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  • #61
    There are a few places on the deck that are in dire need of replacement. That's because the last decking was done with Douglas Fir instead of Teak or Locust Wood.

    MARAD has also had problems with sub-contractors in decking repair who do not use the right kind of wood and do not install it correctly.

    It's a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation.

    The pic is of the decking on the 02 level at the stbd side of CEC. It obviously shows water damage, some mold and lots of bird doo doo. The 01 level below is in pretty fair shape with mostly damage to the ends of the planks where water was able to seep down and soften up the wood allowing it to break off easily after drying out in the sun (which is why you should NEVER use Douglas Fir).
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    Last edited by RustyBattleship; 09 Jan 09,, 19:27.
    Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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    • #62
      Mr. L.,
      Just in asking how is the deck on the focsul at the wildcat/capstan control handwheels?
      Thanks
      Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

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      • #63
        Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
        There are a few places on the deck that are in dire need of replacement. That's because the last decking was done with Douglas Fir instead of Teak or Locust Wood.
        Sounds like someone was trying to save a few bucks . . . .

        We have the same trouble with our heavy equipment trailer decking; we're SUPPOSED to use apetong on our trailers, but a couple of times we went the "cheap" route and used doug fir and suffered the consequences.
        Last edited by Stitch; 09 Jan 09,, 21:14. Reason: Spelling
        "There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there any more." -Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge

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        • #64
          Here is a quesiton. Does the Iowa need teak decks? Meaning, does it need wooden decks at all. I have never served on a ship with a teak deck so I dont know what the purpose is. Would the Iowa be better off if the deck were torn up and nonskid put in it's place?
          Hit Hard, Hit Fast, Hit Often...

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          • #65
            Originally posted by maximusslade View Post
            Here is a quesiton. Does the Iowa need teak decks? Meaning, does it need wooden decks at all. I have never served on a ship with a teak deck so I dont know what the purpose is. Would the Iowa be better off if the deck were torn up and nonskid put in it's place?
            The purpose of teak wood decks on the big gun ships, battleships and cruisers has several purposes.

            From the USS North Carolina website:

            As was often traditional on warships, the Battleship’s weather decks (those exposed to the outside weather) were covered with teak decking.

            The wood deck served several useful purposes:

            1. Temperature and sound insulation - Steel decks quickly transferred either South Pacific heat or North Atlantic cold. The wood helped to modify the effects of the weather. The wood also deadened the sound of hundreds of sailors running and working on the deck.

            2. Easier on the feet - In comparison to steel, wood "gives underfoot," causing less stress to legs and feet.

            3. Protected the steel deck - Wood and its bedding compounds protected the steel from the corrosive effects of sun, salt, and water as well as from shrapnel (ammunition fragments) damage.
            They mentioned it, but should have made it #4,Tradition!

            In addition, the big gun ships were packed with sailors to man the guns, shell and powder magazines and damage control stations...during wartime.

            During peacetime you had a ship packed with guys that needed to be kept busy and maintaining the decks, 'holystoning', was labor-intensive, so it the perfect ongoing make-work job during the "shine the brightwork" mentality of the peacetime navies.

            Could they use non-skid now? Sure I guess so, others would know far better than I...but don't forget: Tradition! :)

            Almost forgot: Safety during ordnance-handling. A wood deck won't cause a spark when a dropped shell hits it.
            “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

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            • #66
              In addition to that. Under the teak planking lyes 1.5" of class B armor. If a shell were to hit the deck the teak planking would not splinter into a million pieces and throw shards all over the place. Soft wood planking would do exactly that. The teak gives an added measure of protection to the crew if they must be out there.;)
              Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

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              • #67
                Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
                There are a few places on the deck that are in dire need of replacement. That's because the last decking was done with Douglas Fir instead of Teak or Locust Wood.

                MARAD has also had problems with sub-contractors in decking repair who do not use the right kind of wood and do not install it correctly.

                It's a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation.

                The pic is of the decking on the 02 level at the stbd side of CEC. It obviously shows water damage, some mold and lots of bird doo doo. The 01 level below is in pretty fair shape with mostly damage to the ends of the planks where water was able to seep down and soften up the wood allowing it to break off easily after drying out in the sun (which is why you should NEVER use Douglas Fir).
                Rubbish wood. Rusty, if you don't need large volumes and can't source teak, might I suggest macrocarpa

                Obviously you can't source it in the US but a container load or two from NZ wouldn't be a problem.
                In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                Leibniz

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                • #68
                  Originally posted by maximusslade View Post
                  Here is a quesiton. Does the Iowa need teak decks? Meaning, does it need wooden decks at all. I have never served on a ship with a teak deck so I dont know what the purpose is. Would the Iowa be better off if the deck were torn up and nonskid put in it's place?
                  Besides the other reasons mentioned, there are rivet straps on TOP of the deck. They are about 15 inches wide and used to join the riveted butts of the deck plating. The wood decking is routed out to clear the rivet straps thus making a smooth deck for walking, running to GQ and rolling dollies of 16" ammo around.
                  Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                  • #69
                    Originally posted by Parihaka View Post
                    Rubbish wood. Rusty, if you don't need large volumes and can't source teak, might I suggest macrocarpa

                    Obviously you can't source it in the US but a container load or two from NZ wouldn't be a problem.
                    According to the website you put up, it's actually Monterey Cedar grown along the coast of central California. But we need a wood that is reistant to water absorbtion. My recommendations are based upon the Brazilian teak that we used in WW II as the Japanese Army wouldn't let us have any Burmese teak. (I wonder why).

                    But there are other similar woods equal or greater than Burmese teak in hardness and water resistance. And all available in this hemisphere. It is unfortunate that many museum type people recommend some woods that are so hard they would wear out your tools too fast.

                    Then, I'm surprised they didn't recommend Lignum Vitae of which I have a couple of chunks that were the shaft barrel staves of the New Jersey. It's also called 'Iron Wood" in that it is so dense it does not float.

                    And I have done research as to how much lumber of its various widths and sizes were needed in WW II. We wouldn't need quite as much (helo deck area for example) but it's still a lot of wood.
                    Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                    • #70
                      Originally posted by Stitch View Post
                      Sounds like someone was trying to save a few bucks . . . .

                      We have the same trouble with our heavy equipment trailer decking; we're SUPPOSED to use apetong on our trailers, but a couple of times we went the "cheap" route and used doug fir and suffered the consequences.
                      Trucks are constantly losing their unsecured dunnage along the Terminal Island Freeway on their way to load up more imports. I collected a 4X4 and found it to be Hemlock. Scrub Oak is good too but sometimes you can't get pieces long enough for planking or dunnage. Hemlock you can.

                      And don't worry about poisoning. I'm talking about the Hemlock TREE, not the BUSH that Socrates used.
                      Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                      • #71
                        Originally posted by Dreadnought View Post
                        Mr. L.,
                        Just in asking how is the deck on the focsul at the wildcat/capstan control handwheels?
                        Thanks
                        Sorry it took a while to get back to you. Had some computer slowdown (doing too many things at once) and then it was dinner time.

                        The decking around the Capstans and controls going up to Frame 20 is in pretty fair shape. Because of having to fit around so many objects, the deck pieces are relatively small and not as susceptible to warpage as some of the longer planks.

                        PS: The person in the middle picture is James. He is DreadnaughtHelper's Helper and doing the brass work on the models.
                        Attached Files
                        Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                        • #72
                          The Tubs on top of the Pilot House level on the Grasp once held 40mm Twin mounts, although the guns were removed probably back in the 50's the tubs were retained.

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                          • #73
                            Originally posted by DreadnaughtHelper View Post
                            The Tubs on top of the Pilot House level on the Grasp once held 40mm Twin mounts, although the guns were removed probably back in the 50's the tubs were retained.
                            Thanks Lee. It's your research abilities and photographic memory that makes you my number one call when asked to inspect any ships.

                            By the way, the pictures above showing the wood decking at the anchor windlasses you took yourself on our August 2006 inspection of the Iowa.

                            (Just wanted to give photo credit where its due)
                            Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                            • #74
                              Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
                              According to the website you put up, it's actually Monterey Cedar grown along the coast of central California.
                              not quite, same genus or whatever but different tree. We use it nowadays for external cladding on houses, no treatment, no paint. 50 years without replacement
                              In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                              Leibniz

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                              • #75
                                Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
                                There are a few places on the deck that are in dire need of replacement. That's because the last decking was done with Douglas Fir instead of Teak or Locust Wood.

                                MARAD has also had problems with sub-contractors in decking repair who do not use the right kind of wood and do not install it correctly.

                                It's a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation.

                                The pic is of the decking on the 02 level at the stbd side of CEC. It obviously shows water damage, some mold and lots of bird doo doo. The 01 level below is in pretty fair shape with mostly damage to the ends of the planks where water was able to seep down and soften up the wood allowing it to break off easily after drying out in the sun (which is why you should NEVER use Douglas Fir).
                                I painted that specific area several times. The office I worked in was just inside. Sad to see it in such bad shape.

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