Last year the 13 year project to save the ship and put her in a berth worthy of her past and the crews who served aboard finally reached the plateau. After that, some asked, what will the Dirty Hands Gang do now? Isn’t it all done? If the 2011 season is any indication of what is yet to come, it will never be done.
Not only does the beat go on, it seems to be picking up the tempo a bit. Over the 11-year span, from 1999 until the end
of 2010, it is estimated that the Dirty Hands Gang put in 27,624 volunteer hours or roughly 2,302 hours each year. For 2011, the estimated hours is expected to total 2,450. At present, there are approximately 30 members in the "Gang".
So, what did they do in 2011?
First, there is the ongoing annual maintenance needed to keep any vessel shipshape. Many of these are the little jobs that go totally unnoticed…unless they are not done.
There are also bigger, more complicated jobs like replacing the wind-scoop which a gust of wind (the one that destroyed the Little League’s scoreboard) knocked down and repairing the stackstay which it damaged when it fell. The amount of ongoing maintenance needed to keep a 73 year old, 114 foot vessel up to Overfalls Foundation standards is hard for someone not involved on a daily basis to imagine.
Then there are the big jobs, the ones which don’t get done every year. Some of these are capital improvements and others are ongoing maintenance. The big ones in 2011 were:
The hull got a fresh coat of red paint in 2010 which should
have been good for several years. However, within a month, it started to look like areas
were missed (marine speak: “holidays”) by the painters. The job quickly deteriorated and
where the sun had a good shot at it on the starboard side, she faded to a pale pink. The
paint company acknowledged that we got bad paint and offered to replace it (sorry about
your labor). After much discussion, it was decided to switch paint suppliers and go with
a two-part epoxy
paint. The paint was
purchased through
Cassidy Painting, Inc.
who also supplied the
aerial lift and work
float (both gratis)
used to get the
painters up to the
hull. It was difficult
paint to use as it had a
short pot-life after it
was mixed and an
obnoxious odor as it
was being applied
but, after several
months, she still
looks good. In the
same operation, the main anchor and other artifacts on the grounds were repainted. The
hope is that this paint will last 7-8 years.
The main engine room had been given a little cleaning and some touch-up painting over the years but it had not been given the attention that the rest of the ship received. This year was its year. It was cleaned from top to bottom and given a fresh coat of paint on everything: overheads, bulkheads, decks, ladders, equipment…the whole works. With the completion of this task, there is no place on the ship that has not received the full attention of the DHG.
The sink in the galley was made fully operational with hot & cold
fresh water, complete with an overboard discharge for the drain (legal for sink drains).
The life raft which hangs on the bridge deck railing was taken down, rebuilt with new canvas straps and rehung.
This year the ship was
subjected to an insurance inspection and the
inspector decided that the ship lacked EXIT
signs to direct people on how to get out. The
ship had multiple insurance inspections in the past and this deficiency had never been
noticed. However, once it is noted, it becomes a requirement to maintain liability
insurance which in turn is a requirement to have the public aboard. The DHG purchased
and installed lighted EXIT signs at all points where any individual, no matter how
confused, could find his/her way to the gangway.
The hatches
leading to the holds below the
crew’s day room and the ward room
were always left open to promote
circulation of air and allow visitors
to see. A line was run around the
opening to keep visitors from
falling in. The line was not
sufficiently safe and it blocked the
flow of traffic. Holes were cut in
the hatch covers and grating wasinstalled in the holes which is attractive and it solve both of the old problems.
The pilothouse takes more wear than any other portion of the ship’s interior spaces as it has a higher level of traffic. As such, it was in need of both enhancements and a general refurbishing. The former included installing new handrails to assist visitors up the steep steps and the latter included rebuilding the steps which were disintegrating as well as a general repainting.
The ship’s
original bell hung on the
mast just above the ship’s
whistle. When that bell
came back to the ship after
a 35 year absence, it did not
go back on the mast for two
reasons: (1) it was difficult
to access it for both
viewing and ringing, and
(2) it looked small and
insignificant up there. In a
later trip to Norfolk where
the ship was eligible to
collect government surplus
marine artifacts, the DHG
found a much larger (weighs about 150 lbs.) bronze bell which had a listed value of
$3,000. With some reconfiguring on the mast (the ship’s whistle had to be lower a couple
of feet), the new bell went up and it looks perfect in every way.
The pipes that drain the scuppers on the bridge deck had completely rusted out. The old ones were removed and used as templates to fabricate new ones. The new ones were installed giving the exact same look as on launch day in 1938.
The shingles on the storage shed that the ship was given several years ago had come to the end of their service life and the roof had begun to leak. The DHG replaced the old shingles. Rather than putting the new shingles over the old,the better approach of removing the old and applying new roof felt and shingles was used which should give a 20 year life to the new shingles.
The
Foundation received a donation of an old,
freestanding engine order telegraph. It was
completely disassembled and rebuilt. It was then
installed in the Ship’s Store as a display artifact.
The rebuilding included fixing the bell so visitors
are able to operate it and hear the bell ring.
When the ship was in the shipyard, one of the china sinks in the crew’s head was broken. After much searching, a suitable replacement was found and installed.
The mast stays had received no maintenance in at least 40 years. This year they all (forestay, backstay and shrouds) were thoroughly greased, the standard practice for this type of steel cable in a marine environment. This was done using a greaser in a bosun chair and a contingent of line handlers on deck.
As the 2011 season was coming to a close, the Overfalls Foundation made contact with the Cape May Maritime Museum (CMMM). The two organizations looked for ways they could collaborate on projects of mutual interest. CMMM has several Monomoy surf boats (a 26 foot double ender with rowing stations for ten men). In the discussions, they mentioned that they would be willing to give one to the Foundation. On October 7th, CMMM delivered the boat and it was put into borrowed space in the old Hocker plant on Kings Highway. Restoring the boat will be a 2011-2012 winter project for the DHG. (What is a Monomoy Surf Boat?)
This was not a DHG task but it was one which impacted ship and grounds and had considerable DHG participation. The original permit to build the slip required the creation of a little over 6000 square feet of wetlands on the starboard side, just outside of the slip (where the compass rose, walkway and grassy area are now). This did not fit with the Foundation’s vision for the grounds. The Foundation asked for help from the City and the Mayor offered some City controlled land near the University to mitigate the wetlands to be filled near the slip. He then helped negotiate an agreement with DNREC which resulted in an altered permit. The new wetlands site was cleared and graded by a contractor to prepare the area for the plants. Foundation volunteers then planted over 2000 wetland grasses as well as 65 uplands shrubs to create a proper buffer.
The DHG work season traditionally ends with a picnic that is enjoyed by all. This is definitely not a free lunch!