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All Hands,
Can anyone believe that December and the holidays are upon us already? It is
just starting to get cold up here around the bend from Newport, RI and the
Jumpin Joey is winterized. However, our operations continue for this Gearing
class Destroyer and November was no exception. Our weekly work projects,
November Field day/NAPS weekend, and a visit from Peter and Barbara Papadakos
with our California loot all occurred.
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November 2009 Field Day:
Attendee's :
Bob Washburn (USS William R. Rush DD715)
Al Lundgren (USS John Paul Jones DD932)
Jim Mulvihill (USS Waldron DD692)
Maury Crotteau (USS Harwood DD861)
3 NAPS Crewmen
Due to the Board of Director's meeting and other commitments by our volunteers,
Bob Washburn and Al Lundgren took command and successfully turned out a lot of
work in the After Engine room and After Fire room. These are two spaces that we
love and are very popular, but never got the full support since they were below
the main deck. With missing parts now in hand from recent strip trips, painting
and detailing is required to restore these areas on par with our work in the
Pilot House and CIC.
Field Day work Projects:
-- Began restoration of lower level of After Fireroom burner level! Oil, dirt,
and trash were cleaned up. Loose paint was removed and white paint was applied
to piping.
-- Detailed painting in the Aft Engine room consisted of painting all electrical
boxes, transformers, and the main switchboards the correct light equipment gray
color. This was necessary due to the coloring of this equipment applied
incorrectly some 20 years before.
"Many thanks to Andrew, Desiree and Cynthia of NAPS and Al Lundgren for your
work in painting the dark grey electrical boxes the correct platinum(machinery)
grey colors in the engine room, and making a good start in cleaning and painting
the pipes (and soon the panels and handles) in the fire room."
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Artifact arrival from Battleship Cove's West Coast Storage facility in Reno, NV
(Gyrodyne Helo Hangar):
Many of you have read here about the large acquisition of historic artifacts
from the West Coast Volunteers this past summer and fall. We thank those
participants for acquiring these important relics and getting such odd artifacts
such as US Navy steel trash barrels dated from the 1960s. (Note: These trash
barrels are currently on display in the Engine room, DASH Hangar, scullery,
steam line, mess decks, machine shop and are very rare. Please use with care
and most are for DISPLAY only!)
In any case, Peter and his wife Barbara began a cross country trip to Fall River
to deliver these items to us in early November; and a team of NAPS and
Battleship Cove volunteers unloaded and stowed these items on KENNEDY and
MASSACHUSETTS.
Let's let Peter Papadakos tell you the story of the weekend in his own words:
"Well Shipmates,
We've had a few days to recover from completing our round trip, coast to
coast, 6,539 mile journey to deliver the last of the WWII Ship parts that our
West Coast Strip Team stripped from the EX-USNS GEN. POPE, EX-USS NEREUS and
SPERRY back in July 13-18 at Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet and then removed on
September 16-17. With a overloaded trailer, and our truck filled with the
radio's from former strip-team member, Senior Chief Dennis Ferguson USN, who
passed away in 2008, I wanted "cold" weather to prevent the tires from blowing
and to keep the truck's engine and transmission cool. A Weather window opened on
Nov. 1 and it was time to roll east.
Our weather out of NEVADA and all the way to Massachusetts was as we wished:
Cool - around 35 to 45 degrees and no precipitation at all, the entire trip!
We spread our entire east-bound-trip over a 6-day period so as to keep our
speeds low. Some tidbits heading east: I have never seen so many antelope in
Wyoming - by the hundreds no less. Lots of wild turkeys in Nebraska, and lots of
deer in Ohio and Pennsylvania and thank goodness we didn't hit a one!
We had an appointment with volunteers from the Naval Academy Preparatory School
(NAPS) in Rhode Island who were going to unload us along with the Battleship
Cove volunteers at Fall River. We arrived the afternoon of Nov. 6 - Friday, and
dropped the trailer off at a parking lot near the pier where we'd unload the
following day.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, the NAPS Students along with many Battleship Cove
volunteers met our trailer as I backed it up to the pier where the WWII
battleship, USS MASSACHUSETTS, submarine LIONFISH and destroyer USS JOSEPH P.
KENNEDY JR. is berthed (I'm the one kneeling !). I thought we ought to take a
photo before we started.......it was cold and windy!
A BIG piece of the weight on the trailer were the FIRE Indicator panels - one
each from NEREUS and SPERRY. Before these panels were found, it had been largely
given up to replicate that space on the battleship, until our recon of SPERRY
located this unit that closely resembled the original unit that had been on the
battleship.
On the fan tail were the WWII Troop Entertainment Speakers - all in pristine
condition......the fellow with the dark glasses is the curator of Battleship
Cove and the principal restorer of the Battleship, Chris Nardi. Chris had asked
for all the speakers we could find that were complete and we got them all - I
think 6 . They will be installed in the spaces where the battleship crew also
congregated to simply hear their connection to the outside world via these
speakers - like they were on the Gen. Pope when that troop-ship sailed to the
South Pacific taking young men to war......which the POPE also did in KOREA and
Vietnam.......
A Key item that we also carried was a FATHOMETER that volunteers from submarine
PAMPANITO (San Francisco, CA) removed from the EX-CLAMP, for the DE, USS SLATER
of Albany New York.......I made Chris shake on his promise to get it to
SLATER.......
As we continued to unload, Chris was stunned at all the strippers had removed
from the ships in California......vintage garbage cans from 1959-1967, 1MC
Speakers, RCA speakers, Intercoms and even four medical sinks.........
The strippers even found "made in the USA" Christmas decorations -all brand
new......and made in Rhode Island in the 60's to boot - from the POPE! See
photo of Rich with the Xmas decorations.
A Key item for the Battleship were these 50+ Black Fans - the old kind you can
stick you hand in and hit your fingers!.......and yes, there were some
black-toilet seats removed from ship as well as the KENNEDY's seats are breaking
due to actual use by the Boy Scouts overnight program on that ship.....and they
are being replaced with the same 40+ year old parts.......
Vietnam era- radios from Senior Chief Ferguson that he had from his strip trips
he had done up in Seattle on the Navy cruisers went to KENNEDY. Within 2 hrs,
this loading area was completely empty - the NAPS students stored it all on the
ships........
Some assets, like these brand new baking pans and vintage boxes, went
immediately on display in the KENNEDY scullery space....... See photo.
With the NAPS kids being busy with stowing the strip-trip assets and it being a
clear-day, I decided to go with the KENNEDY's DASH man, Mike Angelini, and push
their QH-50C Drone outside for a photo. And with a Boy Scout group leaving and a
new one coming to the Cove (500+ did the overnight stay), we soon had visitors.
We at the Gyrodyne Foundation (OEM for the QH-50) had brought with us new
graphics for the DASH display on KENNEDY and it was a great visual aid to show
the Scouts and their parents the other uses the QH-50 had performed during its
44 - year service time.
Once dark set in, we closed down our tour of the DASH hangar and closed up the
only place where a Gyrodyne "SNOOPY" (reconnaissance variant) QH-50D and a
Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) QH-50C can be seen in the same place, in the world.
Before we departed Battleship Cove, Chris wanted us to see the Pilot House
Restoration that he has been working on.......this is where the Executone
Intercoms we removed from NEREUS will be installed as well as many other items
from the strip trip.......the work that goes on to restore these spaces is
incredible.
With now an empty trailer, we decided to head WEST but trend south to visit our
son, attending college in Nashville, and stay on I-40 all the way to KINGMAN AZ.
In Kingman, there was a recently widowed wife of a WWII Navy veteran who had
used a Battleship-type communications radio. Miss Jackie wanted the radio to be
preserved and her radio friends led her to the battleship, Massachusetts. We
agreed to pick up the radio and store it in Reno for our next trip
East.......with Two more Qh-50s for museums on the East Coast, its just a matter
of time for the radio to make its way back home, to the battleship
Massachusetts.
This was probably the last full-strip and delivery trip we will ever be apart
of. The Gen. Pope has gone to bid for scrap out and that is the last of the WWII
troop ships that were left for parts. The two remaining WWII Sub tenders have
given up most of their fixtures for the battleship's restoration. From 2002 to
2009, we stripped ships and it was a fun time. I'll miss our crews and that
smell of the old ships of WWII.
Fair winds, Following seas,
Peter"
Some projects accomplished this day were:
-- Put on display artifacts in Galley, Scullery, WR Pantry, Engine room, Machine
Shop, Supply Office, and Steam Line.
-- Installed missing equipment acquired from CA.
-- We really needed those original styled trash barrels for display!
Some acquisitions Peter sent to us were:
-- DD710 CLASS ASROC Loader Crane Manuals
-- Original US Navy steel Trash cans
-- US Navy unissued soap scouring pads for display
-- Xmas ornaments
-- 1960s cardboard boxes for food and supply for display in our restored areas.
-- 15 racks, stanchions for such, and 18 mattresses. They got the pillows as
well!
-- Mimeograph machine
-- Boxes of galley and scullery brushes-- new
-- Two deck waxing machines from the 1960s
-- Misc. battle lanterns, light fixtures, signage, etc
-- WW2 Equipment for the Battleship Massachusetts.
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General
A. Rich Angelini spent an afternoon painting the steam table and the equipment
foundations in the steam line light gray. After some more touch ups and minor
equipment details, this space should be completed.
B. Maury Crotteau checked out a US Navy Training Phonograph and put it in
display in Radio Central where it would have been used to train Radio personnel.
Thanks to Rob Flori for donating this 1966 piece to our excellent Radio Room
display.
D. Al Lundgren has moved on...to the After Engine room that is. After working
with the sea cadets, all has continued the light gray painting in this space to
make our color scheme more accurate for a 1960s destroyer. We are almost there.
Upcoming and Continuing Projects:
1. Complete Steam line
2. Complete Prep/Prime of 01 Torpedo Deck and Tubes (Delayed to Spring)
3. Complete MK 25 Fire Control Room
4. Continue CIC restoration
5. Move Welder in ASROC Magazine and load up remaining 6 missiles received from
the US Navy
6. Complete painting and detailing of Port side main deck (Delayed to Spring)
7. Sort and display all Nautical Charts.
8. Complete BOSUN Locker
9. Detail and Paint Aft Engine and Fire rooms.
Notes:
1. As always, Special thanks to the increased helping hand from cove employees
Rui Moniz and Dave Stawicki.
2. To the Monday-Friday local crew, please email me your work project
accomplishments. If you don't let me know what you are working on weekly, than
I cannot give credit to you in this forum.
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Special News:
1. Our field day listing for the whole year can be found by going to http://jpkennedyjr.webs.com/field.html
<http://jpkennedyjr.webs.com/field.html>
2. During the last issue, we announced one of our two recent Historic Naval
Ships Association award winners for this year. Now, it is my pleasure to
announce that the winner of the Bosun Marvin Curry Award is:
"Michael Angelini (USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr DD850 Volunteer) : Mike, a
crewmember of USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr DD850 in the 1970s, has been a volunteer
aboard his old ship since the late 1980s and hasn't left since. Being a
volunteer and realizing the needs aboard DD850, Mike took on various tasks
aboard KENNEDY to promote and preserve the ship including the identification and
inventory of missing items. Typically at his own cost, Mike supported strip
trips to Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, and even a two week cross country
mission to New Mexico to acquire a QH-50c DASH drone for exhibition on KENNEDY.
These trips in which he was a instrumental part acquired all the missing items
for the DASH Hangar, Pilot House, Ship offices, Combat Information Center,
Radio Rooms, and most other exhibits. To further enhance the restoration
progress on KENNEDY and to capture the sights and sounds of a Gearing class
Destroyer, Mike was one of three individuals at their own expense who visited
the ex-USS Steinaker DD863 in Mexico to support a joint HNSA, Battleship Cove,
and Tin Can Sailors documentation project. Video and Photographs from this
visit were and are currently being used to enhance restoration projects on
KENNEDY DD850.
When actually aboard KENNEDY, Mike supports whatever projects needed to be
undertaken over the years from painting the Signal Bridge to installing
equipment in the Engineering Spaces. However, Mike's main focus is the DASH
system in which he maintains the artifacts and equipment utilized in the
restoration of the Gyrodyne QH-50 aircraft and the hangar itself. Installing
items onto the helicopters, connecting test sets, mounting original fixtures in
the Hangar, and moving the aircraft onto the flight deck for visitor display has
been his current area of expertise. Mike works closely with the Papadakos
family and the Gyrodyne Helicopter Historical Foundation to display and promote
the history of the aircraft and its operation aboard a Destroyer. Their
expertise has allowed the KENNEDY to become the only place in the world that
demonstrates the US Navy's original UAV system aboard its mother platform.
Lately, Mike has added the MK44 and ASROC missile system to his area of
commitment.
Lastly, Mike uses his knowledge of Gearing class Destroyers and of the DASH
system to interact with visitors about what it was like to live and serve aboard
KENNEDY DD850. Based upon Mike's knowledge in destroyers and the DASH system,
his long term commitment to both the restoration and preservation of USS Joseph
P. Kennedy Jr DD850, and his interaction with visitor's, we respectfully award
Mike Angelini the Bos'n Marvin Curry Award."
This brings our Maury Crotteau, Ed Zajkowski, Owen Hayes, Al Lundgren, and Mike
Angelini as award winners for their dedication to the KENNEDY and to the
preservation of the historic fleet. I am proud to have worked and learned among
this group from a young age.
3. Our upcoming mini-field day is the weekend of December 18-19-20. We will
not have NAPS students with us this weekend but hope to get some light projects
done aboard the ship to further our work completions.
==> It is hoped that we can have a USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr DD850 Holiday party
aboard the ship for the volunteers and their families. Captain Casey has
authorized us to use the ship for this activity and it is hoped that we can do
it if we have enough participants. The idea is to shut down ships work at
1430-1500 hours on Saturday the 19th so the crew can clean up and get their
wives/family enough time to arrive at the ship for say 1700-1730 hours. We ask
that every family please bring a dish and snacks for a pot luck celebration
aboard DD850 or we can have something catered. If we get enough interest for a
Holiday party for the 19th, we will ask our friends on the Massachusetts and
others to join us. Please email me with your interest in this event. It will
allow all of us to relax and celebrate together while showing our immediate
family the work we have done in the past year. Please advise me by email at
your earliest convenience.
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To all our extended family and friends around the Nation who support us yearly
and follow our wake with this newsletter, we wish you the most Happy of
Holidays, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.
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History and this ship depend on You! Join the effort.
Fair winds and following seas,
Rich Angelini
Asst Curator, JPK DD850
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