Closing Watertight Hatches on Museum Ships and Other Q's Related to the Sinking of USS The Sullivans

[@BuffaloNavalPark]

Thanks to Battleship NJ, and all those who support museum ship KZbin channels! There are many great ways to support all of us - volunteer, raise awareness, make yearly contributions, et cetera. We will be releasing more updates as they come to our staff. We'll hopefully be releasing footage of the inside of the ship prior to cleaning over the next day or three, and also I'm working with Coast Guard, Bidco, and T&T Salvage to release footage that may have been the first link in this chain. Appreciate all of your support, and remember - as Ryan mentioned, 99.9% of the museum ships receive no funding from the Federal Government or the Navy.

[@mkbarber65]

Good luck to you Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Museum! As the son of WWII veterans I can only watch and hope that you are successful in dewatering and cleaning the ship to bring her back to ship shape. Thank you for all you do to preserve our shared history.

[@HadToChangeMyName_YoutubeSucks]

I was impressed with how quickly you got things happening considering what I was seeing when the problem occurred. Don't know why anyone is angry but I'm grateful to the crew up there. Well done and keep it up.

[@fr3324nic8]

Thanks for keeping us all posted Buffalo! Just know the vast majority of us are behind you and know you are doing the best you possible can!

[@lenking410]

Ryan nailed the points i have been making to the armchair admirals who have been finger pointing. The sheer idiocy of the know it all haters should be instead directed towards volunteering and or donating.

[@KaBar41]

Fletchers never went down easily. If Heerman, Hoel and Johnston could turn the entirety of the Imperial Japanese Navy back by themselves, than the Buffalo River has no hope of winning against the might of a Fletcher.

[@macaroniwithoutcheese175]

I was literally thinking yesterday night what is up with the USS Sullivan recently. All the news agencies moved on and nobody seems to care about it anymore. It’s like Ryan can read my mind almost. Ryan, please stop reading my mind.

[@Masada1911]

It seems like they refloated her at least

[@jaybee9269]

😂

[@jerrycomo2736]

Retired US Navy and Merchant Marine: In my second career, I prepared 990's for 18 years for 65 non-profits. I know what it takes to keep a ship seaworthy, and I know the limits nonprofit organizations operate under so for me, The Sullivans situation did not surprise but not in a mean way. Fix it, float it, paint it, move on.

[@absalomdraconis]

I'd sorta like to see them put it up on a permanent frame-by-frame cradle on land, though goodness knows that would be expensive (much cheaper than doing it with the bigger ship she's parked beside though...).

[@sunsetfarming6153]

@@absalomdraconis went on a WW2 US sub at a museum as a kid and it was in a cradle on land too, was cool to see it out of the water and it was in very good shape, lot easier to take care of it

[@cleverusername9369]

Ryan's slightly defensive tone in this video made me happy. Shows his care and commitment for and to the Museum ship community. Bravo sir.

[@johnsykesiii1629]

When you and Drach made that video about the USS The Sullivans, I immediately went online and made a small donation to the rescue. The other day I received a personal, hard copy (not email) letter signed by the CEO of the museum thanking me for the donation. I had already followed up by buying some items from their ship's store so, really felt they deserved the help.

[@Bill_N_ATX]

Exactly. As a Texan, I will relate that keeping the Battleship Texas afloat and open has been a struggle. It was much better in the 60s and 70s when the state was allocating more money and the needs were not quite so large. Plus there was a lot more people, schools, and families visiting the San Jacinto Monument and the Battleship. But keeping a 110 year old steel hulled ship afloat in the salt and chemical soup of the Houston Ship Channel is difficult. It looks like we will find money to get her to dry dock one more time and hopefully move her to Galveston where it will be easier for people to find and visit her. Let’s hope so. She is one of a kind and was the pride of the state during WW1 and WW2. I’d like to think kids will be able to visit like I did so many years ago.

[@dorsk84]

Fat Electrician did a hysterical vid about the USS Texas. That's how I learned about it.

[@m1994a3jagnew]

I'm worried that Texas might sink under tow. it historically happens all the time.

[@hgill257]

I’m glad I was able to go in 2014

[@ralfie8801]

@@m1994a3jagnew If it does, it won’t stay that way because it will sink in the ship channel. That means it would have to be raised to clear the channel of the obstruction. It would probably go on to its appointment in the dry dock afterward.

[@GalvestonGuy]

@@m1994a3jagnew I believe that they are filling spaces with foam....and it will be aboard a drydock ship in the way down to Galveston. Check my channel for a look at the ship arriving in Galveston from the Bahamas...

[@ghost307]

In response to the people who said that the staff in Buffalo were overly passive I offer the following from Jim Lovell. After Apollo 13 got home there was a reporter who asked him if the crew ware panicky when the explosion happened. His answer showed the crew's level of professionalism. He basically said that as soon as the blast happened, they looked at each other and came to the same conclusion at the same time. That panicking and bouncing off the walls for 15 minutes would only result in the exact same situation except that they'd now have 15 minutes less time to stop things from getting worse and 15 minutes less air available.

[@duanem.1567]

Professionals don't panic or freak out. They don't have time. Plus - museum staff aren't a flying squad; once there's a situation, they are going to call first responders to contain it and begin recovery.

[@Mrcaffinebean]

I’m always amazed at people that expect a nonprofit to not pay their staff market wages. If you are unable to pay market rages at least near market wages then you’ll be unable to attract staff. So yeah I would expect a nonprofit to pay their staff.

[@TheWoblinGoblin]

I am curious how many of these people would work full time for nothing just to keep an old ship afloat, history and all...

[@happykillmore349]

LMFAO, you obviously didn't read the form. No museum operator makes 139,000$ a year. Thats not market wages. That's a racket, using "non profit" as a moniker to get dummies like you to give them even more.

[@xlerb2286]

@@TheWoblinGoblin I suspect many folk would love to. Unfortunately that desire won't pay their bills or put aside money for savings. :)

[@lomgshorts3]

Only after the ship's needs are taken care of can staff be paid. In my mind, staff should be serving out of respect, not "for a living".

[@Mrcaffinebean]

@@lomgshorts3 Who would take a job knowing that on any given day the ship could did major repairs and they wouldn’t be paid for months? And if you’re willing to take that job I am sure plenty of nonprofits are happy to have you.

[@newobanproductions999]

Having a historic vessel sinking is a true wake up call. It becomes more of a blow when said vessel would be "beyond saving" and has to be scrapped. This happened to us Sydneysiders when the MV Baragoola, the last surviving Manly ferry built in Sydney, sunk overnight right at the start of 2022, just weeks out from her 100th birthday too. She's now all gone by now. Once a queen of the harbour, now lost forever. At least USS The Sullivans got a much better outcome to that of MV Baragoola.

[@TyphoonVstrom]

I didn't know she'd sunk. Not surprised though. She fell into the hands of people who just wanted a cheap liveaboard, and previously was the subject of much bickering and fighting over how she was to be looked after. Very disappointed, she was built at the end of the street I grew up on, two blocks away from our house.

[@mahbriggs]

Some people don't seem to have a very realistic appreciation of budgets and maintenance issues! It is a minor miracle we still have the cruiser Olympia and the battleship Texas with us! These ships will not last forever without significantly higher budgets! While I would love to see higher funding levels from the various States, Cities and Federal agencies, that takes public support. Hopefully the incident with The Sullivan's will shake loose some money!

[@comradevlad7459]

Honestly Ryan, the fact that y'all are able to or at least do your best to maintain these massive vessels in relatively good condition with the massive limits you guys' face is amazing in its own right.

[@2down4up]

Your passion is showing through Ryan and I love to see it.

[@jessicabredesen432]

Having worked for a nonprofit in the not-too-distant past (and getting paid an annual gross salary of just $41K), I am fully supportive of all of you getting paid a fair wage. I also accept that it is up to us to support your efforts in preserving these historical artifacts.

[@CaptApple]

I was talking with the staff at Buffalo and they set me straight on the subject of watertight integrity on Museum ships. I wondered why that didn't stop their problem and they pointed out that these ships are Demilitarized before they're turned over. A process that includes cutting all manner of pipe and electrical junction. The pipe cuts majorly compromise watertight integrity throughout the vessel. That and dehumidification considerations. And as you pointed out, there is no Sounding and Security watch checking every void twice a watch. I qual'd SandS on an old FRAM conversion Gearing class DD : ).

[@brucejacobs4026]

Also you must always have a Way Out in the event of a fire

[@oldtugs]

"A process that includes cutting all manner of pipe and electrical junction. " It would be very interesting to see photos of piping that has been cut, if any such piping exists. Particularly piping that would allow progressive flooding between compartments. If it exists, why was it not plugged at one end or the other? Show the cut piping. Many of the park videos show open scuttles within compartments that lead to flooding the compartment above. They also show manhole covers absent or only loosely in place and with failed gaskets. Where are the holes that were the source of flooding briefly mentioned in the video made only hours before the sinking on the night of the 13th? Shane mentioned the river was low and that allowed flooding into the "holes" used for pump hoses. He said they were low on the hull and were flooding. That was at 2100 on the 13th. The Sullivans was sunk by negligence and incompetence. Stop making excuses. Watertight doors were the least of the reasons the ship progressively flooded, they were the last barriers but not the source of water, that was below the platforms and rose through unsecured scuttles and manholes. Negligence and ignorance at its worst. The casual attitude toward flooding and not knowing the difference between river level and increased draft from downflooding is simple incredible but just another well documented example of why a dime of taxpayer money is wasted unless there is a complete change in park management and operation.

[@CaptApple]

@@oldtugs Hehe. You're one of those conspiracy enthusiasts, aren't you : )?

[@oldtugs]

No conspiracy. All the facts are easily verified by watching the past year's worth of park produced videos. The only unknown I mention is the claim about cut piping. I don't know if there is or not but I can ask to be shown some, that is not unreasonable and it is not conspiratorial. Stop making excuses for negligence and incompetence.

[@PaJamB]

Thank you for keeping us updated and aware!

[@bobpfeiffer251]

I think this is the channel's best video to date. Thanks for setting the record straight and highlighting all that you all do to keep your ships afloat.

[@douglasclark1894]

Thank you.. I used to volunteer on a museum vessel and one of the most nerve wracking thing was needle gunning in the holds below the waterline.. bottom line these ships were not designed to be maintained for 60-70+ years. Sullivans sitting in freshwater probably had it better than most vessels.

[@captiannemo1587]

True. But they also had winter Ice… which is never good.

[@dabluesgarage]

I'd love to needle gun some spaces off the tour route, to help prolong the life of the vessel.

[@stevenedington6265]

I was a gearing class sailor in the 70s. I know what condition these ships were in when on active service. They weren’t called tin cans for nothing. In one ship I was on there were holes in the deck in front of the ladder going down to fox division berthing that I could stick my fingers through. We laughed about being able to punch a hole through the hull when we chipped paint if we weren’t careful. Even on active duty with a full crew these aging ships were not in the best of shape. I applaud efforts of people like you and the people taking care of the Sullivans and the many other museum ships for you efforts to preserve these historic ships. They are now more than twice the age the were when I served on them and laughed about how fragile they were. Thank you and all who do the work you do.

[@Masada1911]

Just wanted to say I think that’s a very nice comment that you left, good stuff

[@buonafortuna8928]

Ryan absolutely top job, explaining complex issues, especially when emotions are running high.

[@mikemarshman7491]

Just recently went to the Sullivan's. Couldn't go in but was able to walk across it to board the little Rock. Those guys have done a great job preserving the museum and they were getting repairs done when this occurred so it was kind of a freak event.

[@hermanhahn3382]

Great video! Appreciate you pulling back the curtain about museum ship operations and the challenges you face. Thank you for this and all the videos you do, all you and your staff do to preserve these links to our past and history.

[@wurlyone4685]

Really pleased you did this video. It's always easy for people to stand back thinking "someone else will look after that, I don't need to help" and then be critical of those that did, afterwards. Bad things can happen to good organisations and people, that are doing the right things - unfortunately that's just the way things work. As you say, the important thing is how it's dealt with when problems have occurred - and the more open the organisation is about it, the more others can learn and improve, as a result. Criticising won't help.

[@mikeschiesel2852]

Thanks so much for this. As a Buffalo native, I have so much pride in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. There is so much support for the ongoing efforts to " Save The Sullivans" . Museums ships such as yours and Buffalo's are a vital link to our past. Thank you for all that you do.

[@lizj5740]

Thank you, Ryan, for an excellent explanation of the problems of preserving these venerable old ships.

[@exJacktar]

I'm a retired Canadian Naval Shipwright. This is an excellent video breakdown of why and what can happen to a museum ship. It breaks my heart to see these things, but honestly I'm shocked it's not a more common occurrence. All these beautiful old ladies days are numbered and eventually they'll all go into history. Keep the faith, fair winds to you all. Love from Canada.

[@connorlafleur5224]

I have read the article in Sea History, I have volunteered at The New England Air Museum. Coming from The Museum Field I have to say that this article is not doing people like us any favors. We run Strictly off donations to Restore Aircraft and to help run the museum itself. This article is painting Museums and Staff as Paid Full Time Staff. This is not the case, the most we get is a stipend for X amount of dollars once a year as Volunteers. (And it's not much.) I Give you Props for what you do as The Director of The New Jersey and we need more people like you in the field. God Bless.

[@billkallas1762]

Since the hull on The Sullivans is only 3/8" thick (10mm), I'm surprised that worse things haven't happened over the decades.....I thought that the hull on the New Jersey was 3/4" to 1" thick. (I guess that you can't trust the internet)

[@donalddodson7365]

Excellent update on the USS The Sullivans sinking, as well as the precarious situation facing all museum ships. Time is of the essence, as these aging resources constructed for a finite life in combat have now taken on a retirement still fraught with risks. Thank you, Ryan.

[@ed12151]

The Sullivans is a single haul ship, designed for a life of 25 yrs. (The Sullivans will turn 80 yrs. old in a few months) and the winters in Buffalo are every brutal. The Buffalo Naval Park had started to repair the haul last year, but the water temp must be above 54 degrees. The closest Dry dock is in Erie, Pa. the cost est to do this is $4 to $5 MILLION plus. The Buffalo Fire Dept ordered everyone off the ship before doors could be closed, and the Coast Guard basically took control. Good job Ryan, I'm sure Shane and the rest of the people at Buffalo truly appreciate this.

[@norikootsuki4661]

Let’s be clear, the sentimental value of the USS the Sullivans is priceless. As a decommissioned WWII naval vessel, we can tell from your details that your staff is doing the best job possible under the circumstances. Thank you for your dedication to the ship over the years!We’ll have to wait and see what the fate of this famous ship will be.

[@renegade2556]

last time I was visiting Buffalo the water main of the Major Hotel I was staying at Froze and broke! Winter ain't no joke there.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

One of Little Rock’s engine rooms was actually flooded by a water main break during her first winter in Buffalo, before they even opened as a museum.

[@NaClSandwich]

I still cant comprehend the amount of volunteer time blood sweat and tears that must go in to keeping a museum ship afloat. From what I can see the people over at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval Maritime Park have done an outstanding job. The fact that saving the ship is even an option at all is a credit to their hard work and dedication because as seen time and time again in the past sinking at moorings is often the end for a museum ship 😢

[@TooManyHobbiesJeremy]

Great job on keeping us up to date & explaining realities.

[@aserta]

I've worked with a tank cleaner in the past for an historic house that had a really extensive oil heating system (which was required by law to be kept intact, we couldn't repair by replacing, we could only patch) and what they did was that once the tank was clean, they would seal all the inlets and outlets of the tank with high density cork plugs lavishly lathered in high temp sealant. So... if you're ever in the situation of having the tanks cleaned, and they're accessible, suggest doing that. The cork plug will not be damaged by heat, and the high temp sealant cures with heat. So any kind of work done in there will be ok by the plugs.

[@SkeeterPondRC]

I absolutely love Ryans thinly vailed “this is a non profit museum. NON. PROFIT. We are doing the best we can with the money we are given. Quit with your BS” tone. Seriously, things happen. Support these ships! Even visiting is giving them money to keep these vessels afloat. BTW Ryan, the scruff looks good!

[@museumships8110]

Thanks Ryan. Another great addition to the series. Hopefully people take it to heart and show their support at least financially. Many unfounded negative social media posts are not helping the situation either unfortunately

[@dabluesgarage]

I like that Ryan tries to shed light into the museum ship world. It is hard with out help, and continuous maintenance. I liked a video about beaching a 25 year old bulker. The crew man tells of continuously scraping and painting the steel, but the ship still rust. Museum ships are still steel ships and need continuous maintenance. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4jWh4ereJZpa7M

[@robertbullcarmichael9856]

I believe the staff at Buffalo has done a great job. These are ships on water and there will be problems unfortunately. I think they have done a great job keeping us in the loop. Yes I feel the same as the others when it comes to the ships. I want them all to be safe and in good condition. If I were close to one I would be volunteering even to work in spaces not on a tour route. Yes it is upsetting that the ship sank. But instead of trying to place blame, if they live close go help. Ryan yall do a great job. THANK YOU! Stay safe my friend.

[@martinbeirne7621]

Thank you for the information about the Sullivans

[@unkbar1]

How much water is under the keel of the Battleship New Jersey? If a Sullivans type catastrophe were to occur, how many decks would be flooded? Would the mooring lines prevent the ship from settling evenly?

[@SunRedRX7]

As a WNY resident, really appreciate your comments on the situation here. People do not get the amount of work that goes into maintaining these ships.

[@johnjones_1501]

Do you guys ever host parties where volunteers can go down and assist you guys in rust control in the lower decks? I don't live in your area, I don't have much extra money to spend, but if there was a museum ship in my area, that was asking for volunteers for such unglamorous work, I would be willing to help out and sign whatever waivers you needed. I am certain there are others in your area who feel the same.

[@dacomazielsdorf7618]

Alot of ships will do a work week or so I volunteer on the lst 325 ( Evansville Indiana) they do a work week twice a year.

[@kevinbryan4215]

I agree, being someone in their early 20s I don’t have the money to donate but I would certainly be willing to go down and spend hours needle gunning and painting. I had the opportunity to do this at battleship cove while I attended one year of college in that area and loved being able to help out.

[@dennisjay3277]

Not to take you away from volunteering to work on museum ships but all of the museums need volunteers. They are all short of money and manpower. Military, cowboy, natural science, native American, library, it doesn't make any difference. They are all looking for help. If you have hobby/special interest and they have a museum in your area go volunteer. They will appreciate all of the time and energy you can spare.

[@dabluesgarage]

@@dacomazielsdorf7618 Neat ship I saw it from the dock when passing by. In the winter they are only open weekends. It reminds me of the LST ship number 57 stranded by the Filipino Navy on a contested shoal in the (West Philippine Sea/ South China Sea). If 57 were in a safer area I'd love to help maintain that vessel as well.

[@ianlacey6588]

Great idea but regardless of the strength of those waivers, you would have m’learned friends poised the moment anyone so much as grazed a knuckle.

[@cortenglish4098]

Well said and done sir. A true voice of reason.

[@Roestikrokette]

this channel really hooked me to the Big J! as a swiss guy, there is no chance to visit big ships without taking a long journey. but, this channel compensate a lot of that problem :) thank you very much!

[@woodstock911snoopy]

Thanks for all the information! Being retired US Coast Guard, one thing you had mention in the talk. Being a (MK) Machine’s I do remember caulked weather tight doors and adjusting the dogs to confirm weather tight doors were sealed! Thanks

[@guypenryn7008]

Ok it’s a bit nosey to look at your budget but really interesting at the same time. Thank you for being so open.

[@fw1421]

So basically it boils down to money. Museum ships are impossible to properly maintain because of budget. Once they are off the books the Navy doesn’t care about them anymore. Your problem,not ours. The local museum operators do the best they can with what they have available to them.. this is the issue with all museums. Look at the Museum of Science and Industry,the U-505’s condition had become so bad they had to dig a giant pit,make an underground display for her,then restore her to an acceptable condition. I don’t know where the museum got the funding for all that but the U-505 is the only intact class IX U Boat left in the world. There is one in the UK that was raised off the bottom of the sea but it’s a rust bucket and was cut into several pieces to display it.

[@alanholck7995]

It always boils down to money.

[@vhuttyu]

They're currently trying to restore the UK one

[@fw1421]

@@vhuttyu I’ve seen pictures of the UK MkXII and I don’t think it can be restored. Preserved perhaps,the U-505 is completely intact,they’ve done a commendable job maintaining her.

[@vhuttyu]

@@fw1421 yes, sorry, I should have said preserved and reopened

[@drwayne88]

Yep, money. Quite a bit of money. Year after year after year. And some years, some element of maintenance means even more money. I can’t imagine how much the staff of museum ships must feel like hamsters on a treadmill, on a ride that never ends. Fighting time, water and a public that doesn’t understand the fact that saving a warship is a war that never ends.

[@georgewnewman3201]

Okay, I have previously heard snippets of the power outage story, but not enough to figure out why this was an issue. Thanks for explaining this in enough detail and about the response issue.

[@kennethng8346]

Maybe its too early but I would love to see a "lessons learned" or "actions taken" based on the various ships sinking. And if I may make a suggestion, make contact with the engineering schools in NJ. Maybe there are possible bachelor or master thesises on things or techniques to protect parts of the ship, or better alerting systems.

[@notme123123]

I was thinking the same thing. Is the New Jersey or any other museum ships modifying their plans, based on The Sullivans or other sim kings?

[@m2003h]

Your on the right track. Keep the New Jersey going

[@matzalso]

So, the ballast has been emptied on USSNJ. Do you pump water or something back into the tanks if an extreme hurricane is coming to keep the ship not so top heavy in a big storm?

[@zaynevanday142]

Ryan anyone with eyes can see the passion you have for New Jersey and museum staff have to be paid if there are no staff to look after the old girls there would be zero museum ships 🚢 to be honest in my opinion the staff should be paid more ! It’s like any business you pay well you get good experienced staff the only exception for museum ships is that you would attract people who actually care about US Navy History and want to preserve it and these people are worth their weight in gold ! Maintaining a museum ship is not cheap and grants and help only go so far and the rest of funding comes from the public visiting so over the last two years of the Corona mess that revenue steam would be virtually nonexistent

[@robertgutheridge9672]

Exactly. Why did the navy retire these ships because they are very expensive to operate and maintain. Even when sitting tied to a dock they require maintenance and its expensive..ticks me off that our government gives money to everyone and everything and to counties that hate us. Yet they don't kick in to help preserve our history

[@TheFistytheCLown]

Another bit of history that I hope is saved. Sad to see things like this disappear.

[@johnvoorhees7881]

Thanks for talking. I knew most of what you were going to say.

[@rachelcarre9468]

A superb video Ryan. Safety based operations must have a ‘just culture’ (no blame) basis so that actors, whether organisations or individuals are permitted to share knowledge and experience openly and without fear of reprisal so that the whole community can learn from events. In being open and sharing a great deal of information the team at Buffalo have done the whole museum sector a great service in allowing them to review and stress test either disaster prevention and disaster recovery plans. People involved in accident prevention may be familiar with the Swiss Cheese Model of somehow disconnected events unexpectedly occurring simultaneously and allowing incidents to occur. As you say, these museum ships are old and already life worn. Only through donations and volunteers can museums carry out preventative maintenance and implement more robust disaster prevention plans. Thank you for sharing, good luck to USS The Sullivans and all museum ships.

[@ghoti221]

You want to help these ships? Instead of complaining, donate money. Donate your time. Write your representatives. Stop pressuring people who are already moving heaven and earth to preserve history.

[@samthemultimediaman]

Another major problem that not only effects museum ships but all large ships is the lack of resources that used to be available to do maintenance such as dry docks and shipyards.

[@garywayne6083]

I always roll my eyes every time an internet expert says - just get her to a dry dock. Like they are everywhere and just standing around waiting for you to arrive with nothing else to do

[@kennedysingh3916]

Watched from Jamaica.

[@nelsonbattis2763]

Its has to be a labor of love to care for these ships...key word care...These monuments to our history need to be maintained for our children's ...children's...

[@9hamish9]

Well said Ryan

[@crakkbone]

You always have the most interesting camera angles/shots.

[@arichigdon5365]

Does Battleship New Jersey have any known active leaks?

[@jackray1337]

Thank you.

[@jameshiggins-thomas9617]

You mention an interesting point: if NJ has all of its fuel and such cleaned out, do you have water in tanks - or some other approach - to provide ballast?

[@Ryne918]

Been reading a lot of VK (Russian Facebook) due to current events. Photos of The Sullivans listing got very popular after Moskva.

[@66WDB]

The USS Laffey almost had an event like this. Several years ago she took a significant list with a group of veterans aboard. Fortunately, this was just a wake up call, and not a disaster. She got towed up to Detyen's Shipyard (what had been the Charleston NSY) for drydocking and hull work.

[@coryk1045]

there was a plan in place to prevent it and correct some issues but winters and covid delayed the process. the croaker had a list as well with some of the ballast tanks leaking that was corrected by similar process. its back afloat with the leaks stopped and the recovery and cleaning underway

[@michaelbrashears8293]

Unfortunately living in Montana i don't have a local museum ship. Can say you have a great channel

[@ret7army]

Thanks for the info had power outage and pump fail in my old house while away ... it doesn't take long for water to fill the space

[@christianvalentin5344]

Has the museum considered using a mini cofferdam system that the Iowa uses to address the waterline issues until New Jersey can be drydocked?

[@loosh5101]

You have to love a nonprofit which essentially says "We'd like some of your money, but before you send it here's our Form 990 so you can do your due diligence first." Too many nonprofits would love it if the form didn't have "open to public inspection" in big letters on the first page.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

I was on the Tug Jupiter (across the Delaware) when she nearly went down a few years back. Ryan is absolutely right. If you’re not there, you don’t know. And we probably wouldn’t have gone down into her engine room if it wasn’t so close to the exits. A sinking ship (even a museum) can take you down with it if you’re not careful.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

Jupiter also had the same issues with oil. There was a bunch of lubricating oil that ended up in her bilges and the PSPG had to spend a lot of money to get it cleaned up.

[@deaks25]

I think this is a really important thing to address. The people caring for The Sullivans will absolutely not have been ignoring issues the ship has, in fact given how quickly pumps and divers were on site, I suspect they've been planning for this kind of scenario as a 'just in case', because as the old saying goes "fail to prepare, prepare to fail"! These ships are so important to preserve and help, especially in times of dire need, so bashing the teams who pour their blood, sweat and tears into these ships helps no-one. I've never been to a single museum that is preserving a significant object like a ship where the team's aren't the most dedicated people you can hope to find, who work really hard and often on their own time, ie volunteers, in fact I recently visited HMS Unicorn in the UK. She's 198 years old and has TWO full time salaried staff. And yet the team there are enthusiastic, passionate and friendly. I would bet the Buffalo team are exactly the same. The one I find most ridiculous is the "Why were staff so passive?" What does that even mean? Are people annoyed the staff were dealing with the situation calmly and not running around like headless chickens, crying their eyes out?? Calm personnel in an emergency is a sign of a team who absolutely know what they're doing, I found it reassuring the staff were calm and collected, it showed professionalism! It showed they had a plan and knew what the plan was and they were getting on with it! I think it's great Ryan and BB NJ have defended the Buffalo team. They're not a navy-trained damage control team, they're volunteers and museum curators who are doing their best to care for a historically significant object that requires a HUGE amount of money. I bet any museum ship could spend any amount of money they're given and that a blank cheque would still not do everything. And these ships represent sometimes entire periods of history on their own (Texas for example; the only 1st Gen Dreadnought left), or The Sullivans herself, which has been a memorial since the day she was named.

[@poiu477]

Ryan, I understand cost may be an issue, but why not move to IP based sensoring and alarms, attached to an Uninterruptible Power Supply that would allow for even notification of a power outage? With maybe an out of band network connection, like a cell connection. You could probably even set it up with a consumer grade switch and a desktop. And still be able to connect to an auto dialer too.

[@ZGryphon]

The lack of perspective betrayed by a lot of the more barbed questions is striking. Museum ship organizations are taking machines that were designed for maybe a 20-year service life with hundreds (if not thousands, in the case of WWII-era battleships) of highly trained, live-in, full-time maintenance personnel and hot and cold running money, and trying to keep them afloat for decade after decade longer with a few dozen regular folks doing the best they can and the funding model of a PBS station.

[@garygreen7552]

Great and informative video. Here in southern California we have several museum ships. The most visible are USS Iowa in Los Angeles and USS Midway in San Diego. L. A. also has Lane Victory which I believe is partially operational. There is also a retired LAFD fire boat. Long Beach has RMS Queen Mary which is in bad shape. She also operates as a hotel and convention center but has been closed for a couple of years. Long Beach also has/had a Soviet submarine which I believe has been scrapped. In San Francisco there is a maritime museum that has several ships on display. Everything you said also applies to all of these maritime museum displays. All of these museums are in salt water. I want these ships available to see and visit, but they are challenging to maintain. I applaud your efforts and the efforts of all who strive to keep these museum vessels available.

[@mikekelly8377]

so, what you are saying is all museum ships are going to eventually sink because funding not available to maintain below waterline non tour areas? battleships might last longer than DDs cuz hull plating thicker?

[@SeriousGearhead0087]

My son and I visited the museum, walked through The Sullivans, got lost on the USS The Little Rock and I am pretty sure met Mr. Shane S. The curator. If he remembers a couple nervous young men who couldn't see the exit past the ladder on the USS Little Rock, well, those two are Shane and Riley Marciszewski and willing to volunteer.

[@Masada1911]

There are so many experts in the comments section on how to perfectly preserve a museum ship with limited funds. Y’all should get your own ships! You would do great.

[@JamesCasatelli]

When I hit the lotto, I'll take care of you guys, don't worry

[@jd3497]

Could bilge spaces be purged with Nitrogen to push the moisture laden air out and then sealed or nearly so to arrest further rusting? This process is used with dry fire sprinkler systems to keep moisture out of the piping. The Nitrogen is separated from from the atmosphere, compressed and delivered as needed automatically.

[@GABABQ2756]

What does that piece of paper/tag read on the traverse stiffener above your head?

[@randycoddington3525]

In many of your videos you talk about how important dehumidification was to preserving the ship in mothballs. Does the museum still use dehumidification in the preservation of the ship today?

[@lavern007]

Hulls rust out. I was on the USS Ricketts (DDG5) in 1979. I was on the sounding and security watch when I found a small stream of water running down the forward reefer deck. I cut back some bulkhead lagging and saw outside the ship's hull. In 1975, the USS Belknap was struck by the USS Kennedy. Ricketts came alongside to render aid. The helmsman at the time was told to get as close as possible. He put the Ricketts up against the Belknap leaving a crease the length of the hull. In four years it had rusted out about a foot above the waterline. The hulls of tin cans are thin and they rust.

[@jacklong311]

Nice explanation . Thank you for making this.

[@vburke1]

I prize my teak deck piece and deck bolt from the Black Dragon, as soon as it becomes possible, I'll be supporting more.

[@joek0617]

as far as the bilges, i wonder if it might be a thing to use something like fluidfilm to prevent rust. it's a cosmoline-type thing that can be sprayed.

[@Deltarious]

Would museum ships consider "Dead man" type alarms/services? I know there are some services, and it's possible to set one up yourself, that if no signal is received in a set time period then they trigger an alarm. On battery powered devices like phones these work even if there's a total power outage since there's no signal at all and therefore this triggers an alarm. Now granted there is risk of false positives, but if you have a total power outage that causes one it may be worth investigating your ship anyway. It's something to consider.

[@matthewbarrick5507]

Ryan, I apologize if this question was asked. But if you had ample time and knew of a storm / hurricane coming to your area. Would BB NJ attempt to close as many compartments as possible temporarily to gain as much integrity as possible?

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

When it rains we close the exterior doors. But we do great in storms so we don't worry about closing interior doors.

[@MehrumesDagon]

I guess that the good side of my country's Navy being in a very sorry state, with very little seaworthy ships, is that our WW2 museum ship - ORP Błyskawica, is still owned by the navy and considered a Naval post with dedicated crew, that only opens up for tours for the season. Downside is that no chance of getting onboard off-season, but hey at least I guess it ain't going to rust away like that anytime soon....

[@Masada1911]

Shout out to Poland

[@basztiancooper]

why dont you use oil to prevent / slow down rust, yes it will be annoying if you want to refurbish the room but will help preserve it .

[@Mountain-Man-3000]

Never really considered how much oil a battleship holds.... Holy Moly.

[@Synergy7Studios]

Sounds like you guys could use water sensors at the bottom of all decks. Also, why is that red water sensor on the New Jersey 3' above the deck? A lot of water would have to leak in to trigger it.

[@SleepyWombat9696]

Perhaps when you talk about supporting your local museum ship at the end you should also advise donations are tax deductible (990 says so),

[@MkVII]

The old Port of London Authority fireboat Massey Shaw sank at her moorings in 1990. Happens more often than we might think.

[@EliteAmmunition]

Would zinc strips on the hull help in fresh water?

[@mikepelland441]

Great video Ryan

[@carisi2k11]

MV Baragoola also sank in Sydney Australia this year.

[@tower401ladder]

you know i have one of these failed boats in my back yard so to speak and i have always been mad about what is happing to the Clamigore, but its no reason not to volunteer there i just put in a volunteer app with them all because of the speech you gave at the end there.

[@pnz4aufsh]

I'm not familiar with museum ships personally but used to volunteer at military museum of southern new england in Danbury CT. Funding keeps the doors open and the cogs greased and turning to have a working museum. We didn't have the rusting out problems ships by nature do but lots of donation funds went into restoration of vehicles and tanks and a mobile exhibit. I miss giving tours unfortunately didn't get to give too many as it was during summer vacations growing up. In a perfect world we could pay a staff member to have the duty of night watch but that's asking alot of someone and not rly realistic. Can only plan and hope for best and when crap hits fan respond in a fast and effective manner.

[@moefuggerr2970]

We just got the USS Orleck. I was in the Navy on air craft carriers. I was wondering how those people are going to maintain that ship. The metal gets old and becomes brittle. When I was on the Saratoga her metal was getting like that. She was scrapped. The Orleck is going to be a money pit. Plus we get hurricanes and nasty storms.