

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 07:16 PM

As I wrap up this mini-on-location photo shoot, the FTV members doing the day's work in here start to bump & thump thier way down the steep stairs and into Boiler 3. I have to be honest and say I've never met these people (two men and a younger lady) and don't know thier names. I indeed have been gone too long. But they see my volunteer's nametag and figure out that I'm with the program in here. It's all good. :cool:

I depart before they can get back to "dusting up" the place, but I'm feeling a thin layer growing on my perspiring body from the paint and the dust-filled air in Boiler 3. During a work party you eventually realize that you are getting dirty just walking around the place, and it's also evident from the dirt showing up on the once-fresh light blue washcloth I brought with me.

We climb back up the steep, boxy stairs, through the double doors, twist around & climb up the ladder of the short staircase through the heavy-armored hatch and back through the small hatch into the Ammo Pass on 3rd Deck. Then, through the security gate, up another armored hatch to 2nd Deck, and up a nearby ladder to the Main Deck. It's still sunny but that 1O-12 mph headwind on the ride over now feels good as it colls your soaked clothes a little. Time to smoke a cigarette & grab a couple of chili dogs for lunch, but wait! It's JD coming up the gangway. We get together and move those file cabinets I mentioned earlier. Then my lunch hour, and back onboard by 2:OOpm CDT to catch the FTV Meeting. :)

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 07:45 PM

2:OOpm CDT - FTV Meeting

Numerous things were discussed at this meeting. I hope I cn do tham all justice here in this summary of minutes.

Naturally work currently underway was discussed, as well as future work. Now, the upcoming fall schedule and main reasons why we're busting a lot of ass. :D

October 1st - USS Texas Veteran's Reunion
October 8th - USS Texas Marine Veteran's Reunion
October 15th - Hard Hat Tour
November 12th - Hard Hat Tour

And, of course, Pearl Harbor Remembrance and Yuletide Texas in December.


So, there's our deadlines for all work in progress; at least we hope so. It's going to be a work-filled six weeks. Veteran's Reunion happens every two years, and it gives us and the public the awesome opportunity to meet these men, hear thier tales and see the wonderous reaction from all our dedicated work. I'm telling you, it's a rush unbelievable to see thier smile and feel thier firm handshake as they say, "thank you for doing all this." And you get to say back, "we do it to thank you, sir."

The Marine Veteran's Reunion is one I'm really looking forward to, because unlike the Ship's Vets, the Marine Vets haven't been here in some 6 or 7 years. A fine opportunity I don't want to miss.

And then Hard Hat Tour season resumes for the fall, winter & spring (it's too hot for this special tour in summer). This is a tour that is only available by advance registration. They're usually two months apart, but due to heavy demand we're doing one in November. It costs a minimum donation of $3O.OO per person and runs about two hours through the bowels of the historic, now-antiquated but proud lady. You'll see spaces not open to the general public for 4O years, or maybe more. Wear some clothes you don't mind getting rusty, bring some work gloves (preferably leather) water bottle and a flashlight. We'll provide the hard hats. :) :cool:

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 08:02 PM

Next up, the man I consider to be our fighting general, museum curator Barry Ward. If you want to know what's going on, he's the man to talk to; he told us about some of the plans for the future of the ship, mostly about her hull maintenance situation.

By 2OO7, she may not be structurally sound enough to withstand a tow. So, plans are still being dickered over (although Berry did inform us some initial success) to build BB-35 another slip nect to her present one. They want to build her a "graving berth", NO, don't panic: we're not burying the old girl. This is a shipyard term for a slip that can be drained to allow a ship to sit on the solid, concrete bottom, out of the water all together to allow hull maintenance to be performed.

This new graving berth would be dug next to her current slip and built up with a solid foundation & walls. A long mound of dirt, 3O feet high, would separate the two. After berth construction, the cofferdam is removed, flooding the new berth. Then the divider is removed, and BB-35 can then be floated laterally approxiamately 15O feet to starboard, and into her new slip/graving berth.

Next, the ols slip would be filled in and the present mooring columns would now be set into new footings, still allowing her to rise & fall with the level of the Houston Ship Channel's mouth. And in the future, when she needs it, replace the cofferdam and pump out the water, setting her on the contoured floor of the graving berth. Now THAT'S a History Channel Special in the making! :D

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 08-14-2005 08:14 PM

around 3:3Opm CDT

Other matters were discussed, paperwork done and the meeting was adjourned. Everyone went to take a look at drying paint and fresh rust-busting, as well as chat with the other FTV members. I myself made my way around and said goodbyes to the few people I could find. Then made my way to my locker to get my backpack, back to the Break Room where I had a Dr. Pepper in the fridge, and up to the Main Deck where my Horse was parked.

Saddle up and Batglide across the deck, salute the flag on the stern and roll down the gangplank, through the gate and all the way around the ship to the picnic area once again. Here I'll snack on some canned pineapple, drink my DP, smoke a couple of cigarettes and look back on my busy day. Around 4:45pm I pack up, load up and start on the 5-mile ride back home.

Hell of a day, ain't it? :)

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Post by TABwebmaster » 08-15-2005 01:28 AM

Awesome review of your day, Mike! I wish I could be there. I've got shivers running up and down my spine and tears welling:D

So, the BB-35 will always have a slip that can be drained so she can be put on blocks and inspected, maintained?

I'd love to see the faces of the crews at the reunions. I'd be willing to bet you get a few tears from the Marine crew that hasn't seen her in 7 years!

Bravo Zulu, Spike Mike!:D

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