The USS Tecumseh in Mobile Bay by David Smithweck

Author:David Smithweck [Smithweck, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, United States, State & Local, General
ISBN: 9781467149747
Google: RuZEEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Published: 2021-10-04T02:44:05+00:00

The dredge Janhki from New Orleans positioning a barge for loading debris. SIA 2020-002840.tif.

The dredge started pumping at first light this morning and immediately ran into difficulties with the rubber boot projecting out over the suction end. The rubber just collapsed went right up in the tube in the suction end and prevented any pumping. (A long discussion of the problem and its repairs went on for the next several hours).

We seem to be pulling this black ooze right off the top of the sand at a depth of about 35 feet. Working at the rudder level and stern end of the ship, however; as we move amidships and by the curve of the ship being deeper in the sand, we will probably have to go down and the dredge level will be around 40 feet.

We are going to hold off taking any samples of metal, wood or possible air for another two or three days until we have initial survey and a valuation of the integrity of this hull at which point we will then make out a sample-taking plan as far as the external part of the ship is concerned. We have not yet found an opening that would accommodate entry. That is still to be determined when we do find out the exact condition of this hull.11

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Day Six: Thursday, July 13 (Lawrence/Calland/Miller)

Earl Lawrence is going down to try to get a line and put a buoy on the end of the keel right over the propeller so we can get a good tight buoy at that point.

The engineer hydro crew is on the job today verifying the ladder depth gage on the dredge so that we will know exactly how deep we are working and they also will start some hydrographic survey of the bottom. The long range view with the hydro crew is that when all the dredging is completed and we are ready to clear the area they will duplicate the soundings, location soundings of their original hydrographic chart and we will then know how much has been moved out. Six months from now or a year from now we can repeat those soundings and find out how much has washed back in.

Smithsonian photographer, August Stebura, is doing some “catch as catch can” photography and later a little aerial photography. A temporary squall interrupted our work so we batten down for a while.

Just came up from a dive and was able to follow the hull all the way back to the skeg [a seaward extension of the keel that has a rudder mounted on the center line] to be used as a reference mark. Most of the keel line is now dredged out. Located oblong hole 40 to 50 feet aft from first reported hole that was eight inches wide to ten or 12 inches long.

Early afternoon, high winds causing six foot waves. The tugs had to immediately go to the pontoon line, get behind it and reinforce it by pushing it into the south west storm.

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