USS North Carolina trip on June 28

[Ronv]

Chuck, To clear things up:
This Sunday Sep 20 club meeting is the due date for M41 Walker Bulldog.
October club meeting will be the USS North Carolina Battleship tour actual date to be decided.
November club meeting: 15 Nov will be the swap meet
December club meeting: 20 Dec will be the Christmas Party

RonV

[Chuck M]

I guess I'm just catching up...

Just so I'm on the same track as everyone else, the October meeting is at the USS North Carolina and November the swap meet and the Bulldog Club Build Finale?

[Herk]

While I would LOVE to participate in this activity, unfortunately my legs (knees) and shoulder will not be able to cope with the amount of climbing NAVY ladders this will require.  Best wishes to those "youngsters" that will be able to undertake this voyage.
"Fair winds & Following seas" to all that go.
Regards,
Steve

[Ronv]

Ok the behind the scenes tour Hidden Battleship for the USS North Carolina is offered on Saturday October 10. Also offered is Torpedo Headed for You on Nov 7.
Cost is the responsibility of the club member. If neither of these dates work for the club members we can also arrange for a regular guided tour for an extra cost of $10 on a date we choose.

See info below:

Hidden Battleship

January 10, 2015 AND October 10, 2015

12:00 pm – 4:30 pm

$50 per person. $45 for Friends members or active military.

For the explorer at heart, bring a friend and join us for a unique, behind-the-scenes tour of un-restored areas of the Battleship. The four-hour tour consists of small groups with guides. Guests explore the bow (officers' country and boatswain locker), third deck (Radio II, brig, after gyro, storage rooms, ammunition handling, Engineer's office), Engine room #1, superstructure (Captain's cabin, armored conning tower, maintenance shops), reefer, aft diesel, and climb inside the fire control tower to the top of the ship. The Azalea Coast Radio Club will be in Radio II to explain their work on the ship's radio transmitters. It's the tour that brings out the "Indiana Jones" in all of us, without the snakes!

The tour is limited to ages 16 and older and limited to 40 participants. It is not appropriate for those who have difficulty climbing narrow ladders or over knee-high hatches. Wear warm, comfortable, washable clothing, sturdy, rubber-soled shoes and bring a camera! Registration and payment are due by Thursday before the event. Tour is $50/$45 for Friends of the Battleship or active military. Call 910-251-5797 for reservations.

.Torpedo Headed for You: Firefighting and Damage Control Aboard North Carolina

November 7, 2015

12:00 pm – 4:30 pm

$55 per person. $50 for Friends members or active military.

On September 15, 1942, a Japanese long lance torpedo with a 900-pound warhead slammed into Battleship NORTH CAROLINA'S hull two feet below her armor belt. Ripping an 18 x 32 foot hole in the outer shell, 2.2 million gallons of seawater flooded the battleship, causing a 5.5 degree list to port. The ship's damage control team responded quickly and in six minutes they counter flooded with 480 tons of water to put the ship on an even keel. Casualties were limited to five dead and 23 wounded.

In this four-hour program discover the workings of the damage control department. Find out what skills and tools are required for the damage control team to keep the ship afloat. Go behind closed doors to tour the third deck, known as the damage control deck, to see how the emergency equipment was dispersed throughout the ship. Enjoy the opportunity to handle artifacts and actually construct shoring.

The tour is limed to ages 16 & older. Registration and payment are due by Thursday, November 6 Tour is $55/$50 for Friends of the Battleship or active military. Call 910-251-5797 for reservations. This program is not appropriate for those who have difficulty climbing narrow ladders or over knee-high hatches. Bring your camera!

[Ronv]

Wow! Too bad they are all gone. When we lived in California I remember seeing the mothball fleet in the upper West San Francisco Bay.
RonV

[lgriffin]

Very interesting!

Lee G.

[Herk]

Additional photos of the Reserve Fleet & the USS North Carolina

[Herk]

For those navy guys & historians among us, the following is about the Wilmington Reserve Fleet (1946-1970).  I can remember seeing this anchorage from Hwy 17 as a teenager when I visited the battleship (was coming up from Myrtle Bch).  Very impressive to see the ships moored along the banks of the river.

The Mothball Fleet, the nickname for the U.S. Maritime Commission's reserve fleet, was located on the Brunswick River across from the city of Wilmington. Following World War II, Congress made the Maritime Commission responsible for determining the number and type of vessels to be placed in reserve in case of future expansion. The lay-up basin for the reserve fleet was operational when the first ship arrived in August 1946. The ships placed in "mothballs" had their hulls scaled, coated with oil, scaled again, and finally coated with red oxide paint, which stopped the rusting of metal surfaces. The internal system of "mothballing" consisted of draining all of the various systems and pumping in oil under pressure. All turbines, engines, and gears were also coated with an oily film. 

A total of 648 ships were, at varying times, moored in the reserve fleet. The majority of vessels stored in the facility were of the Liberty class, some of them built in Wilmington. Over the years many were scrapped, sold to private concerns, sunk for artificial reefs, or recommissioned. The last ship to be removed from the mothball fleet was the Liberty Ship "USS Dwight W. Morrow", which was scrapped in February 1970. Beverly Tetterton, NCpedia

What was the 'Mothball Fleet'? by Ben Steelman, Southport Starnews
Officially, the National Defense Reserve Fleet (and sometimes called "the Ghost Fleet"), the anchored rows of World War II surplus transport vessels were a presence in Wilmington from 1946 to 1970. Parked along the Brunswick River, the fleet was described in the press as "the second largest ship graveyard in the world." (The largest was on the James River near Hampton Roads, Va.)

After World War II, the U.S. Maritime Commission established a "Reserve Fleet Basin" on the Brunswick River to house Liberty ships and other vessels that were no longer needed after demobilization. The first of these vessels, the "SS John B. Bryce", arrived at the site on Aug. 12, 1946. Others quickly followed. Between January and April 1946, a total of 426 ships were moored there, the most at any one time.

During the next few years, ships were moved in and out of the basin; in all, 628 vessels were tied up there at one time or another. The vast majority of these – 542 – were Liberty ships, the mass-produced workhorse freighters like those turned out by the N.C. Shipbuilding Co. in Wilmington. The basin also housed a total of 68 "Victory Ships" and 41 vessels of other types, including tankers. Generally, five of these ships were kept on a high level of readiness, to sail "at a moment's notice" in the event of a national emergency.

At its heydey, the U.S. Maritime Administration (which took over the fleet in 1950, after the Maritime Commission was abolished), employed 296 workers on the Brunswick River basin, with a $600,000 payroll. Many of these were armed guards to prevent theft of the ships' copper and brass fittings; others were involved in routine maintenance. The ships were lashed and anchored together in groups of five, with each fifth ship moored to pilings driven deep into the river bottom. Despite these precautions, two of the mothballed freighters broke loose during Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and drifted down the channel, threatening to collide with the U.S. 74 bridge until a tugboat pushed them out of the way. This web page author remember the hurricane as it passed over head in Little Creek, VA.

Beginning in 1958, the government began to sell off older and less fit vessels for scrap, while others were moved to the James River. By 1964, only 152 vessels were left on the Brunswick River, but they remained a formidable sight. "Many motorists stop along the highway to look up the river at them," said E.W. Thompson, an administrator with the reserve fleet. By 1968, the total was down to 15 ships. Many were scrapped by Horton Industries in Wilmington; Gilliam Horton, of Horton Iron & Metal, told the Wilmington Morning Star in 1968 that his company could finish off two ships in 90 days.

[Ronv]

thanks for reminding me.....let me check the USS North Carolina schedule of events and see when they are having the behind the scenes tour. We can have our October meeting at the battleship.
Thanks
RonV

[WMReece]

What's the status of the trip to USS North Carolina? My wife and I are both looking forward to it. Yes, my wife. LOL.

William

[Ronv]

okay, going by the poll results......no meeting this month.

Julys meeting will be at Jons house on July 19.

August meeting on the 16th will be the trip to Armor Museum in Danville. Meet at Jons house to car pool.

Sept meeting on the 20th will be the due date for the club build.

October meeting at the USS North Carolina for the behind the scenes tour. $49 per person.

November meeting is a swap meet on the 15th.

See you guys in July!
RonV

[DavidS]

I am good with October.  Cooler would be welcome.

David S

[Bill L.]

I would prefer to go to the USS NC in October as suggested, when it will be cooler and less crowded, and we may get more personalized attention.

Bill L.

[Ronv]

Guys,
I got in touch with the group reservation person at the USS North Carolina Battleship about a tour on June 28th. She said that the summer months (June, July, August) are not the best times to visit because of the heat and the crowds of young kids they get from summer programs. But if we still want to go we are welcome to come down. The cost for group rate (minimum of 10 members) is $10/person and a tour guide is an additional $10. She suggested we come down in October for their behind the scenes tour which cost $49 per person but it lasts 4 hours and you see those areas seldom seen unless you are a volunteer there.

So pick one of the options above or suggested something else to do. We told Cliff to take the summer off so there will not be the option of having a club meeting at the college.

The Mill: 146 S Main St, Fuquay Varina, NC 27526 (919) 557-2123. Open 12 pm to 8 pm
From their website: We believe in community. Located in the heart of Fuquay-Varina, our North Carolina products and industrial chic space have quickly made us a destination for families and friends to gather and talk over a cup of coffee, a craft beer, or a glass of wine. Our open space creates the perfect climate for live music and our mezzanine is an ideal setting for your next private event. Check out our growing retail section for whole bean coffee and hard-to-find beer and wine.

Ashboro Aviation Museum is having their Annual Fly in next weekend June 13. Cost is $10 for adults. Or we can just plan a visit there on June 28 and the cost is $10. They are open Thursday thru Sunday 11 am to 5 pm. http://www.ncaviationmuseumhalloffame.com

On another note I will be on vacation from June 20th thru July 4 so I will not be attending any of these events.
Thanks
RonV