GO NAVY!
Posted on 06/14/2012 9:08:50 AM PDT by Kartographer
The battleship where the young tourists roam became flooded over the weekend. Staff arrived Saturday and immediately noticed something was wrong with the ship that fought in World Wars I and II and has served since 1948 as a memorial and museum to those who sacrificed their lives.
The vessel was sitting awkwardly in its slip. She was lower in the water and listing to the left.
"We got down to the lower portions of the ship and discovered that we had taken on more water than usual in areas that we normally don't," ship manager Andy Smith said. "They started pumping throughout the day Saturday, and it got progressively worse."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Ping.
” discovered that we had taken on more water than usual in areas that we normally don’t “
Ummmmmm...
Huh???
The inside of these ships are usually lined with blocks of Zinc bars (Electrolytic anode), to serve as sacrificial metal to the steel that is exposed to salt water. The salt water has OH, which will steal an electron from the iron - thus causing the iron to become FE02 (rust). If there are Zinc bars inside the ship, the iron will simply steal an electron from the Zinc - and you won’t have the 100 yr old ship rust apart.
I was on the Blue Ghost in Galveston; and I noticed that the Zinc bars were missing. You could see huge areas where the bars USED to be strapped to the hull - they are gone now. And guess what happens? Yeah, the ship will rust apart.
Many many years ago, the USS Texas was anchored in Monterey, Ca and flew the Texas Lone Star flag. Someone asked, “What country’s ship is that?”
“It’s the flagship of the Republic of Texas.” I replied.
BTW, The USS Texas has pretty lines, not like the cereal boxes of today’s warships.
Big ships normally leak, its expected.
That leaking water collects in the bilge and is continually pumped out.
Thus, this was an unexpected, non-typical leak.
In other words.
Andy Smith: We discovered we're taking on more water than usual.
Journalist: Whats usual?
Andy Smith: None!
Oh Lord, it is leaking residual oil into the Buffalo Bayou. Given Texas’ rocky relations with the US E.P.A. and Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, I hope that this gets fixed before the EPA makes it a Superfund site.
I lived in the Houston area when I was a wee lad and I made many a visit to the Texas. I lost count of how many times my friends and I manned the AA guns and defended the ship against imaginary foes. She the oldest surviving Dreadnought.
Texas, Our Texas! all hail the mighty State!
Texas, Our Texas! so wonderful so great!
Boldest and grandest, withstanding ev’ry test
O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest.
(chorus)
Texas, O Texas! your freeborn single star,
Sends out its radiance to nations near and far,
Emblem of Freedom! it set our hearts aglow,
With thoughts of San Jacinto and glorious Alamo.
(chorus)
Texas, dear Texas! from tyrant grip now free,
Shines forth in splendor, your star of destiny!
Mother of heroes, we come your children true,
Proclaiming our allegiance, our faith, our love for you.
Chorus
God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,
That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long.
God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,
That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long.
Really sad that all the resources spent on the arms race for World War I era battleships only one, USS Texas, is still around.
I don't think it is even floating. I think it sits in mud for the most part.
Resting at San Jacinto Battleground, the Battleship Texas had been hard aground since 1948. Upon arrival at San Jacinto, some of the ship's tanks had been flooded, and she was set down in a dredged depression that was then hydrofilled around her to a depth of 12 feet. When taken over by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1983 the ship had received no bottom maintenance and little bottom inspection for 35 years.
I don’t know much about these things, but wouldn’t it be cheaper and easier in the long run just to get the thing out of water entirely by pumping out the wet stuff and replacing it with soil, rock, concrete, etc.? I am afraid that attempting to keep it afloat is just gonna end up being a losing proposition.
duh! it's the Texas! would anything about it be less than massive?
I don't think it is even floating. I think it sits in mud for the most part.
They refloated the vessel about 10 years ago when it underwent a major refurbishment.
I watched a youtube on the extensive repairs that were done about ten years ago. This shouldn’t happen.
Sorry, but the Texas is a New York Class battleship... that in and of itself puts it at less than massive. That title belongs to the ships of the Iowa Class.
That is what the Japanese have done with Mikasa, Togo's flagship at the Battle of Tsushima, and a ship even older than Texas. I believe it's also what is wanted for Texas, but finding the money isn't going to be easy.
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