Lessons Learned, Notes for Next Pampanito Drydocking, Dec 2017 Measured by the quantity and quality of work performed, this was the most successful dry docking of the Pampanito during her museum period. Our long-term relationship with the various maritime companies lead to critical in-kind donations. Long term relationship building with the dry dock, crane barge company, paint companies, and local maritime companies lead to critical in-kind donations. For example, the shipyard donated $63K in cash to compensate for a 6-month delay (the US Government ship in the dock in March had unexpected problems and could not leave the dock on time), and they also did not charge us for 15K of lay days. The crane barge company donated their services, including overtime caused by a late start on our return. The coatings were donated by four different companies. The shift to an early fall start cost more in ticket revenue than a January start, but provided good will with the shipyard that is less busy during this time of year, and much better weather. If we had delayed even a couple of weeks we would have been caught by heavy consistent rain. We probably did more steel repair, particularly of steel we know was damaged before 1986 than in all the other dry dockings combined. More than half the known problems at or below the waterline were repaired.
There are basically three choices for coatings specifications: There were large areas of the hull with coatings failure that were washed and recoated without blasting that should have been blasted to bare metal this time. We still have some small areas with lead paint between the waterways on the pressure hull forward. We need to blast these to bare metal in the yard to get rid of the last area known lead paint on the boat next time we are in dry dock. We removed the torpedo shutter doors and this greatly improved the quantity and quality of steel repair and coatings in the free flood area than the previous drydocking. We made modifications to make it easier to open and/or remove the shutter doors during future dry dockings. Three of the bronze torpedo muzzle door nuts where replaced with stainless steel nuts. One of the steel repair inserts, over shutter door forward on starboard, is a bit tight and is rubbing the shutter door. This should be adjusted during the next dry docking. We deferred float coating inside the rudder, dive planes, and bow castings. Float coating is a preservation technique used in casting were a soft film coating fills the casting and then the excess is drained out. We blasted and coated the sanitary tank. This was in use, but not blasted and painted in 2007 which was a mistake. The coatings had failed and there was significant pitting and new frame metal wastage. If this tank is used, it must be re-coated every dry docking cycle. We deferred creating a sub-tank or macerating minimum storage system for sanitary tank. Our preferred solution, a sub-tank is a plausible but a difficult project to complete at the pier. Overnight groups will need to use the head on shore until this is completed. If we are not going to use sanitary tank we need to close the hull stop valve for the sanitary tank discharge and lockout. Remove whatever fresh water is aboard (lines, water heater, etc.) We did not achieve a donation of tow boat services. This was probably because we started late, and because it was dredging season. The shallow water by the pier caused two tow companies to pass. We also docked and undocked on Saturday instead of during the week because the tow company was unavailable during the week. Normally this would have cost overtime, but the dry dock, crane barge, and tow boat company absorbed the extra costs. This also meant the power wash cleaning of marine growth on the hull did not start until Monday, the shipyard absorbed the additional time it took to complete the power wash on the dryer hull. The scheduling of the return to the pier was efficient or convenient for the dry dock, but difficult for the crane company. Undocking earlier in the day would have made it safer and faster for the crane company to re-installing the mooring chains. The aft mooring chain was installed on the incorrect pad eye in a previous evolution. We did not discover this during dry docking, but only when studying the photos taken in dry dock after we got back. It was replaced in the same (wrong) eye and was swapped to the correct position in April 2017. Pier Safety. We pulled and inspected the mooring chains up to the connecting ring, but did not remove the anchors. These should be pulled and reset next time. We did not attempt to get dredging at the pier this cycle, but it needs to be dredged. The Port of San Francisco added single face piles to the pier and repaired several of the cleats and bollards on the pier apron while we were gone. The pier apron has wide spread wood rot and needs significant repairs. The daily maintenance program in the superstructure above the waterline has been inadequate for over 10 years. It has created new liabilities in the above water superstructure. We need to have a welder and a welder's assistant come during the summer season and restart steel repair at the pier. The superstructure frame attachments to the hull are bad and will become dangerous if not repaired. The wood deck is becoming dangerous and needs to be repaired. The vertical sides (esp. offshore) are bad, many frames are damaged. Much of this work can be done at the pier. Cathodic system and electrolysis ground control. Our zincs anodes last 3-5 years and we dry docked at 7. It was a problem at 10 years, but with less damage than expected. We had an engineering company evaluate an active cathodic system, but most of our damage is at the wind and water line and is not affected by the cathodic system. We have a shore power upgrade planned to improve personnel safety (high resistance ground, isolation transformer, grounded hull). The upgrade planning includes care to avoid creating new electrolysis problems after grounding the hull. We did not maintain a 24-hour watch on weekends in the dry dock. We should do this in all future dry dockings. For stability, all ballast tanks should be either empty or full within 3 feet of the top. We emptied the Water Round Torpedo tank aft. We need to finish filling with treated fresh water the Water Round Torpedo tank forward. We should close all the main ballast tank vents. The forward escape trunk door was not closed during tow over, but should be for all future tows. We should replace the gaskets, and patch the holes in visitor access doghouses and in all the original hatches, doors, and main induction. We need to lubricate the internal ventilation flapper valves so they are more easily operable. We need to document all removed salvage valves, and survey for other hull openings. We blanked all the through hull fittings below the water line, so now the only way to dewater the boat is through a hatch, or the sanitary tank discharge (and maybe engine exhaust.) We need to create a plan to monitor the salinity of all tanks with water ballast. Since the 2007 dry docking, water had leaked into the submerged torpedo tubes through the outer doors. We replaced the outer door gaskets. However, the rubber in replica gaskets was too hard and the drawing of the muzzle door gasket was too large in diameter. So we cut and glued the gaskets to the correct diameter (drawing was corrected as well), and added a thin, soft, flat gasket on top with sealer around the periphery. The internal gaskets were remade to the correct hardness and will be replaced at the pier. We need to replace the muzzle door gaskets with corrected gaskets next dry docking. The torpedo tube operating shafts, rudder shafts, and stern plane operating shafts run through the forward and after trim tanks. These tanks need to be inspected on each dry docking, and when leaking starts the packing needs to be replaced on all the shafts. The coatings are failing in the forward trim tank. We did not move the rudder, or move and lock stern planes this cycle. At minimum the stern planes should be moved to neutral and the planes lock engaged during next dry docking. At some point we should replace rather than add more patches on the tail shaft covers. We did not remove the diamond plate and repair the coatings under the brow landing. This really should be serviced every dry docking. We need to evaluate which lube oil sumps and tanks we need to maintain and use, and then empty and clean all the others. The torpedo tube drains and vents need visitor proofing. We should rinse all the drain valves with fresh water and/or light oil. We need to verify lockout on all the valves to the sea chests. The missing fasteners on the strainers in motor room must be replaced. Clean and paint under shafts/packing in motor room for easy detection of leakage problem, same for the bow planes and torpedo tubes. Same inside trim tanks during our next dry docking. Three torpedo hand operating shafts forward are missing. The clevis connections are mangled. Vents are open and inoperable. We should also try to fix the minor leaking in the torpedo tube door hydraulics. This will be difficult because testing of the tube is not possible at the pier. Fix the #4 tube operating shaft. Make a list of tanks not entered in recent dry dockings. Figure out where is the access to MBT1 and MBT7. Fresh water tanks and internal fuel tanks need inspection. Check the fill level on all Normal Fuel Oil tanks. They should be filled within 3 feet of the tank top with treated fresh water. Repair the damaged sounding manifolds. Empty, or fill to within 3 foot of top FBT 5A. Survey thickness of hull/tanks at the wind and water line, and the tank tops. This can be done at pier with a descent boat and patience. We have the opportunity to improve our communications strategy next time, and to begin the capital campaign earlier. The recession was part, but not the only cause of a very expensive delay in dry docking (3 years later than our self-imposed goal of 7 years). The financial impact of the three-year delay will not be felt until the next dry docking when we will have increased costs to blast the entire hull to bare metal, more steel to repair, and the need to complete deferred items from this dry docking.
Pampanito Preservation Fund Capital Campaign 2014 - 2016
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