Battleship North Carolina's Cofferdam
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- In this special episode we're at Battleship North Carolina looking at their cofferdam system and how it is being used to preserve that vessel.
Today’s episode was brought to you by Rustic and Main, who make rings out of historic wood from Battleships North Carolina, New Jersey, and more.
Find out more at rusticandmain....
For USS North Carolina's TH-cam Channel:
/ thebattleshipnc
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Thank you Rustic & Main!
to make it easy to maintain the water line corrosion protection, why not heavily ballast the ship so it rides low, now the rust prone waterline is high up the hull. when it is time to clean the waterline, repaint it, then pump out the ballast to give a normal float height. this will move the water below the water line, and thus allow easy access for maintenance.
I find these segments on curatorship and conservation at least as interesting as those on the ship and it's history. The specific challenges of any museum are fascinating but yours is an outsize one. Paintings are fragile but are relatively easily moved to a climate controlled room, tanks are unwieldy but a handful of people in a handful of years can rebuild one as new, but a battleship requires thinking ahead for years and decades (as Ryan is obviously doing). I'd love to hear Ryan talking shop with the Ryan's of other museums like these.
I couldn't agree more. Initially the channel hooked me with some of the ship's travails and exploring the various portions of the vessel. But these types of videos really open your eyes to museum work. To the layman - and I'll lump myself amongst the "navally ignorant" - it's all too easy to think that these steel behemoths can just be parked, repainted every so often, and the museum staff can rest easy as tourists continue to get their tickets punched. Instead, I've come to realize: how delicate these things are; how tricky preservation can be; how costly restoration can be; and how lucky we are to have such museums. Hopefully, that luck doesn't run out- either for New Jersey, or the many other museum ships.
Ryans talking to other Ryans haha
I have been to visit the North Carolina many times over the years, as I live about 2 hours from Wilmington. I was last there when they were near the finishing stages of installing the cofferdam, and we are planning a big family trip out there in September of this year. There was a very elderly veteran that I met aboard on another visit a couple of years before the cofferdam was finished, who had actually served aboard the USS North Carolina. He said he hoped to be able to live long enough to see her out of the water and under repair. I hope he was able to have his wish.
I live about 2 hours away!! The cofferdam it's awesome. Maybe will see you there!!
Did you catch the Veterans name? First or last at all?
I haven’t been back to the Uss NC in a long time… I also live only 2 hours away, would love to get back sometime!
I’ve been on the Iowa many times, as I live about, as I live about 20 minutes from her
the USS North Carolina is by far my favorite museum ship, it has the most open rooms out of every museum ship i've been to, and since they finished the cofferdam, they've floated the battleship back up in the water, the repair and restoration has done a lot, since the last 2 times i've been there, i have seen 7 new rooms that i have never seen before, so glad they were able to repair and restore so much more of it
I wish the Texas had this much interest to save her. She served in WW1 & WW2. If I remember correctly shes the only dreadnought left
i have a thing for dreadnoughts like her and Wyoming. She was very underrated in my opinion, because of her extensive service in WW1 and WW2.
@@nitsu2947 wasn't she relegated to convoy escort in ww2? (still important work obviously)
@@markusz4447 there was the shore bombardment duties, and yes the convoy escort too
You would think it'd be easier considering how much Texans love stuff with Texas in it, but then they can't keep their power on either
Texas is being towed to dry dock soon.
I first visited the Showboat when I was 9 years old in 1976 and let me tell you, rounding the entrance corner and seeing that massive superstructure looming in the sky is something I will never forget as long as I live. I ran my poor parents ragged the next day all over the ship with my dad explaining things about it (he didn't work on the North Carolina but he did work at Newport News Shipbuilding for the first part of WW II and did work on building the South Dakota-class USS Indiana BB-58) and my mom hanging on the deck complaining about the ladders. It was magical and they did an outstanding job with the preservation at least to my giddy 9-year-old eyes.
These vessels are just as much veterans as the sailors that fought and died in combat. And should be repected and cared for in the same manor as those veterans that are still with us xx
Lisa Butnett.. let's hope these ships get treated better than the vets. Unfortunately the years of leadership minus 45 have a total disregard for those who wear the uniform. Disposable to government is our military personnel.
The va does not care about our veterans! Blame that on moron Biden and the money loving demonacraps!
I love how all these different Battleship museums are working to help each other to keep their own individual ship museum's going.
Sir you are the only battleship curator that does very informative videos of our national treasures like our battleships. Your passion is evident. Thank you for being so 😊
These videos have gotten MUCH better over the years. Bravo.
Love seeing these old gals being cared for. They've cared for us in the past! GOD BLESS THE USS FLEET!
I'm an NC native. As an elementary school kid in the sixties, some of the change from my pockets went to save the ship. I always reserve a day out of our vacations to the coast to visit the old gal. Nice job covering the issues of taking care of these priceless old relics.
I watched them build the cofferdam and the walkway during several trips to the battleship. :)....
The unspoken thing I love about NC is that because of the cofferdam you can walk all the way around the entire ship and see it from every angle, most battleships and museum ships in general you don't get to see them bow-on because of their pier setup.
The hurricane damage to the Alabama might make a good episode.
The OS2U "Kingfisher", that's parked aft on BB 55, was actually recovered in AK back in the 70s...it was refurbished and placed on the catapult.
... or lack of catapult. :)
One of like, a dozen Kingfishers remaining in the world. There's literally like ten of them, and I think no airworthy examples.
I remeber my grandparents taking me to see this beautiful old ship when I was a kid my moms school helped raise the money to save the ship from the scrap yard
My mom's school donated their week's worth of milk money when she was a kid.
I was a child in grade school in the 60s. We did our best to scavenge every coin we could get our hands on.
We worked hard to save our battleship from the scrap yard. All the kids in all the schools were very proud of that project.
Leave our ship alone lol we don't want rings made out of it...
@@dianebarnes7779 Same here... I was a fourth-grader in 1961 and they got my share of dimes, too. Interestingly, items that cost ten cents in 1961 now cost 88 cents. But whoever held on to the silver dime itself could get $2.18 for it now (2021).
BTW, no one is ripping parts out of the battleships to make rings. By 2015 the teak main decking had to be replaced after some 75 years out in the weather. The government of Myanmar (Burma) made new teak available at a generous discount, otherwise they'd have had to replace it with something else. The removed old teak became available for keepsakes and fundraising, as did removed steel from hull repair. So you can bet that USS NC got well more than a dime from each ring (knife, plaque, etc.) sold, supporting its operation without government financing to this day.
I remember in 1964 my family visited the USS North Carolina! I visited it again in 2004 with my wife! My mom took my picture by one of the big guns I was 17, my wife took my picture by that same gun 40 years later, memories!!!!
It's a shame they decided to entomb Mikasa like that. Sad to see the last pre-dreadnought slowly crushing itself.
Also really hope we can restore Texas nicely. Both her and Mikasa are incredibly significant as the last of their kind.
I think the Japanese made a deal to entomb her like that at the end of World war two. I could be completely wrong in saying that, but I think that's the reason she is in concrete
@@TheJudge2017 wasnt so much a deal if i recall correctly it was because she was in such bad shape is why they had to but dont quote me
@@TheJudge2017 it wasn't post WW2. It was during the Washington Naval Treaty. It was likely they didn't understand the long term effects. Post WW2. Admiral Nimitz helped persevere her as she was damaged badly during WW2.
the entire reason that Mikasa was not scrapped was because she was put in concrete. its also why she was not sunk in ww2.
@@MrChickennugget360 I heard she was sunk and was recovered
You should also interview the curator of the North Carolina.
We were only aboard for a day and half and we didn't get much time with the staff unfortunately
@@BattleshipNewJersey do a video conference with them. The stories are always great to hear.
Hey that is Charlie the Gator at 13 minutes, my grand parents lived directly across the river from USS North Carolina 4 streets up [Market and 4th.... I got to tour her in 1963 for the first time . spent many a summer vacation checking her out.....brings back wonderful memories....cheers from Florida, Paul....
So that's not just some random gator, but one people know? Awesome 😊
I was a newspaper photographer at the Wilmington Star-News in the mid-70s. Got to meet Charlie on an assignment at the ship. Curator asked if I wanted to see "gator lunch". Well, sure! The staff bought out of date whole chickens from Food World and kept them in a refrigerator in the office. They pulled one out and tied a string around the legs. We went out on the old wooden gangway and the curator whistled. From around the stern of BB55 came a wake in the water which was the gator, making a beeline for the gangway. Curator lowered the chicken down to about six feet above the water. Like a torpedo, that gator accelerated and launched himself out of the water and snatched his lunch mid-air. Made a fantastic pic for the next morning's edition, looking down the gullet of a gator. I still have a print......
@@snowdogs01 fantastic....
@@snowdogs01 Do you have any information on whether one of the main guns was fired , without a projectile, just powder, shortly after the ship was berthed at Wilmington?
@@xRepoUKx No, lol, there have been lots of Charlies over the years.
Love that "Show Boat "!!! When I was ten years old I got to go on a tour of Battleship North Carolina, and somehow knew then I would some day join the Navy. And I did........
Everytime i go to wilmington i go on this battleship and it never gets old!!
I'm from New Jersey..but now live in N.C. but in my born state nothing beats Big J..
"That's the only reason I'm down here...". Smiles like a kid in a candy store. Sure, Ryan. 😂
We all know hes checking to see if they have a spare CIWS control pannel.
@@thedamnyankee1 The Iowas are the only BBs with a CWIS system, going to the North Carolina wouldn't help.
@@roguelead72 Its a Joke. Sorry you didn't get it. Others did.
Thanks BBNJ you're a great teacher.
Dimes for the battleship - as a North Carolina native and a child that attended public school in North Carolina when the Battleship was brought to the Cape Fear, I gave some of my "milk money" to build the place where she would rest. Now, I'm fortunate to be able to retire here in a small town near Wilmington where I can come enjoy the North Carolina and support her. I've thought of becoming a docent for the North Carolina and support her through the "Friends of the Battleship" program.
Thank you for providing these videos. I have watched many you've made of the New Jersey. You are an excellent teacher, story teller, and representative of these museum ships and I appreciate the time you take, the subjects you cover, the information you provide. I enjoy the information about these battleship's history and purpose; and also the information about the science and methodology of caring for the museum ships we have.
I was recently saddened by the loss of the submarine Clamagore which was moored at Patriot's Point with Yorktown, Laffey, and preciously: Ingham and Savannah. Please keep up the good work in helping to prolong and save these ships. Thanks again!
When I was in the 3rd grade in NC, we gave our milk money to save North Carolina from the scrap heap. A “go fund me” before there was ever such a thing. Now, as an adult and a Navy Vet (USS Forrestal) I think of it as one of the finest things we ever did.
One cool thing about a cofferdam/stanchion setup is that you could actually walk below the hull if it was done correctly, giving a unique perspective on the size of the ship.
I like the idea of the ship floating as apposed to sitting in the mud, But I also understand the cost of towing and dry docking. I like the idea of building a cofferdam around New Jersey and placing Drydock blocks under the ship. This way you could pump out the water and the ship would settle down onto the blocks, Basically giving the museum the ability to drydock in place anytime you need to. After the repairs are complete just pump the water back in and the ship is floating again. Might need a system to circulate the water so it doesn't get stale. and the cofferdam would provide a walkway for visitors to view the ship from. Also future drydocking would not effect museum operations.
I agree. I'm just a truck driver, not an engineer, but just by looking at the satellite view of her location, I can imagine that someone would be able to build an actual drydock. Against the shoreline, and parallel to the river. She'd be even more tucked away and out of the shipping lanes.
You need a very sturdy foundation for the blocks if you were to do the drydock in place plan.
That would be massively expensive as the foundation needed for the drydock blocks would be just like building a drydock. Otherwise the weight of the ship would just push the blocks into the bottom. They had to reinforce the drydock New Jersey was build in before they could build it for just that reason.
Oh yea, it'd definitely would be expensive. It's just an idea that's passed through my mind a few times while watching these videos. BBNJ is fortunate enough to be just upriver from the old Philly yard, but cant guarantee that it'll always be available.
@@HeavyHaulKen That is a very good remark. For budgeting flexibility it's actually not needed to make the hull accessible all of the time, as when employing volunteer workers you can only do parts of the hull in the same time. The movable cofferdam solution pumping out water per hull section would work nice too.
Question remains how long you can keep the bottom side of the hull in sufficiently good shape, but that is offcourse less of an issue than the waterlevel.
I was on North Carolina a few years ago. She's a gorgeous ship.
A02= I went down 3 decks to see the geedunk North Caroline
Years ago I went to see my sister who lives close to there. So of course I went to visit the ship. It was so cool I went back the next day.
Thanks to the lection about technical details of construction of stationary place to this battleship of the United States.
Well, you have to maintain something to preserve it for history. The last time I was at USS NORTH CAROLINA, she was floating but needed a lot of hull work.
I think she'll look good after the water is back in the dam system, and the work Had to be done to preserve her.
When Dad was in the Navy, as an enlisted man (with a family), my parents sent a little money every month to save North Carolina from scrapping. That doesn't sound like much but if you looked at what an E-5 earned in 1960, it was a lot of my family's budget.
Yall Take Care, John
NC is often in water, but she hasn't been floating since she became a museum.
@@BattleshipNewJersey I didn't realize that. She was in water and did move a little, back in the day. I wreckon she's been in mud for a long time but the tides must have jostled her a little.
Yall Take Care and be safe, John
Wild idea: Make a concrete barge as if it were a floating drydock, build a frame-by-frame support system inside to replace hydrostatic pressure, sink it in a real drydock, float the ship into the cradle, seal up the concrete barge, pump it out, and then float the whole barge with the ship inside. Keep a pump system in the bottom of the drydock-barge to dump the water out. If you keep, say, a six foot gap between the barge walls and the ship, you could section by section retract the support frames so you could repaint the sides and bottom of the ship, then screw them back into place after their paint dries. You could afford to keep the original (or fiberglass replica) screws on the ship, then.
12:55, hey look, there's Al. Haven't seen him since kayaking in the Tampa Bay area a few year back. Good to see him doing well.
A couple years before meeting Al, I went on a week long summertime motorcycle tour of Alabama, Yorktown and North Carolina. (Obviously the ship museums, not the states, since Yorktown isn't a state. Also I'm using my Mt. Pleasant mousepad from my visit to CV-10.) Between Alabama and N.C., the N.C. had a beautifully maintained exterior with a relatively recent camo scheme and the deck was spectacular. Between the two BBs there were areas available for self tours in one that weren't allowed in the other, so I got a good look at many spaces.
Battleship Park (USS Alabama) also has the USS Drum, a Gato class submarine, and a aviation building and external displays. It was a good day.
Patriots Point (USS Yorktown, CV10) also has the Sumner class destroyer USS Laffey (amazing story of survival all on her own), USS Clamagore, a GUPPY modified Balao class submarine, and a Vietnam era section including a riverine patrol boat and camp. It was a good day, and humbling. (I didn't know the Laffey's story before then, just amazing, and the Clamagore was in dire need of exterior repair.)
Then was the North Carolina's day, on the less than inspired name of USS North Carolina Rd. Of the two battleships this was by far the best exterior display. (From what I remember, about every 10 years they repaint the camo scheme to a different one that was used during WWII.) Since this only had the one, glorious machine, I was able to spend much more time upon it and any of the other ships of my week long tour, and it was a very good day.
It truly was a great week. Motorcyle and heavy metal, how can you beat that? (And I had no desire at all, during that week, for a pickle.)
This reminds me of one of the potential long term plans for Iowa on the LA waterfront in San Pedro. The most ideal plan would have a "small" channel created for Iowa a few hundred yards away from her current home. Her new home would basically be a dry dock where she could float freely and when needed it could be drained and it would serve as a traditional dry dock.
The RMS Queen Mary could use a permanent cofferdam/drydock in Long Beach considering she is in no position to be moved. She has a lot of deferred maintenance and repairs that need to be done and the nearest largest dry dock is either San Diego or San Francisco Bay, so it's best to build it where she is.
Ryan was in a good mood today, and that improves my mood.
I am very glad to hear that the USS Olympia is getting the waterline work she needs. She is the oldest steel warship in the USA. Also glad to hear about the work on the USS North Carolina!
I spent many years working on the ship Balclutha, she has a doubler plate over her 1886 steel hull; so she can remain afloat. TM, retired but still interested.
Excellent video Ryan and thanks to the battleship NC team!
IIRC, Showboat was originally using the portable caisson cofferdam technique, but they found that the degradation was bad enough to require something more. Pulling her out of the mud wasn't an option at all, BTW, because there are three low-clearance bridges that were built after she was moored, trapping her in that section of the Fear River. Thus the idea of essentially building a drydock around her was put forth.
One other advantage of the cofferdam for a ship that's trapped by development: once the cofferdam is in place, you could always dig out the mud around the ship and just fill it with water, so that the ship's once again afloat within the cofferdam. (IIRC, Showboat's operators plan on refilling the cofferdam for display once the current work is done.)
Quite right, before the permanent cofferdam was in place (and man, it was put up fairly quick), they were using the portable section-by-section method. I believe there's some photos of that in an old slide release from a few years ago.
Yeah iirc some 10ft? would have to be cut off the top of the ship to get it under the bridge. It hasn't sailed in a very long time, but I havent heard any concerns that it would have trouble doing so.
"Pulling her out of the mud wasn't an option at all, BTW, because there are three low-clearance bridges that were built after she was moored, trapping her in that section of the Fear River."
But there is only one bridge downriver of the North Carolina. And there was a plan to dry dock the ship in 2012 or 2013 that fell through. They had planned to remove the upper portions of the bridge and mast to fit under the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge that has a lift height of 135'.
Only the Cape Fear Memorial bridge is directly between USS North Carolina and the river's outlet to the sea, and its a center span vertical lift drawbridge with plenty of clearance. In theory, the Showboat could be refloated, towed or steamed down the river and even reactivated if need be.
The navy reserves the right to take the ship back if it poses a safety hazard to the public. Its basically the same rules as a building, it can be condemned. They essentially did that to Constellation in the 90s. They were forced to close until work was done to fix the ship and make it safe. If you don't do the work, they scrap it.
If you're using your boat for public use (cruises. Fishing, whatever) if it doesn't pass muster you'll get shutdown. But it's usually the coast guard with civilian ships.
So....when are you gonna do something on the Kidd, the only surviving US destroyer still in her World War II configuration?
I think a better question is when is the USS Kidd going to upload something for us to watch?
I don't think the USS New Jersey curator can speak for the Kidd....
@@julieenslow5915. If anyone can, he can, because he is our family,; and family is stronger🤣
@@bri-manhunter2654
I concede to your point. Ryan is that good.
I like your idea of a graving dock the best. Then you can view the whole hull.
Born and raised right here in NewHanover County where it's docked. I toured this ship dozens of times when I was a kid and now I see it almost daily when going to work. Beautiful big beast with a lot of history
There are old shipyards with existing drydocks that are being demolished to build office buildings and the like. Possibly relocating the battleship to one of these, as they come up for sale is an option. Not being from NJ, I have no idea if there is one that would be feasible for the New Jersey. The USS Salem in Quincy mass could probably do that, if the old dry dock is still unencumbered.
As for restoring the hull plating. There is a process called spray welding that allows one to put new steel onto an existing piece of steel to build it back up. I'm not a welder, I have no idea how feasible this would be to restore corroded away hull plating. Once hull plating is restored, since the hull doesn't have the stresses of active service, softer more water resistant coatings should be looked at. There are epoxy coatings that advertise very long life spans. Also just adding a whole lot more sacrificial anodes to the hull as sections are repaired should help.
Another off the wall thought, down the road a few decades, assuming it has been placed in a cofferdam. Here is another off the wall thought. Wrapping the entire underwater portion of the ship in what would essentially be a giant plastic bag. That would allow you to change the character of the fluid the ship is floating in. Float it in distilled water, or mineral oil, or whatever would best preserve the hull and you can get approved by the EPA. The bag would probably need to be replaced every decade or so, but I see things like that being used in tunneling to exclude water ingress.
You beat me to it. I was thinking the same thing, as I was looking at satellite pics of industrial land that used to be drydocks in the SF area.
Ive seen the uss wisconsin and iowa when i was a little kid. Those ships were huge. I think preservation of these ships are very important to our us history. My goal is to go see all of our museum ships.
I like the cameo of the alligator. When I was a young paratrooper at FT Bragg I visited the North Carolina and saw my first alligator swimming by. A treat for a kid from Newark.
I just had an opportunity to see NC, in person, when we took the kids to Wrightsville beach... Such a truly beautiful sight to see in person. Was well worth going 30 minutes out of my way to see it in person, even If I could only see it and not go on board it, ill be back for that, one day. soon.
Thoughts on a semi-dry/float setup such as what the USS Kidd uses in Baton Rouge? Half the year the Kidd is floating, the other half she's dry as the Mississippi's levels change. Seems to be the best of both worlds. Floating to provide support but dry for hull maintenance.
Good to see the NC again. They took up donations from school kids to bring her home. Several years later we vacationed in the area and made a special side trip for a visit. I was 12 or so and she was absolutely the most awesome thing I had ever seen. Even several years into the project very little of the interior was open which was a disappointment. Never made it back. Ironically I've lived most of my adult life in Olympia WA the name sake city your Penn neighbor.
This is fastly becoming my favorite TH-cam channel … good fucking job man … I’m in the process of convincing my friends to do a trip to south Jersey to see the bb.. hope to see you soon
Fascinating, and thank you for what you do to preserve our naval history
Just visited the North Carolina the beginning of July 2024. I brought my wife and 2 kids 4 and 2.5. I had a great time?
I really enjoyed my trip to see the Alabama in 1972. I was 9 years old and very awe struck by her size. She is the only Battleship I have ever been to. I grew up in Maryland and loved visiting the U.S.S. Constellation as a kid and taking my kids in the 90's to see her. I have been to Boston to the U.S.S Constitution. Preserving these ships of history is a must. My grand father served in the Coast Guard and during WWII he was placed on U.S. Navy ships. He survived having two ships torpedoed out from under him.
Thanks Ryan. Ive been meaning to get down there and see how her dam was working out. I didnt think she was that far in the mud! I knew there was a bunch at the stern, and I remember they tried to tow her out once but she didnt budge.
I would like to thank you for doing such an in-depth set of videos on the BB55. I have the pleasure of seeing her most week days and walked the deck a few times.
Impressed by the work you do! The museum is lucky to have you!
🤔😆
Thank you to you and all those in North Carolina preserving these wonderful ships.
Submarine Albacore in Portsmouth New Hampshire. Sits in a cement cradle there's no water around her and she is in good shape and the visitors seemed to enjoy being able to see the whole Hull of the boat
I've absolutely loved my part in BB-55's hull restoration in the past year. Her size is really put into perspective when you're standing in the mud next to her.
All I got to say I was there... well today. As in the day this was posted. Yes I paid to help support the maintenance/restoration. My bucket list includes going to see the Texas and at least one of the Iowa’s.
I do have a... not question, but maybe suggestion. Maybe not as much for the Iowa’s, but I have heard many of the preserved ships are haunted. This could be an interesting side story for some of these ships.
true, would love to see a video on that
Visited the NC, it’s awesome. I’ve visited Missouri and so far have missed NJ during trips to the area. These preservation segments are amazing and truly a labor of love not just to the ships but the history of the US Navy.
I've been noticing around the country and around the world that most big ships on display are now in permanent dry dock. I did not realize that North Carolina was doing that. I know the Texas the world war I ship has done that. There are being very careful with that ship since it's the very last one of its kind.
In England the HMS victory has been permanently dry docked for a very long time. It had taken a lot of people in a lot of money to preserve that ship. They said as much as they want to see these big ships in their natural environment you have to weigh that with preserving it so future people can actually see how we got to where we are today.
The Iowa class battleships are my absolute favorite. If I'm not mistaken they were the only class of ships in the US Navy that never sunk they had damage but nothing descent any of them to the bottom if I'm remembering correctly.
Thank you for saving our history and sharing what's going on with it.
Most of the big ships aren't in drydock actually. Smaller ships are much more likely to do that. NC is probably the closest but she's still not usually dry.
Did they share with you about any discoveries made? By that I mean any previously unknown construction markings or shipyard graffiti? Rings, watches, tools, etc. that may have been dropped but not recovered due to the pace of construction/where it fell?
Happy to see these marvels of engineering preserved. Thanks for your hard work!
Just like you guys to know I travel from Australia one of the biggest kicks I get is walking on bored this history the smells the atmosphere is remarkable I’ve been aborted the Battleships an aircraft Carreras I’m so great full for the time an effort you put into this project there nothing short of AMAZING thank you
In some ways Showboat lucked out - the mud she's stuck in has basically provided an anoxic environment for everything below the waterline and protected her, and she's on the Cape Fear River, which is a relatively low-salinity environment. Given how corrosive seawater is relative to freshwater, it's not hard to see how she lucked out there. Still, her conservators have to think ahead to preserve her for decades to come. It makes me beyond happy to see the work her caretakers are doing, both to preserve her and to try to give a feeling of what life was like aboard her when she was at sea, and when her crews took her to war - both in the 99% boredom and 1% sheer howling terror.
Beyond proud to be a Friend of the Battleship. Can't wait to see what they do for her in the decades ahead, and to, God willing, share her story with the children I hope to have one day.
north carolina is the only battleship i have been on. since i live in maryland i do need to plan a trip to a iowa class. i didn't know i had 2 of them not too far away until i started watching your channel. thanx for all the info you give.
I'm so glad this was done. I've visited her many times!
This is a crossover I never thought I'd see!
You all are doing a great service to these vessels that have kept those colors flying in this great country. Preserving the history of those who fought for our freedoms is priceless.
A couple things the Cofferdam will help with (from my perspective here in Buffalo with our 3 ships) is that it can also help protect the ships from exterior damage to the hull from storm surges (called a "Seiche" here on the lakes), ice pressure in winter, & floating debris. The Buffalo River has all these things & they're to blame for some of the rusty areas opening up suddenly & making holes in the hull.
Another plus is that you can build a walkway onto the cofferdam for use by the public to view the waterfront or see the entire hull of the ship from all sides & this can be billed as a tourist attraction in itself for the scenic views it provides.
in 1963 Hurricane Carla caused the USS Texas to float....staff from the nearby San Jacinto Inn actually took shelter on her during the storm
Nowadays she almost always floats
A couple of years back, a landfalling hurricane in the Carolinas got Showboat afloat, too, bringing her up about a foot above her normal height.
This is awesome, I am from Wilmington!
Good job Ryan with this topic and your interview series.
Great idea to preserve these amazing ships, you should also look at how the Cutty Sark in the UK has been preserved, gives another dimension to visitors and could work for these massive ships.
What a fantastic job working on those old battleships! I'd live on one if I could!!
I know it would never happen, but wouldn’t it be an awesome sight to see Texas and New Jersey dry docked side by side!
I was just there 2 weeks ago amazing and such a beautiful ship
As a NC native I've very happy with how well our namesake battleship has been taken care of
Ryan you have improved so much since the start
All of your Videos regading Battleships and all details to that Typ of Ship are a pleasure to see. I realy enjoy all of the information about technik and how they are designed. I rellay hope to see more of this videos next time. Best regards from Germany
I got to visit the USS North Carolina last March while on a vacation. She is a great ship. The only other Battleship I've been on is the USS Massachusetts, which I visited many times while living in RI.
Excellent video Ryan! I was aware they were using the cofferdam but did not know it would be this extensive, and terrific, unique views of the ship!
Thank you sir for your outstanding insights and deep dives. I have really enjoyed it over the years. Wet and dry cycles is something we deal with in civil engineering constantly. In some cases 100+ year old timber piling can last essentially forever, but once the foundation is compromised and exposed to the air, its a rapid deterioration process that ensues.
The Perry class frigates had a waterline corrosion issue in the 1990's. One of them came into the basin in mayport,fl at speed because she was taking on water. They ended up wrapping the class hull in plate at waterline height.
I wish the Missouri had such a good narrator as you!
Randomly jumping around on the channel ... man, the improvement in picture and sound, great job production!
The aerial shot of the ship was lovely, and the lighting and color balance perfectly matched the host's closeup. Pro quality stuff!
these sorts of videos highlight a really unique challenge that nobody but marine museum ships have to solve
Love those razor sharp paint lines on the cleaned hulls!
I hadn't been to the USS North Carolina in close to10 years. Was planning a trip this summer.
For a native Tarheel, its a big piece of pride.
Thanks for this. It is always fascinating how different the maintenance problems are for a ship whether it is underway, pier side, in layup, or a museum ship
Wow an amazing amount of work for all the museum ships.
Well spoken commentary.
May I suggest for the next video about the North Carolina, a model of the ship and an aquarium be used for show and tell. Talking and pointing is important, but visualizing the completed and still-needed work with a model would help the average viewer. We know exactly what the Titanic looks like via artist conceptions and models. Might help with fund raising, too.
You need to be put overall museum ships because you are on top of your game and really care! Keep up the good work
I was going to mention the preservation of victory, it started out terribly with a ship about to be lost to neglect but dry docking her properly was the best thing for her long term care, she also has had measuring equipment fitted to measure the sagging of her hull so that issues can be identified sooner and much of her care is paid for by the MOD and other government funds
If we ever go the same way as Cutty Sark, and HMS Victory for dry preservation then I also suggest to add a feature done for SS Great Britain, which is another dry dock museum ship in the UK. SS Great Britain (which is one hell of a success story for saving a decaying ship) has a blue, textured glass ceiling that surrounds the ship at its waterline. Not only is this a neat aesthetic choice but it also serves to protect the suspension system holding the ship in place, and provides cover for tourists as they walk around the hull.
One of your best presentations!
Back on June 14th (2021) I visited Battleship North Carolina. It was cool. I'm a Connecticut born person and I saw my first wild alligator. Looks like you may have seen the same one.
The reason the black line is painted on the hulls water line was to hide the unsightly oil rings when ships came in/out of ports.
So me and my fiancé we’re going to go shopping for our wedding rings this weekend. Well I’m done, she already agreed to get me one. Thank you!
Gonna be volunteering at Yorktown next year and I'm down to see the construction of Yorktown's Cofferdam
If there's other ships that deserve a cofferdam, I say Queen Mary in Long Beach considering the fact she too sits in a similar spot and it'll save a massive trip to the East Coast and they can build off that surrounding stuff that keeps her where she is. Iowa in a cofferdam is odd since she's in a heavy like area
Queen Mary already has a stone wall around her, the issue is the Russian sub causing damage too the queen.
Queen Mary is never moving again. She's been in mud and salt water for far too long and is far too damaged to move.