~ Click images to enlarge ~
Leviathan is going to steamboat heaven:
The Historic Naval Ships
Association
The Navy
Museum
Washington Naval Yard
Washington, DC
Here she is on the hard ready to be de-boned and shipped off
to Washington DC for conservation and indoor static display.
The HNSA will complete the process of returning her to the
33 ft open ketch rigged sailing steam auxilliary as she was
originally built when she began service in the US Navy
around 1913. She was carried aboard a warship and used for
ship to shore, etc.
Most all of the tugboat features that we all are familiar
with from years past at the Delta meets will only be a
memory. The hull and engine are original, The Metzner
boiler will be replaced with an original type, I do not know
what type that is yet. Note: All machinery will go to DC,
so no bone picking is allowed.
Steve Harcourt and I helped the new owner/donor on Thursday
to drain the boiler and machinery of all water for the trip
to freezing climates back East.
I had often wondered what the 30 inch tall steel
tripod/tabernacle on the deck was. It is actually the
original mount for a deck gun. A black powder one-pounder is
in DC already awaiting to be set into place. I am told this
is the correct armament - cool! It could be
that there was a breech-loading bronze deck cannon for line
launching mounted here, and that would make more sense.
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