SEPTEMBER 11TH
The plan for the
day was to take a boat out to Monhegan Island; however it was 45 degrees at
7:30AM and I couldn’t get Dave out of bed.
So…….instead we headed to Bath, Maine to visit
the Maritime Museum.
I had a special
reason to go to Bath as it is the home of Bath Iron Works, a huge shipbuilding
company, and my very first customer of my career with (then) GE and
subsequently Lockheed Martin in the Contracts organization.
GE built the
machinery control consoles that were installed in the FFG7 Oliver Hazard
Perry-class frigate programs and the Arleigh
Burke -class DDG 51 guided missile
destroyers. I handled the logistics contracts in support
of these ships for our products.
The Marine
program remained in the periphery of my career as I moved on to other products
manufactured by LM, and always held a
soft spot in my heart!
I remember
traveling to Norfolk, VA to meet with the Naval Supply Office. I looked out onto the harbor full of Naval
vessels of all kinds and realized that I had worked on some component of every
ship in that harbor….from nuclear submarines to frigates to destroyers to
aircraft carriers. There was at least
one product on these ships that I had touched in some way!
Bath Iron Works
was the lead shipyard and Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi was
the follow-on for the DDGs. Over the
years these two shipbuilders changed places (lead and follow on) and over the
years they were bought my different companies.
BIW is now part of General Dynamics and Ingalls by Northrop. Although I have been to Ingalls in
Pascagoula, I never made it up here to BIW in Maine so wanted to see where my
customers came from.
To Venus, Charlie, Dianne …..
them were the days!
A new class of
ships USS Zumwalt is in production and
was to be the backbone of the “new Navy” with a production of 32 ships. However
it has been scaled back to three ships with the first to be delivered
2013.
Still it was
exciting to drive right past BIW to the Maine Maritime Museum .. just down the
street!
Bath Maine has a
400 year tradition of shipbuilding.
Primarily sloops, schooners and brigs were built here. After the Civil War, Maine built more than
half of the ocean-going wooden vessels and Bath built more than half of
those. The Downeasters were a compromise
between the speed of the clippers and the old
bluff-bowed cotton-carrying vessels. It was during this period that the fore and aft rigged schooners were appreciating. That was Percy and Small Shipyard's specialty.
The WYOMING (this model is to scale) is a six-masted wooden schooner. The largest wooden schooner ever built. It was completed in 1909.
Although she was 329’ long it only took 12-14
people to run the ship as opposed to 50 on a Clipper. This was primarily due to the fact that the
sails were lifted from the deck using a steam engine on windlasses.
The Wyoming was the last of the six-masters. The Percy & Small launched this schooner in 1909. This was the tenth and final six-master schooner built in this shipyard.
Due to her length and wood construction the Wyoming would flex in heavy seas causing the planks to twist and buckle allowing sea water into the hold. They used pumps to keep her hold relatively free of water but in 1924 she foundered in heavy seas and sank with all hands on board.
In the yard is a full scale layout showing the size of these schooners. Looking from the stern (Dave's standing) forward to the bow replicates the length of the schooner. In the fog you might not be able to see the bow from the helm!
By 1921 wooden sailing ships lost our to steel steamships.
LOBSTERING
People not
familiar with lobstering find it fascinating.
Lobster dealers’ wharves in the summertime are full with tourists
watching lobstermen unload lobsters.
Lobstermen have mixed feelings about this. They enjoy the attention and delight in the
role of the canny New Englander but dislike being considered quaint or
simple. They are making a living.
As you stay up
here an listen to the local news, it becomes quickly apparent how important and
serious the lobster industry is. These
men aren’t quaint. They are hardworking
individuals carving out a living on these beautiful and unpredictable waters.
THE CRUISE SHIPS
ARE COMING … THE CRUISE SHIPS ARE COMING …..
Cruise ships
coming into Portland and Bar Habor for the Fall cruises are BIG NEWS! They are boosting the economy by purchasing
thousands of pounds of fresh lobster. Norweigan
Cruiselines has ordered 5,000 lbs and other smaller ships are ordering upwards
of 3,000 lbs.
The lobster
wholesalers are hoping this will be a new market. I wonder why it’s new? The cruise ships should have been buying lobsters right along!
There are at least five cruise ships that
come into Portland and Bar Harbor on their way up and down the coast for the
fall foliage cruises. It is very
exciting for the area as it will boost the economy by bringing over 60,000
people by the end of the “cruise” season.
This hasn’t been a very profitable one for the lobstermen or the wholesalers
(although you wouldn’t be able to tell from the menu prices up here). Hopefully it will all come together. This is such a beautiful, beautiful part of
the US.
LOBSTER TRAPS
The only method
allowed in the state of Maine is by using lobster traps. These traps are weighted at the bottom and
baited with fish. Once the lobster
enters the trap and reaches the bait, they have difficulty finding a way
out. The funnels guide the lobster into
the “parlor” and there they sit until the lobstermen come and git them!
LOBSTER BOATS
Over the years,
many different styles of boats have been used for lobstering. Each and every one of them has its own
beautiful lines.
SUPERSTITUTIONS
DO NOT HAVE ANY
ITEM OR CLOTHING ON THE BOAT COLORED BLACK
DO NOT TURN A
HATCH COVER, BAIT BARREL OR BASKET ON THE BOAT UPSIDE DOWN
DO ONT SAY THE
WORD PIG ON THE BOAT
DO NOT PAINT
YOUR BOAT BLUE
DOUBLE POINT RANGE LIGHTS
DOUBLING POINT
Range lights are located on Arrowsic Island in the Kennebec River. Just downstream lies Bath Iron Works. The destroyers have to go around this 90 degree
turn to the west and then another 90 degree turn to the north. This light marks the entrance to a tricky
double bend in the rivers for vessels coming downstream.
SCHOONER SHERMAN ZWICKER
This wooden auxiliary
fishing schooner was built in 1942. It is a
s lightly modified Banks schooner.
How about this windlass????
Vessels of this type were used in the Grand Banks dory fisheries out of
Nova Scotia. They would throw (and pull)
about 1 ½ miles of line with hooks fastened every 9’. Dories were lowered over the side and the
crew would set out the trawl with its 800 baited hooks to catch the cod. They would haul the line, by hand, taking off
the cod and rebaiting the hooks as they threw them back in. This was
done two or three times a day before returning to the ship.
If it was stormy or foggy, the ship’s bell would guide the dory to the boat...hopefully!
Once the cod was on board, it was cleaned and stacked down below layered with salt. When the hold was full of cod they returned home. This could be up to two a half months at sea.
Just forward of the hold where the fish are salted and stacked is the forecastle used for sleeping, eating and socializing in the evenings.
MAIN CABIN
The crew of 28 slept
in this cabin. These were the more
senior experienced sailors. Each sailor
had a distinctive berth curtain, made by his wife or girlfriend.
Fishing is hard and dangerous work. I’m sure we appreciate all that while having our wonderful fish dinners!
End of day three in Boothbay ..... one more day ..... hopefully we can make it to the Island!
No comments:
Post a Comment