Restoring PT-658

[nikimcbee]

Wow, where to start? I found out about this PT boat and got the offer to help volunteer in the restoration. Well today was my first day checking it out and doing some work. Thes best part was working with the vets and having lunch with them. 2 of them fought in the battle of Leyte Gulf, and one had his pt boat sunk by a kamikaze!:o

The offical website. http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/index.htm

stuff I found on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG8x8C5I8a0&feature=related

my pix from today:
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/2530/ptboatdogpark037.jpg

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/3893/ptboatdogpark034.jpg

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1033/ptboatdogpark003.jpg

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7227/ptboatdogpark004.jpg

Don't fall in!:o
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/3307/ptboatdogpark005.jpg

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2051/ptboatdogpark007.jpg

http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/7328/ptboatdogpark009.jpg

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/6823/ptboatdogpark011.jpg

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/8233/ptboatdogpark013.jpg

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2694/ptboatdogpark015.jpg

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/436/ptboatdogpark016.jpg

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/345/ptboatdogpark017.jpg

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/805/ptboatdogpark022.jpg

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/2628/ptboatdogpark025.jpg

Mark 4 Torp detonator
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/8122/ptboatdogpark032.jpg

[Sledgehammer427]

now that is cool :yeah:

I always had a soft spot for PT boats, Schnellboots are a favorite of mine but those old Elco's are just the coolest things.
keep taking pictures!
:D

EDIT: I just noticed it was actually afloat X_X
any ideas if you guys are going to get it running?
my guess is no but it wauld be flippin' cool if you were

[nikimcbee]

now that is cool :yeah:

I always had a soft spot for PT boats, Schnellboots are a favorite of mine but those old Elco's are just the coolest things.
keep taking pictures!
:D

EDIT: I just noticed it was actually afloat X_X
any ideas if you guys are going to get it running?
my guess is no but it wauld be flippin' cool if you were

They've ran it in the past, but I guess it had some pretty bad woodrot. It's presently rated to about 15 knots. The last time they ran it the chain that is hooked up to the helm stuck/jammed (rust) and they almost collided with another boat:o. They had to use the back up steering.:arrgh!:

[AVGWarhawk]

You will not find anything much more satisfying than working on this vessel restoring it to it's former glory. Plus you get to go on boat rides and talk filthy like the rest of the sailors. :arrgh!: Have fun and enjoy the work outside of your normal day to day duldrums.

[nikimcbee]

You will not find anything much more satisfying than working on this vessel restoring it to it's former glory. Plus you get to go on boat rides and talk filthy like the rest of the sailors. :arrgh!: Have fun and enjoy the work outside of your normal day to day duldrums.
The best part is, I get to hang out with the vets.

[AVGWarhawk]

And they like it also! The Torsk has some WW2 vets that still come on Saturdays (Geezer Chief) and some that were on the boats during the cold war. We have one that got his dolphins on the Torsk. Trust me when I say they appreciate your efforts. To them, it is not just a piece of wood and steel, it was a part of their life. It is also something for the older guys to do in their twilight years. It is a club, a social function or a night of playing cards with the boys without the cards. It gives them purpose. I find it satisfying because restoring the Torsk is so out of realm for me and it helps clear my mind of the past work week. So does smelling some of the solvents and paints :doh: It is just a good feeling that you are working on something very cool. Eventually you will see these guys have BBQ's in the summer or hold a yard sale for the boat. The Torsk Volunteers do. It is a lot of fun restoring a piece of history. :up:

[Sledgehammer427]

AVG, my mom works up in Baltimore (she works for Casey Family Services, if the name rings a bell) So if I ever go up with her, or if you are showing up at the SUBSIM meet this year, we'll have to meet. Maybe if there is some work going on, I'd be glad to help out!

[AVGWarhawk]

Every Saturday the boat is open at 0700 by the volunteers and work goes on most of the day. Torsk work weekend in October is always fun. We feed and berth you for your efforts. If you get a chance to swing by on any given Saturday please PM me a week or two prior and I will meet you there. I'm working on making the SS meet. :03:

[nikimcbee]

Weekly update: We got the bow decking placed. Four, large maritime-grade plywood pieces.:yeah:
The best part, I had lunch with ton of the guys who trained the Tuskeegee (sp?) Airmen. He lives up in WA.:salute: Lunch wiht the vets rocks.:salute:

[nikimcbee]

Weekly update: First off, I was informed the "Cavalla hat had to go", so now I have a new PT-658 hat (I guess I'm oh-ficial now).

During lunch, I got to hear first hand about the pt-boat that attacked the Mogami during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, where they raced in and shot out the search lights at point blank range:o:salute:. Oh yeah, I worked on the boat too.:D

Before (bow sans deck)
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/3892/ptboatdogpark027.jpg

after with brand new deck:D
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8083/005nn.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8011/002km.jpg

Still more work to go (outside looking in crew compartment):o
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/616/006dg.jpg

[AVGWarhawk]

She is looking good! :yeah: It is fun working on them. Meaningful. The vets are great to talk with. Some folks go to the bar or movies to relax. We go restore something on a ocean going piece of history and enjoy the resin smell from the paint! Keep up the good work! :up:

[nikimcbee]

Spent thew day cleaning (vacuuming and washing) the bow crew quarters getting it ready to paint.

[nikimcbee]

Spent thew day cleaning (vacuuming and washing) the bow crew quarters getting it ready to paint.
Same as last week.

[AVGWarhawk]

Prep work sucks but if it is done well the results can be very satisfying.

[Chad]

Jason I am so jealous :yep:

That is very very cool. And thanks for the pictures! If you attend this meet this year if we go to Battleship cove you could probably give a tour of the PT Boat with the knowledge you're gaining!

[nikimcbee]

Jason I am so jealous :yep:

That is very very cool. And thanks for the pictures! If you attend this meet this year if we go to Battleship cove you could probably give a tour of the PT Boat with the knowledge you're gaining!

:haha: Yeah, they have a few parts I need to borrow for our pt boat.:D

[nikimcbee]

PT boat update... making lots of progress. We are in the middle off overing the bow and chart house in fiberglass (to prevent wood rot) and I've spent the last 3 time painting. The Boat is on schedule:yeah:. The best part is, my work schedule allows me to participate in fleet week, where we get to escort the ships in:rock:.... and I'm looking to be on the overnight crew during fleet week.


And in other news, there's a new guy, WW2 vet, who did his sonar training on A FREEKIN' S-BOAT!!!!!!!!:salute: Early on in the war, he was on the PY's in San Fran and rescued survivors from the I-17's handlework.:o
Painting today was well worth it.:rock:

[Chad]

Nice one :up:

I started looking for museums around where I go to school to volunteer in my spare time, and I found one not to far I hope to start working at. There isn't a website I know of, maybe I can convince them to get one opened up :)

[Chad]

Actually just found their website, http://www.nationalmilitaryheritagemuseum.com/

I met Mr. Fletcher the other day and we had a short talk.

[nikimcbee]

Nice one :up:

I started looking for museums around where I go to school to volunteer in my spare time, and I found one not to far I hope to start working at. There isn't a website I know of, maybe I can convince them to get one opened up :)

That's cool:salute: Good for you. Are there any vets that work there? I'm curious who you get to meet.:hmmm:

[Chad]

I originally stated I met Mr. Fletcher, I meant Flesher.

Bio from website:

Franklin A. Flesher

http://www.nationalmilitaryheritagemuseum.com/assets/flesher.jpg
Franklin A. Flesher, NMHM Executive Director, entered the United States Army as an enlisted soldier in 1952. He was commissioned in 1958 and retired with the rank of Lt. Colonel. During his career he was Ranger and Jump certified saw 2 tours in Viet Nam. He was stationed at Ft. Benning, Ft. Hood, the Pentagon, the Air Force Staff College and has attended the University of Akron and Missouri Western State University. Frank is also the founder of the NMHM.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Lt. Colonel Frank Flesher USA (Retired). Ranger and airborne qualified, he gave 28 years of service to the United States Army and 18 plus years of selfless dedication to the National Military Heritage Museum and Society.


I don't want to jack your thread, just wanted to let you know you inspired me to go out and volunteer :salute:

[nikimcbee]

update: made lots of progress on the boat friday. We move the 2 gun-tubs to their correct location and painted the exterior of the chart house "pt-boat gray". BTW maritime grade paint does not wash off your hands:oops:. On monday, they fired up the engines for a bit, and one guy almost passed out from CO poisening:oops:. I don't know the details on that, it is a ventalated compartment.:-?

I also signed up for my deck duty; lineman. 3 days off pt-boat duty the first week of June, sailing the boat. Can you say pt-boat sleepover:yeah::woot:

[nikimcbee]

Update-end of May. The boat is cleared for sea: Na Manner, alles klar? They fired up the engines today!:rock: OMFG it was so freakin' cool, I can't wait to get underway next week. I spent the day installing all of the windows on the boat. The we went to lunch an bitched obout odufus, then back to the boat for.... Oh-ficial Coast Guard training!:woot:
The CG dudes pulled up behind us and we went over "man-overboard" training. I also learned how to run the emergency pumps:woot: And patch a serious leak/ stop flooding:arrgh!:

I'll be back saturday to take pichures of the work. It actally looks like a PT-boat again.:salute:

[AVGWarhawk]

Sounds like you're have a grand time repairing the old girl. Enjoy!

[nikimcbee]

ha, look what I found!
http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/other_crew.htm

[nikimcbee]

more official stuff:
http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/rose_festival10.htm

[nikimcbee]

So I hadn't shown my face at the boat for awhile:oops:. So last week I showed up down at the boat house and there were a lot of people down there, and all dressed up. As it turns out, we were getting ready to shove off for the Portland classic boat show:o, which I thought was the following week.

There were no volunteers to stay with the boat overnite during the show, so i volunteered for duty. We were moored next to a seafood resturaunt:woot:. It was really cool to watch the full moon go over the city. i got some nice pictures, that I'll post when I get home if I remember.

Oh, and my reward for guarding the boat for the weekend...
I got to be at the helm for a good portion of the trip back to the barn.:ahoy:

edit, look what I found:
http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/summer_fall10.htm

[AVGWarhawk]

Night watch duty! Did ya stand by the plank asking friend or foe?

[nikimcbee]

Night watch duty! Did ya stand by the plank asking friend or foe?

The thing that drove me crazy were the people that had to come by and knock on the hull and ask if the boat is made of wood.:damn:

[nikimcbee]

We had our last hurrah for the summer. We took Rear Admiral Little and onterage out for a ride. It was cool, because my son got to sit by the Admiral:woot:.
Tomorrow, we start part II of our major refit of the boat. We will be replacing the deck aft of the gun tubs, which means we gotta lift everything off.:o

Current state of boat, as of 10/6:

(monster-ass picture)
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=1510223#post1510223

[AVGWarhawk]

Link does not take me to the picture. :wah:

[nikimcbee]

Link does not take me to the picture. :wah:

try this:
http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/ptbull201001.jpg

[FIREWALL]

Any war history you can tell us about the old girl Niki ?

[AVGWarhawk]

She looks great. You worry about rot. We worry about rust.

[Chad]

Niki she looks great!

[Chad]

The thing that drove me crazy were the people that had to come by and knock on the hull and ask if the boat is made of wood.:damn:

Wait wait wait, I know you did some repair with plywood, as seen with previous posts, but the hull is made of wood as well? :o

[nikimcbee]

Any war history you can tell us about the old girl Niki ?

To answer your question:


PT-658 was built at Higgins Industries Boatworks, New Orleans LA. Her keel was laid down 24 Feb 1945, she launched on 14 Feb 1945 and was completed on 30 Jul 1945. The boat was originally slated to be part of Squadron (RON) 45, which was never placed in commission. It was to consist of 11 Higgins PT's (649-660), and 11 Elco PT's (773-784) and assigned to the Pacific Fleet. Near the war's end in mid-1945, RON45 was scheduled to be "Lend-Leased" to the USSR. Several boats in the group (649-656) were already shipped to Russia when the transfer was halted, just before PTs 657-660 were to be sent over. The Elco construction contract was also canceled at this time. PTs 657-660 had been moved from New Orleans to Seattle on an LST, where they would be piggybacked onto a transport ship bound for Russia. When the war ended August, 1945 the shipment was stopped and the boats returned to Port Hueneme, CA. Then all four boats were reclassified as "Small Boat" C105342, 3, 4 and 5 (Crash Rescue Boats) in August 1946, and assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics as "Remote Controlled Targets" at Naval Air Facility, Pt. Mugu, CA. (ex-PT-660 was actually sunk as a target by a "Bullpup" missile off Port Hueneme in the early 1990's.) PT-658 was reclassified again as "Floating Equipment" in Dec 3, 1948. Ten years later, on June 30, 1958, PT-658 was sold off as "war surplus" by the U.S. Navy to a private owner. PT-658 was acquired from the estate of one of these private owners (Mr. Orlando Brown of Oakland, CA) in 1993, who had intended on using her as a private pleasure craft. Very soon after the group acquired the boat, PT-658 broke loose from her moorings at Treasure Island Naval station and ran aground on a jetty, which pushed the starboard (right) rudder up through the hull and also created several holes in the transom. Soon after, the boat was refloated and transferred up to Portland Oregon by transport ship. Since 1994, PT-658 has been in the process of being restored by a dedicated group of PT Boat veterans and volunteers as part of "Save the PT Boat, Inc." at the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center Pier.

bibliography:
http://www.hnsa.org/ships/pt658.htm

[nikimcbee]

Wait wait wait, I know you did some repair with plywood, as seen with previous posts, but the hull is made of wood as well? :o

The hull is 100% wood with a couple of internal metal support beams inside.:o

[nikimcbee]

Update: we've got the entire aft torn apart. Everything has been removed and we're pulling (slowly) off the deck. Don't slip or fall:o.

[Chad]

What are ya doin to the aft?

[nikimcbee]

What are ya doin to the aft?

re-placing the deck, it has bad wood rot.

[nikimcbee]

Current state of boat: 11-17-10
Watch your step.


Overall view of deck
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/1303/p1070526.jpg

Aft access hatch, fire surpression system
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/7771/p1070525.jpg



http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4125/p1070524.jpg

Engine room: ooh look, packard racing engines:D

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/931/p1070523y.jpg



http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/3684/p1070521e.jpg

[nikimcbee]

Spent 5 hour painting the lazarette(sp), aft crew quarters , compartment where the fuel tanks used to be. We are painting before we put the aft decks on, which we are really close to doing.:yeah:

[AVGWarhawk]

Gosh...she is really getting a overhaul! :o

[nikimcbee]

as of 4.2.11

new deck:
http://img863.imageshack.us/img863/47/ptboatmodel028.jpg


http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/2451/ptboatmodel029.jpg


http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/8784/ptboatmodel030.jpg

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4166/ptboatmodel031.jpg

[AVGWarhawk]

Is she in a covered slip?

[nikimcbee]

Is she in a covered slip?

We have our own boathouse:woot:.

[AVGWarhawk]

Looks like a nice place to restore her. :yeah:

[nikimcbee]

Looks like a nice place to restore her. :yeah:

Especially when it's 40 degrees outside and raining.:yeah: They build it a few years ago. When the vets originally started to restore her, she sat outside on a barge, under a tarp.:dead:

[LtzS_Petersen]

Nice Boat! :up:
How did they use the Torpedoes? :o

[nikimcbee]

Nice Boat! :up:
How did they use the Torpedoes? :o
In the late war, they replaced the tubes with roll off, mark 13s. But by the end off the War, the PTs were maining hunting Japanese supply barges, too small for torps.

[PT-658]

Hi buddy!

Not sure if you've been down in the last couple of weeks but we have been applying the MS31-20 camouflage to the hull. Its looking awesome and you are going to be blown away when you see it.

http://gallery.kitmaker.net/data/16507/PT625Class-MS31-20L-T.jpg

http://gallery.kitmaker.net/data/16507/PT625Class-MS31-20L-T.jpg%22

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_37mm-56_m4_PT-631_pic.jpg

I did some checking as soon as I learned we were going to paint the boat in this color and Randy Short at Snyder and Short Enterprises kindly provided us with color chips so we could proceed with having the paint mixed to spec's. Hope to see ya down there soon. I should be at the reserve center on Monday and Thursday this week.

Sam

[PT-658]

Sorry to say that I walked off the boat this morning and am not likely to be back any time soon.

Don't want to go into any details but hope we can catch up some time over a cup of coffee or something.

[nikimcbee]

If you see this, send me a PM.

[nikimcbee]

So we went from this:
http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/scan0005.jpg


To this:
http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/Rose6081105.jpg

[Growler]

Looks like a different boat, McBee - nicely done! Want to come on up to Baltimore for awhile and help me with this lil submarine thing I got here?:D

[nikimcbee]

Latest addition to the boat. From this weekend's boatshow.
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg189/scaled.php?server=189&filename=carshow011.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg716/scaled.php?server=716&filename=carshow009.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg192/scaled.php?server=192&filename=carshow008.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg717/scaled.php?server=717&filename=carshow015.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg202/scaled.php?server=202&filename=carshow012.jpg&res=medium



Phantom,1936 yacht (restored By Chuck Kellogg)
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg535/scaled.php?server=535&filename=carshow013.jpg&res=medium

[nikimcbee]

oh yeah. The perk of being a a PT boat.
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg804/scaled.php?server=804&filename=carshow067.jpg&res=medium

giggity.

[Sledgehammer427]

shucks, Too bad I'm a paratrooper instead. :oops:

I love that Yacht though! (the one from 1936)

and congrats! that boat looks like a million bucks :yeah:

[AVGWarhawk]

oh yeah. The perk of being a a PT boat.
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg804/scaled.php?server=804&filename=carshow067.jpg&res=medium

giggity.



Man, the PT looks like pleasure boat. The men look like women. Just what kind of restoration was done.


J/K...she looks awesome!

[nikimcbee]

It's the end o' the year for us. Here was our last event (I wasn't able to go:cry:)

If you're in Portland and want to see the boat, drop me a line and I can arrange a personal tour. We won't be sailing until next year.


Off Beat: Son helps old sailor take his final trip on boat that shared story

By Columbian Staff
As of Sunday, September 25, 2011

Almost 70 years ago, a U.S. Navy PT boat took Charles Williams to war in the Pacific. A couple of Sundays ago, a PT boat left a Vancouver dock and delivered Williams to his final resting place.
At about 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 18, Williams was buried at sea.
Having the ceremony aboard the same sort of boat he served on during World War II wasn***8217;t easy. There***8217;s only one left.
PT-658 is the only remaining operational patrol torpedo (PT) boat left in the world. It still belongs to the Navy, but it***8217;s on loan to a nonprofit group that includes several veterans and boat enthusiasts from Clark County. Members of the group ***8212; Save the PT Boat Inc. ***8212; have been restoring the boat at Swan Island in Portland.
Williams was a gunner***8217;s mate 3rd class aboard PT-349 during World War II. For their size, the 80-foot boats were the most heavily armed craft in the Navy.
***8220;It was an all-volunteer service, and he went in at 19,***8221; his son, Charlie Williams, said.
***8220;They would lie low during the day and wait for ships at night in the straits.***8221;
PT-349 operated in the same area near the Solomon Islands where John F. Kennedy skippered PT-109 before he went on to become president.
The old sailor, who was an Oregon resident, knew about the PT-658 project and donated a flag to the group.
When his dad died in 2009, Charlie Williams started thinking about a suitable ceremony and contacted Save the PT Boat Inc.
***8220;It was supposed to be done last September, but they punched a hole in the bottom of the hull,***8221; Williams said.
PT-658 got back on the river this month when the Forty & Eight veterans group held its national convention in Vancouver. The boat***8217;s caretakers pulled PT-658 up to the Vancouver Terminal dock so the veterans could come aboard.
And that provided an opportunity for Charles Williams***8217; final mission.
A U.S. Navy honor guard took part. The Rev. Jerry Keesee, a Ridgefield resident and a veteran, conducted the service.
A starting point

***8220;It was accomplished under the traditions of the Navy and with specified Navy procedures,***8221; said Keesee, who is chaplain for local veterans***8217; groups.
Keesee read from a military chaplains***8217; book that helped send a lot of soldiers and sailors to their final rests ***8212; ***8220;Song and Service Book for Ship and Field,***8221; published in 1942.
Williams***8217; ashes were spread into the Columbia River off Kelley Point, but that was just the starting point for a final journey to the Pacific, his son said.
***8220;That***8217;s where his ashes would actually go out to sea.***8221;
***8212; Tom Vogt
Off Beat lets members of The Columbian news team step back from our newspaper beats to write the story behind the story, fill in the story or just tell a

[-U666-:-Kpt.Engel-]

nice

[jdkbph]

Yes, very nice. Nice story too.

Though the actual quote on the web page should read "I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast for I intend to go in harm's way".

:03:

JD

[ReallyDedPoet]

Received a couple of DVDs for Christmas: Silent Victory: Submarine Warfare in WWII and Devil Boat: The Saga of PT 658. The second looked familiar and I remembered this thread.

Nice stuff here Jason. I have just watched a bit of the video so far.

[nikimcbee]

Received a couple of DVDs for Christmas: Silent Victory: Submarine Warfare in WWII and Devil Boat: The Saga of PT 658. The second looked familiar and I remembered this thread.

Nice stuff here Jason. I have just watched a bit of the video so far.

I have the same dvd set.:salute: That's a great deal, both videos are awesome. Hey, if you want to see the boat, let me know and we can make arrangements.:D

[ReallyDedPoet]

I have the same dvd set.:salute: That's a great deal, both videos are awesome. Hey, if you want to see the boat, let me know and we can make arrangements.:D

Someday I'll take you up on this offer :yep::up:

[nikimcbee]

update: We've added a real (ww2) pt-boat radar mast!:rock:. Added some parts to our 40 mm bofors. (the ammo holding rack):rock:
...and we're updating our survival life-raft with the actual (correct) meshing for the bottom.

If you're interested in seeing the boat, let me know and we can arrange a tour.:D

[AVGWarhawk]

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q62/avgwarhawk/6912623147_4ea99159a0.jpg

[nikimcbee]

2012 operating schedule
Events 2012 Events planned, but dependent on funding

May 28 Sea trials to test items worked on during winter.. .


June 5-10


July 4
2012 Portland Oregon Rose Festival 'Fleet Week' (arrival June 6 at 10am; departure June 10 at 200pm). June 5 - Great fleet
June 6 13:00 - 16:00 Viewing to invited guests, Vets and uniformed personal

June 7 - 10th 9:00 -12:00 , 13:00 -17:00 Viewing to invited guests, Vets and uniformed personal
Take boat downtown for fireworksJuly 13-15

13th Take boat to St. Helens
14-15 Give tours and return on 15th.
July 28-29
August 18-19
Milwaukie Dayz Milwaukie, OR Boat tours Depart 7/28 - 0900 Return 7/29 - 1600
Lake Oswego Heritage Boat & Car Show Lake Oswego, OR
Boat tours Depart 8/18 - 0830 Return 8/19 - 1600



If you want to see the boat when we're out, let me know so we can make arrangements.:D

[nikimcbee]

Had the boat out to take some photos for something, fortunately I had my camera and shot some video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIqyj4DMXPY&feature=youtu.be

[nikimcbee]

Portland Fleet Week bump. We'll be out all week. If you want to see the boat, now's your chance.:ahoy:

[nikimcbee]

McHale!!!!!!
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg861/scaled.php?server=861&filename=102am.jpg&res=landing

Me at the helm. I sailed from Kelly's Point ( where the Wilamette River empties into the Columbia River) up to the St John's bridge.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=N+Kelly+Point+Park+Rd&daddr=45.64581,-122.76267+to:45.61925,-122.7869+to:St.+Johns+Bridge,+Portland,+OR&hl=en&ll=45.61824,-122.727585&spn=0.079724,0.16531&sll=45.623042,-122.759342&sspn=0.079717,0.16531&geocode=FfJ_uAIdIMqu-A%3BFfJ_uAIdUsqu-ClnxByRoamVVDGDP1IuPrTKWg%3BFTIYuAIdrGuu-CmrfRdTK6iVVDGGmBtY-Hq34A%3BFfOTtwIdQsau-CEDsuMrGA1TrSm3wcQK_QeVVDEDsuMrGA1TrQ&oq=st+johns+bridge&t=h&mra=dvme&mrsp=1&sz=13&via=1,2&z=13




http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg829/scaled.php?server=829&filename=121ht.jpg&res=landing

Refueling 1000 gallons of 100 octane aviation fuel.

[nikimcbee]

Big changes for the boat. We've finished the summer activities and we've pulled the boat out of the water for our final part of the restoration.

http://imageshack.us/a/img822/8691/ptdrydock001.jpg

http://imageshack.us/scaled/landing/594/ptdrydock005.jpg

The chalk marks are thing that need to be fixed.

http://imageshack.us/a/img33/1096/ptdrydock006.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img846/3306/ptdrydock007.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img829/7412/ptdrydock013.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img24/4900/ptdrydock015.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img837/8122/ptdrydock009.jpg

Sounds like we're going to be out of the water for ~6 months.

[nikimcbee]

Whoa, I haven't updated this in awhile.:o

We have the boat totally torn apart, but we are making progress in getting rid of the rotten wood, which there is a lot of.:o We are also going to be moving from the Naval Base to a new location, so we are packing like crazy.

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/2127/beachapril064.jpg

oohh, nice shiney props.:yeah:

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/9876/beachapril052.jpg

New planks installed by the shipwright.:salute:

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/9880/beachapril055.jpg

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/8908/beachapril053.jpg

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/6677/beachapril056.jpg

Port side has some serious rot to be removed/replaced. I helped make this hole.:D

[nikimcbee]

oops, hit post.:oops:

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/3685/beachapril057.jpg

You can see the original coated canvas they used in the layering.:o

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/9662/beachapril058.jpg


http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/7821/beachapril060.jpg
Stbd hole with beam re-inforcement. That would be the crew head up there and the thruway to the chart room.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/9576/beachapril061.jpg

I took these last week, so they are up to date photos.

[Red October1984]

Nice pics! I hope to see that boat one day...

If i ever make it out there, do I get a special tour? :)

[nikimcbee]

Nice pics! I hope to see that boat one day...

If i ever make it out there, do I get a special tour? :)

You bet. Pick the day right, it'll be a ride:D.

[Red October1984]

You bet. Pick the day right, it'll be a ride:D.

I'll remember that if I'm ever up that way. :)

[nikimcbee]

We have finally moved from our home, the US Naval base. We moved the boathouse today and we move the boat on Tuesday, when she will be lowered back into the water.

Pictures to come.

[nikimcbee]

Thread WIP atm:

Videos:
Loading of the torpedoes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WArYgBer1Ho&feature=youtu.be

Full video of move:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCHhnhKG2UY&feature=youtu.be



http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/5179/ewvq.jpg

The one time I show up a little late! I missed the boat. But that was okay, it worked out in the long run. When we moved the boat house, it took as atleast an hour before anything happened.


http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/365/fv6t.jpg

Off to the other side of the Vigor shipyard.

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/3209/qu0f.jpg

First order of business, put everything back on the boat. This was the first torp.


http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/7628/864b.jpg

Shortly after this, by battery died!!! WTF, Fortunately I found an outlet nearby. I knew thing would move slow today, so I really lucked out. We didn't lift the boat until after lunch. All of the dock workers disappeared at the stroke of 11am.



http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/1697/xu5z.jpg

Big ass crane!



http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5787/c829.jpg
The lift is about to start. The whole thing took about 15 min.


http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/7229/jy3h.jpg
The eagle has landed.

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/1334/ukip.jpg
The boat really had to pee after sitting on the barge for a year. Bilge pumps work.


http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/9255/dkeg.jpg
Back to the barn.

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/7994/loh7.jpg

Headin' for home.

[Sailor Steve]

Something is leaking.

OMG, there's a hole in yer boat!

Better stick yer thumb in that!

:O:









Lookin' good, McBee! :rock:

[Red October1984]

AWESOME!!!!

Maybe it makes me want to watch... *looks left and right* Crash Dive

[Buddahaid]

I am soooooooo jealous!

[Bilge_Rat]

She is a beauty!! :up:

[swamprat69er]

Sweet restoration job.:up:

[nikimcbee]

Here's our summer schedule. If you're interested in seeing the boat, let me know. Rides can be arranged, you basically ride as my guest.

http://www.savetheptboatinc.com/events.htm

[Madox58]

My next visit the wrong side of the Country is in April.
:nope: