Destroyer Escort Historical Museum, USS Slater (DE-766)

[qaz14595]

Thank you blidge! I think this really goes to show how dedicated us SLATER volunteers are whether they are 85 like Boats, or 18 like me, to be willing to do such work under such conditions!

(P.S You thread follower Folks - You see what we do even on the COLDEST of day's aboard SLATER; so why not consider donating towards the Winter Fund to "Help Keep A Volunteer Warm this Winter" weather it's $5 or $100 - Anything helps!)



Just click on the big ole yellow "Donate" button on the bottom of our home page for those who feel like doing it electronically!


Or, You could Print it out & send it Via Mail the old fashioned way here!

[qaz14595]

Pictures...

As Gun Grape originally mentioned when Dry Dock was mentioned here; that you all expect plenty of pictures....So copying what Tim posted today on the SLATER FB page here for those who do not follow Facebook -

Fifteen Volunteers finished the fiberglass insulation removal, began vacuuming and cleaning the forward magazines, started bilge cleaning in B-1, built some more shelving in B-2 and started to organize that mess, stripped the bedding in officers country and Heather made a delicious lasagna for lunch. Here Super Dave and Gary Sheedy are buttoning up a void that we checked.

[qaz14595]

From the Facebook page - "Our latest newsletter has been posted to the web at:

Slater Signals December 2013

Follow our preparations for going to the shipyard and pass the link on to your friends and shipmates."

Keep in mind the picture below was from that bitterly cold Saturday 3 days ago (And yes that's me with the shovel!)



One thing I'd like to put here from the SIGNALS to be sure you all see -

The NUMBERS for the costs associated with Drydocking for those who find that type of info interesting -

Right now, based on Caddell's numbers for a 4' ice barrier and magnesium anodes, the cost is estimated at $945,000. Throw in 85K for towing and insurance and $17K for paint and we're at $1,047,000. That doesn't include any survey work, welding inspections and contingencies. The concern is we will find something we haven’t anticipated.

[SlaterDoc]

Artifacts that have significance despite size!

As much as I am proud of the USS Slater and the accomplishments of her veteran crew, there are some items on board that cause one to pause and reflect. They are part of all that remains above the waves to represent 55 lives that although they were the enemy, deserve remembering and respect!
To demostrate their significance, one can read the story here!
The Battle of Point Judith
These were some of the debris retrieved from the sinking of U-853. The first is the most significant, her CO's cap!


Then an item they did not get the chance to use

[qaz14595]

What Tim posted for the FB post "17 Volunteers aboard today. The weather was almost balmy. Tanner pinpointed the location of the sonar dome since we don't have a blueprint. Made more progress on the B-4 bilge pump, and most of the crew worked sorting through the rats nest in B-2 organizing the gear we're keeping and hauling out thrash and scrap. Here are Chris Stein, "Boats" Haggart and Thomas Scian [For those who don't know; That's me btw ;)] at the end of a long day."



My Full set pictures from the day in additional to the few posted below - 2014 USS Slater Jan 11th - a set on Flickr

First I numbered frames on Lower Level of the Machinery spaces (B1 Forward Engine room, B2 Forward Motor Room, B3 Aft Engine room, B4 Aft Motor Room)

If you can't make it out - Blue tape says "FR 107" & The one under the light fixture is 110; So no it's every single frame that gets numbered; just every couple do.



As mentioned in the Dec SIGNALS we're getting bilge/tank cleaning done prior right here in Albany. Had a little "challenge" per say reaching the starboard side frames in B1, gives a idea what it looks like under deck plates! (Link to full set of pictures has more views of the area with Deck plates up)



The dad & Boats moving just one of the many things that was moved from the lower to upper level of B2; or even in some cases out on deck or to the dumpster - In case you're curious as to why there seems to be a big empty space behind my dad/A cable bundle hanging down it's because that was the location of the auxiliary boilers/Evaporator that the Greeks removed



Some of the accumulation of gear we have in B2 -

[qaz14595]

An interesting view looking down river at the Port with the Fog -



Appears the aft fender is Frozen in place -



Remember all of that ice from last week? Well it's all gone aside from just a little that happened to get caught floating downstream is all -



Before we headed home talked the dad into going to Dunkin Donuts across the river & got a neat shot with the Albany Skyline (Other than that little detour to Dunkin i'm the one who dose the driving now while the dad gets to be the passenger & It's 2 hours to get there/2 hours to get home to give you an idea on approx how long the drive is)-

[qaz14595]

Manhole Covers....

Was not aboard this past Saturday/there was no FB post by Tim Sat or Monday in relation to the work going on; but as of today here is an update!

I guess you can consider it a major ish one too given the conditions that some of the covers where in...

It's eight degrees outside, as Bill Wetterau works to break the nuts off the last manhole cover in an unheated magazine space C-304M. At least it's above zero.

And just goes to show again the kinds of stuff we do even in the coldest of weather aboard SLATER ;)

(btw, yes that's the compartment that was jam packed full of stuff!)

[85 gt kid]

I hope all these newly unpacked areas are getting painted during this refit .

[qaz14595]

At least as per the December SLATER Signals by Tim (Our executive Director) -

"There will be a lot of consolidation and reorganization of stuff when we put it all back together. It’s also a chance to get all these spaces and bilges vacuumed out, and touch up the rusted areas with Corroseal and paint."

Though only time will tell for sure if it dose come to fruition with everything else that will need to be done the next few months Just keep in mind we always plan/hope to open the first Wednesday in April. And the Drydocking is anticipated to take 9 weeks of being on the blocks. (Sooo hypothetically let's say it would start today; the 9 weeks, puts us to March 25th. While in drydock as per what was in the December Signals there will only be groups of approx. 4 -6 volunteers in 1 week shifts to help out with incidental work that needs to be done & a couple for security on weekends. Then the target date is Feb 15th; 9 weeks from there puts us to April 19th. Then we'll have to get everything dealt with that's in the 4 PODS, set everything back up for tours, cleaning etc etc ;) ) So all in all we'll just have to wait & see if it dose get done, though in my opinion I think there's going to be lots of more important things that will need to be dealt with first, but yeah in a perfect world they will be dealt with as part of this whole process

[qaz14595]

Ice!

With this arctic vortex thing back for the foreseeable future & as per the current 10 day forecast via The Weather Channel's weather.com 10 Day Weather Forecast for Albany - weather.com It appears there's going to be a lot of ice on the river the next few weeks....

So what I'm getting to, it will be interesting to see how all of the ice will factor into the dry docking & the 100 something mile trip down the river.


Also came across the Coast Guards Ice report page here - https://homeport.uscg.mil/mycg/porta...geTypeId=16440 Figure that some of you might find it interesting to follow what gets posted on there with the various Ice Reports there are that are made available.


P.S BTW Keep in mind as per original design CANNON class destroyer escorts only have quarter-inch shell plate at the water line....

[qaz14595]

Ice Part 2.... Along with a Question

Can't help but share this for those non Facebook people, what was posted in the past hour -

On the bridge we received the following report from Heather back in C-203L:

"I can hear ice crackling and breaking off from inside my office, when it hits the side of the ship it does make enough of an impact to jolt me.

Its making me nervous, I've seen Titanic. "

Question - So for all you naval experts out there for this non so expert about this stuff; Since original design of CANNON class destroyer escorts only have quarter-inch shell plate at the water line & the fact that "pitting we are seeing at the port waterline along the machinery spaces is worrisome enough to warrant attention now"

The question is; with how the ice is currently & the fact it's not getting above freezing in the next 10 + days is this actually something at all that should be worrisome? And also in part with the possible pressure from the ice & everything? (As you can see it's completely frozen over from the seawall to the ship right behind the fender, & That's in the area of Machinery space B1 too btw ) Thanks!

[qaz14595]

The 25th, full set of pictures here - 2014 USS Slater Jan 25th - a set on Flickr

It was the first time I drove there all by myself! But anywho, spent most of the day helping Erik mark the waterline in the various magazines, storerooms, and voids.

Being in this void, at nearly at the very bow (just the peak tank is forward of this) with light from only a flashlight, being on the very bottom of the ship standing on the keel, and it being supper small hatch to get in/out all while hearing ice crunching & scraping against only a quarter inch thick plate at the waterline is far from a reassuring sound...Anyone agree?
(The full set of pictures better explains what it's like in there)



The shipfitters where going around everywhere welding stuff in place so it's secure for the move & just to be safe against the bigger swells and such in the lower Hudson. Such as the wardroom bookshelf -



Found Greek stuff! Anyone know how to read/translate Greek?



Then in CIC we tied down the A-scope & SA Radar equipment that way that the shipfitters don't need to weld that stuff in place..



And there's plenty of ice on the river -

[qaz14595]

February 1st, spent the day with Boats our 85 year old Bosun & Paul working on circulators - 2014 USS Slater Feb 1st - a set on Flickr

We where adding a stronger 3rd line/adding a 3rd line to the circulators; you can see the two black lines plus the manila? (I think) line. So we where replacing the manila one with the black line till we ran out, so then we just went to breaking the ice on the rest of them/adding a third line to those without.



The shipfitters have found their next project...replacing the wasted steel on that triangular sort of thing -



Anyone notice something wrong here?



So apparently the ice crushed the cage on that circulator so much it snapped it completely off....So we currently have 1 circulator on bottom of the Hudson thus far..



One of the 2 circulators we we noticed that are getting effected by the ice - was originally circular, not this ob longed oval sorta shape. (This one plus the other semi crush one along with the one we lost is already is on the Starboard side btw)

[qaz14595]

And as you can see, we had to break some ice too! Plus who agrees, this is an interesting prospective?

[DonBelt]

Stupid question maybe, but are these recirculators aftermarket devices to prevent ice from forming?