Old meets new. The after hull and engine room of the 60's era Gulf Solar was joined to a new forward body to make the New River. The joined sections made a funny double wake in the water, but never gave us a day's trouble.
They don't make 'em like this anymore.
Not my photo, but it shows how much surface area needed to be maintained. This was a case of 'never enough time' to get everything pretty all at once.
The Cargo Control Room in the foreground was situated above the main deck, instead of the house- this was done to facilitate construction.
The turbines of the Captain H.A. Downing. Steam propulsion made for a quiet ride.
Almost all prettied up. Note the yard worker under the propeller, 7 o'clock position.
"The Ski Slope" was a nod to safety. Where the old hull had underdeck housing for the unlicensed, construction rules now dictate that the crew be kept above the level of the cargo deck, so old had to meet new in a compromise.
Shit weather.
These ships were often commented on for their very spacious bridges, which ran the width of the house.
Steam power means no direct link to the throttle.
Look carefully at that last one. "Finished With Engine." Goddamn, now I'm sad.
4 comments:
The turbines of the Captain H.A. Downing. Steam propulsion made for a quiet ride.
The flames are a nice touch. Is that common?
I don't think so... someone had a sense of humor, though.
Great photos. The Downing is at Buck Kriehs shipyard, just below Algiers Pt. on the Mississippi. They were lightering off everything she had over the period of a week or so.
I was on the Capt. Downing when those flames were painted. As I recall, it was a slightly strange 2AE from Maine who did the job. Looks like a photoshop job or later picture than of the first attempt in this picture. As I recall, we were short on yellow and the turbine housing was a little warm which caused the edges to run. Great to see her again.
Post a Comment