Shipyard stories

FBecigneul said:
How much turning is needed to true and balance those shafts or isn't that an issue?
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Francis, to turn a 9 inch diameter forging into a finished shaft takes about $40,000 worth of labor and material, with 75% of that being labor at a $100 an hour in shop billing rate.

They are fully machined, which includes Stainless Steel submerged arc welding, (cladding)in all exposed areas.

Here are some close to being finished.

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Jackie

You shared some pics of the submerged welding process earlier on this thread. Glad you did because I had no idea as to how it was done.

Like Louis, I'm curious about the boom in business or are you just getting due recognition for your work.

Glad all is going well, Mort
 
New to Forum, but old to Shipyards

hi... sw282 here.. Twas directed to this Forum from another... Saw the Shipyard thread and brought back fond memories of Charleston Naval Shipyard-My first REAL job... l started there as an apprentice in the Electronic Shop in 1967. Got drafted during Viet Nam... After that little vacation l returned to CNSYD for another 4 years... The draw down after Viet Nam earned me a layoff notice and an invite to another DOD installation. l chose the Signal School @FT Gordon Ga... Retiring in 1994.. The Shipyard was my first Love... Even tho the Charleston Yard had been there since the Revolutionary War days it didn't survive Clintons axing of the Military during his years... Kinda fitting all the history there, the yard is the resting place of the HUNLEY... ln the old Periscope Pool of the 0ptical Shop... Anyways l shoot TOO.
thanks
282
 
Louis.J said:
Jackie is there anything specific that attribute's to business now being so good.

JLouis
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Yes, there is.

Several years ago the Federal Government finally decided start regulating Inland Pushboats. Amazingly, for years, there was very little regulation such as found in vessels operating off shore and on the open seas.

These new regulations are forcing Towing Companies and Barge Fleets to upgrade equipment and meet certain specifications pertaining to hull integrity and propulsion and steering equipment.

Also, many customers, such as the large oil and chemical companies, are demanding newer equipment to haul and push their product. It has gone so far that many will not let their products be transported in any Barge or vessel that is more than 25 years old.

That's the reason for the new boat construction "boom" that we have been involved in for several years.

Many Companies are now instituting a 30 month major drydocking schedule for their Inland Pushboats. That's about when everything is worn slap out and a refit needed.

Keep in mind. Inland Pushboats, especially the ones that operate on the Intracoastal Waterway, are some of the most abused equipment in industry. Everyday they are running, they are basically self destructing.
 
jackie schmidt said:
Yes, there is.

Several years ago the Federal Government finally decided start regulating Inland Pushboats. Amazingly, for years, there was very little regulation such as found in vessels operating off shore and on the open seas.

These new regulations are forcing Towing Companies and Barge Fleets to upgrade equipment and meet certain specifications pertaining to hull integrity and propulsion and steering equipment.

Also, many customers, such as the large oil and chemical companies, are demanding newer equipment to haul and push their product. It has gone so far that many will not let their products be transported in any Barge or vessel that is more than 25 years old.

That's the reason for the new boat construction "boom" that we have been involved in for several years.

Many Companies are now instituting a 30 month major drydocking schedule for their Inland Pushboats. That's about when everything is worn slap out and a refit needed.


Keep in mind. Inland Pushboats, especially the ones that operate on the Intracoastal Waterway, are some of the most abused equipment in industry. Everyday they are running, they are basically self destructing.
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So sometimes the Government gets it right?
 
dmort said:
So sometimes the Government gets it right?
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Yes, they did.

For years, you could have a Barge full of "deathylene" with every inspection amaginable to insure it's structural integrity. But, you could hook onto it and take off down the river with a Tug that, if seen on Drydock, would raise doubts about it's ability to even float.

Those days are gone.
 
Eating Etiquette at MCRD

Once you were inside the Mess Hall with food on your tray, you were instructed to follow the person ahead of you and place your tray on the long wooden table. You were to stand between the table and the wood bench seats until told otherwise.

We were then called to attention before the command, "Readaaaaaay....seats!!"

The first time we did this we sounded like a kid who got a new drum set for Christmas. After several attempts we were finally allowed to eat. We went through this process three times a day, and we soon got it down to a short drum roll. Sometimes we were almost perfect but someone's ass to bench timing would be a little early or late. You never knew who it was, because you were always looking straight ahead. People with short or long legs were the usual suspects.

You never spoke without asking permission so we usually ate in silence. In the beginning asking permission to do anything could be an unpleasant experience.

Mort
 
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Everything at MCRD

dmort said:
Once you were inside the Mess Hall with food on your tray, you were instructed to follow the person ahead of you and place your tray on the long wooden table. You were to stand between the table and the wood bench seats until told otherwise.

We were then called to attention before the command, "Readaaaaaay....seats!!"

The first time we did this we sounded like a kid who got a new drum set for Christmas. After several attempts we were finally allowed to eat. We went through this process three times a day, and we soon got it down to a short drum roll. Sometimes we were almost perfect but someone's ass to bench timing would be a little early or late. You never knew who it was, because you were always looking straight ahead. People with short or long legs were the usual suspects.

You never spoke without asking permission so we usually ate in silence. In the beginning asking permission to do anything could be an unpleasant experience.

Mort
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It's worth noting that this approach is taken with _everything_ the recruit does, until it can be done quickly, and in perfect unison with his platoon-mates. I distinctly recall getting dressed, by the numbers, and putting my trousers on 30 or 40 times before we, as a platoon, got it right.

GsT
 
Yes the good old days at PI. the black flag, doing push ups on 3 locker boxes and a nice sharp bayonet in a boot under your chest. A run in the swamp where 3 didn't make it..... Yea the mess hall was ruff...... jim
 
Jim, I didn't say it was rough it was just a small part of the day. There are a lot of people who find these stories hard to believe and if it is true, the next questions is why...I'm not going there.

When I was stationed at Camp Pendleton I don't remember anyone who had been through P. I. (Parris Island). That all changed when I was overseas and met a lot guys from the East Coast. That's when I found out I was a Hollywood Marine and had gone through Boot Camp at Disneyland. I'm sure I heard a thousand stories about P. I. aboard ship. The real difference seem to be the humidity and the biting Sand Fleas....given that, you had it worse and I salute you.

I enlisted a couple of years after the drowning incident. I didn't hear about it till after I was in the Marine Corp. I know the newspapers followed the Court Martial.

Most of us have done pushups using footlockers but it for a mistake on your part and everyone else got to watch. Sometimes on a slow Sunday afternoon in our hut the guys would do this on their own just to see how many they could do. It was a form of entertainment for everyone else. In all honesty I can't imagine anyone being ordered to do this over a bayonet stuck in a boot.

Mort
 
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They were getting you ready for war no kid stuff. You had to fight to get your mail, you never got to sit except in class, you never spoke. Hell they broke my finger for not putting the safety on at the rifle range. Believe me the bayonet thing was common place. I hate sand flees and tents.......Remember back then we wore brown shoes, boots had the smooth leather on the inside and you wore out the heels in a week, marching. Now they tell me we had bad water, at Camp Lejeune .... what next? Arlington is full...... jim
 
jim1K said:
They were getting you ready for war no kid stuff. You had to fight to get your mail, you never got to sit except in class, you never spoke. Hell they broke my finger for not putting the safety on at the rifle range. Believe me the bayonet thing was common place. I hate sand flees and tents.......Remember back then we wore brown shoes, boots had the smooth leather on the inside and you wore out the heels in a week, marching. Now they tell me we had bad water, at Camp Lejeune .... what next? Arlington is full...... jim
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And Arlington Country that borders the cemetery is resisting the Government purchasing land to further expand the cemetery.
Between the GW Parkway (already Federal land that HAS no available land even for expansion in many places) the Cemetery is pretty surrounded.

Federal ownership removes it from the property tax rolls of an extremely Liberal profligate spending county.

Actual Property taxes have NEVER been lowered even once in Arlington County.

They have lowered the RATE numerous times.
But only after annual assessments have increased.
And they NEVER lower the rate by as much as the assessments increase.

Assessments up 4%? Rate down 3%. Net 1% increase in TAXES.
The pols then point out that no one shows up at the required public hearing asking for less money to be spent.
 
The next thing will be like here, civil war vets were buried in an old cemetery and they just plowed over it head stones and buried them in low spot and mad a parking lot there. For the national guard no less.... jim
 
Shoes

jim1K said:
They were getting you ready for war no kid stuff. You had to fight to get your mail, you never got to sit except in class, you never spoke. Hell they broke my finger for not putting the safety on at the rifle range. Believe me the bayonet thing was common place. I hate sand flees and tents.......Remember back then we wore brown shoes, boots had the smooth leather on the inside and you wore out the heels in a week, marching. Now they tell me we had bad water, at Camp Lejeune .... what next? Arlington is full...... jim
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If you still have your Marine Corps brown shoes I have two cans of polish.....I can send you one. I remember when we had to switch to black as a cost cutting measure. How about throwing out perfectly good boondockers when you didn't always have to blouse your boots? This stuff was so petty and it pissed off alot of people.The taxpayers were getting screwed as usual......and this was peacetime.

Mort
 
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brickeyee said:
And Arlington Country that borders the cemetery is resisting the Government purchasing land to further expand the cemetery.
Between the GW Parkway (already Federal land that HAS no available land even for expansion in many places) the Cemetery is pretty surrounded.

Federal ownership removes it from the property tax rolls of an extremely Liberal profligate spending county.

Actual Property taxes have NEVER been lowered even once in Arlington County.

They have lowered the RATE numerous times.
But only after annual assessments have increased.
And they NEVER lower the rate by as much as the assessments increase.

Assessments up 4%? Rate down 3%. Net 1% increase in TAXES.
The pols then point out that no one shows up at the required public hearing asking for less money to be spent.

The different county departments are always asking for more money to get the the job done, even if it means more debt. They are never accountable for how they spent the money and people won't go to public meetings to find out.
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Way back when

Back in the 70’s the ship I was on finally went in the yards for a long overdue overhaul. I worked in what was considered an engineering rate (machinist mate) and was qualified in many areas... regardless I was assigned to order nuts and bolts. Did they give us a bill of material and say order this? Not only no but hell no. They gave us, for lack of a better term, catalogs about a foot thick and said order what you think we need. REALLY?
By this time I had a pretty bad attitude given how we were being treated. I ordered monel aircraft bolts. Inch and a half foot long brass studs. Etc. When it was all said and done there was a forty foot semi trailer with leftover threaded items. The leftovers were going to be left with the shipyard to deal with. Someone got in the trailer and cleaned out all the metal of scrap value. I’m told they got enough money to have a departmental party.
 
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