Floating Museum News

Serbia has finally recalled to service as a floating museum a warship that fired the first shots that began World War One, following years of lobbying from navy ship enthusiasts who wanted it restored.The SMS Bodrog was one of two Austro-Hungarian heavy gunboats that sailed into the confluence of the rivers Sava and Danube around midnight on July 28, 1914. Its two canons hurled shells at Serbian positions in Belgrade, marking the start of the four-year war in which around 20 million people died.Renamed Sava…

The pilot house of the tug Huntington recently returned to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum after extensive metal refurbishing and repair.All restoration work was performed by E. H. Harvey Metal Working Co. of Easton, Md., and included sandblasting the exterior, removing lead paint, and preparing the exterior for final painting. The pilot house is currently stored in one of CBMM’s off-campus locations, in anticipation of restoring Huntington’s wood trim and interior during the warmer weather.With generous support from Chesapeake Shipbuilding…

Tall Ship Lady Washington will be docked at Jack London Square at the foot of Broadway, Saturday and Sunday, informed a press release from Port of Oakland.Visitors can experience maritime history by taking a vessel tour for a small donation to the floating museum. There are also ticketed sailing trips on San Francisco Bay.Lady Washington was built in Aberdeen, Washington, by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority and launched in 1989. She is a full-scale replica of the first American vessel to make landfall on the West Coast of North America in 1788 and the first American merchant ship to trade in Honolulu, Hong Kong and Japan.In 1787, after the Revolutionary War, she was given a major refit to prepare her for a unprecedented trading voyage around Cape Horn.

The vessel is one of the Atomflot fleet’s five atomic icebreakers; one atomic lighter carrier, four special purpose vessels and a floating crane used to clear passages and escort ships through the Northern Sea Route, as well as to the North Pole. GAC Russia’s teams in Murmansk, Moscow and Novorossiysk helped prepare Arctic class icebreaker Yamal to leave the Atomflot base just outside Murmansk for a tour of duty in the seaway which shortens the distance between Europe and Asia by thousands of miles.

Inspectors from the Navy's Board of Inspection & Survey (INSURV) conduct a survey aboard the floating museum ship. After a storied history beginning in World War II, the battleship received its last official INSURV inspection in 1992, before becoming a floating museum on the James River. John Elliker, Battleship Wisconsin project manager, said the city of Norfolk initially contacted INSURV to ask them about surveying the ship. The conversation progressed into the INSURV team volunteering…

One of the most powerful battleships of all time, the Iowa was built starting in 1940. After it was commissioned, the ship transported President Roosevelt to the Tehran Conference in 1943. The ship also saw action in World War II and the Korean War. The Navy awarded the ship to a nonprofit group to display as an interactive naval museum that will highlight its place in American history, explains CBS News. Among those in attendance at the rededication included Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Harbor Commission Approves Environmental Impact Report, Lease Agreement; Historic Battleship Plans to Open to Public July 7. The Los Angeles Harbor Commission today voted unanimously to create a new home for the historic battleship, the USS IOWA, in a prime location along the LA Waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles. In separate actions, The Harbor Commission approved the lease agreement and an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) necessary to bring the World War II icon to the LA Waterfront  where it will be converted to an interactive naval museum and living memorial.

A tugboat that has plied the waters of New York's Canals for nearly eight decades years turns 110 today, according to the New York State Canal Corporation. The tug Urger is the oldest state vessel operating on New York's waterways. Originally christened the Henry J. Dornbos, the vessel was operated by the Verduin family on Lake Michigan for 20 years. Due to her unparalleled seaworthiness, the vessel was occasionally used by the U.S. Lifesaving Service (a forerunner of the U.S. Coast Guard) for rescues on the lake.

According to a Sept. 13 report from BBC News, a ship thought to be the last steamcoaster in the world is preparing to head to her new home after a $2.9m restoration in Suffolk. The steamcoaster, built in 1890 and listed on the National Historic Fleet register, has been converted into a floating museum. She will stay at the Port of Tilbury for up to a year while a decision is made on her London base. The SS Robin was taken to Lowestoft in 2008 to undergo conservation work and repairs to her riveted structure. The work has been funded by Crossrail. Project management consultants Kampfner Limited led a team of East Anglian and London-based marine consultants, engineers, naval architects and shipwrights in the two-year restoration project. (Source: BBC News)

According to a June 27 report from The Press Association, a historic vessel - thought to be the world's last complete steamcoaster - will be lifted on to a floating pontoon following a $2.8m restoration. The 300-tonne SS Robin will be hoisted by giant cranes from its current base in Lowestoft, Suffolk, before being returned to London. The ship - built in 1890 and listed on the National Historic Fleet register - will be moved to the River Thames to be used as a floating museum. (Source: The Press Association)

Coast Guard officials announced Friday that the first Sentinel-class cutter will bear the name Bernard C. Webber in honor of the legendary Coast Guard member. Previously designated to be named the Coast Guard Cutter Sentinel, the cutter Bernard C. Webber will be the first of the service’s new 153-ft patrol cutters. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen approved the change of the cutter’s name to allow this class of vessels to be named after outstanding enlisted members who demonstrated exceptional heroism in the line of duty.

The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Missouri (SSN 780) reached her first major milestone Sept. 27, during her keel authentication ceremony held at the General Dynamics Electric Boat facility in North Kingstown. Caesar S. DeSanto Sr. welded the initials of Rebecca W. Gates onto a plate of steel to symbolize the authentication of the keel. Gates, the wife of Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates, is the sponsor for Missouri, the seventh Virginia-class submarine to join the fleet. U.S. Rep.

U.S. here today. The event featured brief remarks delivered by Isaac C. Trade for Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector. the grandson of the ship's namesake, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Kidd, (1884-1941), and son of U.S. Navy Adm. Isaac C. (1920-1999). ceremony. In welcoming the Kidd family to the shipyard, Dr. Philip A. great milestone in shipbuilding. the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II. killed in action was Adm. Isaac C. Kidd. said Cappy Kidd. there wearing those hard hats. breathe life into that which will carry our family name. Adm.

USS Enterprise (CVN 65) steams through the waters of the Atlantic Ocean following a port visit to Portsmouth, England. Enterprise Sailors enjoyed four-days in Portsmouth, the resting place for HMS Victory, the oldest commissioned warship in the world, which is now a floating museum attracting thousands of tourists each year. The ship is underway in the Atlantic Ocean in support of Summer Pulse '04. Summer Pulse 2004 is the simultaneous deployment of seven carrier strike groups (CSGs)…

A historic nuclear-powered ship that probably attracted more barnacles than tourists while serving as a floating museum off Mount Pleasant has completed the first leg of its rehabilitation. But the next phase of work won't take place in the Lowcountry, as federal officials had once considered. The NS Savannah, the world's first nuclear-powered cargo and passenger vessel, is being restored, possibly for its second stint as a floating museum, according to its owner, MarAd. Colonna's Shipyard in Norfolk, Va., recently completed an initial $995,000 cleanup and renovation of the 596-foot ship, which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1991, when it was still part of the naval museum at state-owned Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant.

The Naval Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) Supervisor of Salvage and Diving is leading the Navy’s assistance effort to free the ex-Intrepid. The floating museum became stuck in sediment Nov. 6 during a tow from Pier 86 in New York City to a New Jersey shipyard for refurbishment and repair. The salvage effort will include actions to inspect, dredge, stabilize and free Intrepid and make it ready for tow. While the Intrepid Museum Foundation received title to the ex-Intrepid after a 1981 Navy donation, the foundation called upon the Navy’s experience to assist in moving the ship. After conducting a hydrographic survey around the berth of the ship…

Savannah, an old nuclear-powered ship that spent time in Charleston Harbor as a tourist attraction, is getting a face lift for a possible new tour of duty, according to a report on www.charleston.net. Savannah was the world's first nuclear-powered cargo and passenger vessel. It is set to be restored, possibly for its second stint as a floating museum, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. Norfolk, Va.-based Colonna's Shipyard recently was awarded a $995,000 contract to renovate the 596-foot ship, which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1991, when it was still part of the naval museum at state-owned Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant.

6,000 books. From the outside, it will feature its distinctive black and red livery. persona. rooms, another Cunard exclusive. history.

Plans to sail a replica of an Irish famine-era ship across the Atlantic have been abandoned for the second year running because the vessel is still not seaworthy. The decision to call off plans to sail the "Jeanie Johnston" to North America this year was taken at a board meeting of the project organizers after a marine expert reported the vessel would not be ready in time. The ship was originally due to sail from Tralee on Ireland's southwest coast in May last year, but the voyage was postponed until 2001 because of delays in fitting out the three-masted barque. The project has so far cost around 10 million Irish pounds ($10.96 million), and has been supported by the Irish government, European Union and private donations.

First announced in June 1998 by the company that prides itself on "its growth lying in its past," Cunard Line Limited has plans to construct the world's largest passenger vessel to ever sail the high seas. Scheduled for completion 2003, Queen Mary 2 will measure a record 1,100 ft. (335.2 m). Cunard's, in its 160 years in business, has embodied classic style. The company has guaranteed the continuation of this reputation for several decades with the introduction of its Queen Mary 2 project. Rough plans for the vessel were introduced in November, and at press time a contract to build the vessel in a European yard was imminent. Cunard divulged that the new ship's interiors will be similar to that of White Star Line's Titanic, while its hull will be painted in classic matte black.

The LST-325 (Landing Ship, Tank), a World War II amphibious vessel designed to land battle-ready tanks, troops and supplies directly onto enemy shores, will once again be plying the waters, but this time, being towed as a floating memorial making a maiden educational voyage on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers this summer. The LST-325 is one of only two World War II LSTs to be preserved in the United States and is crewed solely by veterans. Towing services are being provided by several barge companies including Kirby Corporation (Houston, TX); Luhr Bros. (Columbia, IL); Madison Coal and Supply (Charleston, WV); MEMCO Barge Line (Chesterfield, MO), and American Commercial Barge Lines (Jeffersonville, IN). Acquired by the USS LST Ship Memorial, Inc.