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March 6th Photos Page |
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Well, today was actually the 9th time I've been onboard since I last posted any photos. Between the hectic time around the holidays, and the snowy Winter we've had, I haven't been able to get to the ship as often as I would like. March 20th though will be my 275th Volunteer Day, that means when I get back home to Virginia that day I will have logged 88,000 miles, in just under 9 years, up and down the I-95 corridor to the ship and back... It's hard to believe we've been at this for that long, but there is no shortage of work, that's for sure. Now more than ever we need volunteers to help with our "Spring Cleaning". Below are a few photos from my two most recent days onboard. Hope to see you onboard one day soon, Happy New Year! |
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is one of two large bells onboard. The one up on the bow is
smaller and plated, while this one is steel. It hangs high on the superstructure, at the O-7 level, just under the "flying bridge" area on the O-8 level. As you can see the weather has taken its toll on this bell, but it's on the Brass Team's "To Do List" for this Spring. Soon it will be sanded and repainted. Consider this the "before" photo, the "after" shot will follow in a month or so. |
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| The
Ships Store sells U.S. Flags that have been flown over the Battleship. Today members of the Brass Team performed flag raising duties and hoisted several flags for customers who had requested them. In this photo one of the flags is heading to the top. As a side note, look at that compass cover shining! |
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| Here
we see one of the flags flying over the Battleship. If you ordered a flag to be flown today, this might be yours! |
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| This is just a cool eagle that hangs in the XO's office. |
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| Some
of the ships Docents in their ready room getting ready for their day, conducting tours around the ship. These guys are a dedicated bunch on Saturday and they do a great job! |
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| Today
we worked down in the crew berthing areas below the aft mess deck. These heavy armored hatches provide access to primarily food storage areas below. Today the berthing areas below the mess decks are where visitors in the overnight encampment program sleep. Two decks up the ladder are doors that open to the weather deck. The exposure to the moist air from the outside has over time really taken a toll on these hatches. So, to clean off the surface rust and get them prepped for painting and detailing we had to break out the angle grinder. Again, consider this an "in progress" photo, more to come. |
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| Here
we are under the berthing areas, these heavy ribs looked pretty impressive. The bulkhead in the back is as far as you can go aft on this level, I think it was frame 204. |
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is another one of the armored hatches we worked on today, there is a total of three of them in this area. This one still needs some final painting, but it looks a lot better than it did when we started. |
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| These
are parts of other projects currently going on. Here are three
refinished phone cradles and a set of alarm plates that are being worked on in our shop. |
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| Back
in the "Nixes" area again. This is a winch that was used
to tow something behind the ship during her last period of service in the '80s. I know very little about this system, I believe it was something used to act as a decoy for enemy torpedoes. This is a pretty cool place though, here we are one deck below the fantail, and as far aft as you can go. |
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did an about face from the above photo and now we're looking aft. I'm guessing these 2 pulleys guided tow lines from the winch, through the rectangular doors below, and out to whatever the ship was towing. The steel frame that runs between the two doors is pretty much the centerline of the ship, and when you open one of those doors you are looking out the back of the ship, an interesting perspective... |
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a shot of the Memorial Kiosk we worked on a lot last Fall. It sits on the Mess Deck and can be used by visitors to search for names and information on former crew members and others who have made donations to the ship. It's still working after our complete overhaul, that pleases me! |
