Dropping Anchor Inside Drydock? Drydock Update #1

[@reuben9213]

I love it when you put people in their place for critiquing about the rudder and other things . Just love it !

[@usskidd661]

@@reuben9213: We just don't want folks bad mouthing our diver friends without knowing the challenges they have in doing their work. 🙂👍

[@67Stang]

Glad to see the work continuing. Love to see her in good hands getting the TLC she deserves. A truly amazing piece of our Nation's history.

[@markmclaughlin2690]

It’s great to see Kidd getting some well deserved dry dock attention. As soon as I heard about the rudder I laughed and thought here come the comments. Wish y’all a successful and dry dock period and look forward to visiting when you return to Baton Rouge. Excited to see more updates as time allows.

[@usskidd661]

@markmclaughlin2690 : IKR??? Maybe this PSA will help folks get the help they need. "Do you suffer from CRF? Chronic Rudder Fixation? You're not alone and we can help...." 😄😆😂🤣 Thanks and stay tuned!

[@curtisnt1]

Wow! I am thoroughly impressed with all the restoration work being done! Looks like she will be good as new and last another 80+ years! Thank you! BTW- I vote for the original size rudder!

[@Jaysqualityparts]

Glad you guys are giving her some love she deserves it. Hopefully she will last for younger generations as a relic of what made America exceptional.

[@RustyCrankshaft]

Large scope of work but being nicely handled. Love to see this extent of preservation and restoration work being done. Excellent video as well.

[@haydenmcdaniels6284]

Next on the list is the lst 393 for drydock I think. she has sprung a leak a little while ago in her dock in Muskegon

[@chrismaverick9828]

Excellent to see the details involved.

[@Tedjenkins55]

Superbly done video thankyou keep em coming. And a rudder comment definitely return it back to ww2 configuration. The Fletcher class destroyer was a beautiful design in both round and square bridge configuration

[@chadpyett6441]

Well done gentlemen I am very fond of the fletcher also enjoyed the tale of the hawlsey powell

[@davidspurlock3836]

I donated what I could and I will try to do so as I can. In my mind it may not be a lot, but it is money well spent. ❤

[@usskidd661]

@davidspurlock3836 : EVERY penny counts! And every penny is APPRECIATED! Thank you! Glad you love KIDD as much as we do. 🙂❤️

[@JDHitchman]

Thanks for the update. Please keep them comming.

[@robertcooper6853]

I always love crossing the river and seeing her there. I often wondered why maintenance was not done when she was completely out of the water when the river level was low enough?

[@usskidd661]

@@robertcooper6853: You can't erect scaffolding or place manlifts on a silty riverbed (affordably). Even when it's "dry," it's soft.

[@robertcooper6853]

@@usskidd661 ah, that makes sense. Hard to judge when you’re sitting in traffic that high up. Thanks!

[@usskidd661]

@robertcooper6853 : You're very welcome! 🙂 You know, you may be the first person in 6 years who has asked that question, and HASN'T argued that we don't know what we're doing when they hear the answer. 😄❤️

[@robertcooper6853]

@@usskidd661 I figured you had at least tried it at some point and had a good reason. 😬

[@huntersvetanics]

Great work guys

[@matthewerikson4243]

Option 3 for rudder: Remove it completely and plate over the hole. Mock up both rudder types and make a presentation on it. Most visitors never get a chance to see a rudder. A side benefit is you’ll never have to worry about it getting stuck in the mud again.

[@usskidd661]

@@matthewerikson4243: Ah, but KIDD is unique in that you DO get a chance to see her rudder if you visit during the fall/winter.

[@dw-bn5ex]

Good video camera on the ship.

[@dundonrl]

Interesting on the hull numbers. On modern US Navy warships when they are built, they have a welder make the corner out lines of them so they will always be in the same place.

[@jeffreysmith4304]

Very Informative Very Nicely Done

[@1dave301]

I saw a guy once add a roller thing onto the torch head to aid him in cutting a straight line.

[@kplante7881]

Awesome work! Thanks for sharing…!

[@usskidd661]

@@kplante7881: Kplante! Haven't spotted you in a while. Welcome back! 😃

[@Norbrookc]

I've been waiting to see this, particularly after Francine came through.

[@usskidd661]

@@Norbrookc: This won't include anything post-Francine, I believe. There's nothing to show. No storm damage. 🙂

[@Norbrookc]

@@usskidd661 Excellent news!

[@LTGHuijgens]

Bedankt

[@usskidd661]

You're welcome. Thank you for donating! You have a question?

[@LTGHuijgens]

I’m from The Netherlands and building the Kidd in scale 1:50. Hoping to retire in a couple of years and planning to visit one of the Victory ships, the Kidd and final Pearl Harbour. Good luck with the docking and conversion

[@lriper4702]

It would be great to see her sail under her own power again thought:)

[@usskidd661]

@@lriper4702: Great but not fiscally responsible.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

@@usskidd661Are you guys also prohibited from operating your engines and boilers by the navy? I know a few museum ships are

[@usskidd661]

@sirboomsalot4902 : Yes. Seems that steam-powered obtained from NAVSEA are prohibited (CVs, BBs, cruisers, DDs, etc). Diesel-powered from NAVSEA are not (submarines). Anything obtained from MARAD is not and answers to USCG (Victory & Liberty ships). And anything sold to foreign navies and obtained from those navies is not and answers to USCG (LST-325).

[@chrisb9960]

Option 3 You make the entire rudder a static display and paint the difference in the rudder size for educational purposes.

[@usskidd661]

@@chrisb9960: Remove the rudder?

[@lnchgj]

On your 40mm mounts. What about pass-through for the power and control cables from the directors and amplifiers and such? That support equipment should be near the mounts. (See OP821)

[@usskidd661]

@@lnchgj: Good question. All of the 40mms had all been removed along with the support equipment before her 1964 decommissioning. We had the two forward twins replaced before she left Philadelphia, and both quads and the final twin came to us from the Naval Ordnance Depot in Crane, Indiana. All of the pass-thrus and the gun foundations were all gone by '64.

[@lnchgj]

@@usskidd661 I appreciate that. My question went more to the level of restoration you were planning, as that gear would be housed somewhere and should be represented, given her WWII configuration. If only by representative electronic enclosures and unused cables in some nearby space. Remember, the aimer actually aiming and foreing the guns were the very last ditch effort.

[@usskidd661]

@lnchgj : We obtained the remote directors long ago. They've been on display for decades. They'll be restored to movement themselves, but not to actually move the guns. The guns are being refurb'd and will have easier movement themselves from the manual positions. 🙂

[@Yaivenov]

The shipyard parade continues with the Kidd. 😊

[@usskidd661]

@@Yaivenov: COBIA, THE SULLIVANS, and CROAKER are up next in 2025!

[@sirboomsalot4902]

@@usskidd661Hoping USS Olympia gets added to that list soon. How badly she needs some drydock time was apparent when I went earlier this year. Though her team is still doing amazing work in light to that

[@KPen3750]

Dont question my rudder obsession!! I can quit whenever i want!

[@usskidd661]

@@KPen3750: 😄😆😂🤣

[@chrishuber3814]

Wait, wait, wait, wait... What Measure paintscheme is USS Kidd coming back with next year? Are you implying that it's not coming back with the same Measure 22 pattern it left with?!?

[@usskidd661]

Not implying. She's coming back with Measure 32-10D, for five years. Then, to Measure 21, for five years. Then, back to Measure 22.

[@stevenbrowningsr1144]

What is the purpose of replacing the full amount of chain in the lockers? Seems that a minimum amount to provide visual affect on the outside would be all that is necessary and the loss of weight would be beneficial.

[@usskidd661]

@@stevenbrowningsr1144: Stability is also a consideration: fore to aft, as well as side to side.

[@iwantmyvanback]

Alright, fine. Ill admit it. I have a rudder problem. Haha

[@usskidd661]

@iwantmyvanback : Great! What a breakthrough!!! Now that you acknowledge that, ... how does admitting it make you feel? 👩‍⚕️

[@2t2crash]

Why not flush cut the rudder with the propellers then weld plate to the bottom and essentially cap it off? Would that save money and put the rudder at a height that wouldn’t sit in mud quite so much? I love seeing these old War Horses being dry docked and repaired.

[@usskidd661]

@@2t2crash: You're describing a WWII style rudder for Fletcher.

[@JeffBilkins]

Battleship New Jersey just did a video about how their hull number got fixed for repainting, so Kidd doesn't have it like that? (it is marked with weld lines)

[@usskidd661]

@@JeffBilkins: The Cold War number had weld marks. The early WWII number apparently had marks that were rediscovered with blasting. But the Ms 22 scheme did not have weld marks for the numbers. So, we marked them before blasting. 🙂

[@lilbitofeverythingz]

What's the total estimate timeline for complete repairs??

[@usskidd661]

@@lilbitofeverythingz: December or January.

[@nx014]

USS KIDD Veterans Museum- go to the KIDD’s WW2 rudder

[@usskidd661]

@@nx014: Everything depends on fundraising. 🙂

[@SOU6900]

Gotta wonder which museum ship is going to go into drydock next.

[@usskidd661]

@@SOU6900: COBIA in August/September '25. THE SULLIVANS & CROAKER together later in Fall '25. LAFFEY is talking about '26.

[@SOU6900]

Too bad North Carolina isn't able to be put in a dry dock.

[@usskidd661]

@@SOU6900: They set her up with a nice cofferdam like ALABAMA has.

[@SOU6900]

@usskidd661 Oh I know. I'd just rather see her high and dry like Texas or New Jersey were.

[@TheRealGraylocke]

Will any of the hull and/or deck plating removed from the Kidd be for sale? I have a small piece of the Texas and would love to add more ships to my collection.

[@usskidd661]

@@TheRealGraylocke: It's being collected.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

Would going to the WW2 rudder size make it so that it wouldn’t have to be cut for the next time Kidd goes to drydock? If so, I’d say that alone would make it worth the investment. Was the height all that was changed, or did they change how wide it was as well? In a perfect world I’d say to have a new WW2 spec rudder manufactured and keep the historic Cold War rudder intact as a separate display, but I understand that’s not necessarily possible

[@usskidd661]

@sirboomsalot4902 : WWII rudder was not as tall nor as long. All rudder adjustments depend on how much is raised in donations.

[@rmsmajestic1920]

is her ship whistle still work?

[@usskidd661]

@rmsmajestic1920 : No ship's whistle on a warship like on a civilian liner. Her air raid siren needs cleaning. Least little grit gets in and freezes it up; no room between the spinner and the chamber wall. Foghorn works. You can hear it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4HOm2B_dribiassi=jZ5MLjPUNreuS5_c

[@rmsmajestic1920]

@@usskidd661 after repair the ship,can you post a video about her steam whistle?

[@usskidd661]

@@rmsmajestic1920: Sure.

[@ksorsomeplace]

You say the USS Kidd will never move again under her own power. Is it complete in the ship? Is it primarily a cost issue? Some museum ships across the world can move under their own power and do so semi-regularly. I was just curious for some more details. Thank you!

[@usskidd661]

@@ksorsomeplace: Our contract with the Navy forbids it. The ships that fire up their engines are either diesel instead of steam (submarines) or were acquired via MARAD instead of NAVSEA (Victory & Liberty ships) or were sold to foreign navies and brought back to the U.S. for museum purposes and thus fall under USCG jurisdiction.

[@ksorsomeplace]

@@usskidd661 So, it is a contractual agreement as part of obtaining the ship? I am curious as to why for an old ship? What is the Navy's reasoning for adding that as a contractual agreement? Aside from the contractual agreements, is the machinery preserved in a state where I can (reasonably) be brought back online for historical purposes? Thank you!

[@usskidd661]

@ksorsomeplace : Presumably liability. High-pressure super-heated steam plants are dangerous, particularly when they're 80+ years old and haven't been under pressure for 50 years (in KIDD's case). To reactivate, you'd need to rebrick all the boilers and test all their components; relay all steam, water, and oil lines; disassemble and refurb all circulation pumps; relay & test electrical lines. The reduction gear, turbines, and shafts haven't moved in 50-60 years, so they'd need refurbishing. The list goes on and on. Reactivation is a nice What-If, but as a reality, it's a fiscal and logistical pipe dream.

[@bluerebel01]

❤ 🏴‍☠️

[@Telephonebill51]

Anchor chain starts at 8:00., FYI...

[@CT5555_]

If making it more accurate to World War II makes it better to manage, then I see no reason that there should be an issue in reforming it to its standard form. 95% of visitors won't know the difference anyway, and if it makes the ship easier to continue maintenancing and continue maintaining, then really I see no moral quandary.

[@usskidd661]

@@CT5555_: No moral quandary. All depends on funding (i.e. donations).

[@edl617]

No zinc chromate and red lead paint

[@usskidd661]

Where?

[@titan3.042]

It's a shame to see that the USA has money for the Iowa class, Queen Mary or for the USS Kidd, but doesn't have a penny left for the SS United States, America's flagship.😪

[@sirboomsalot4902]

The federal government isn’t paying for any of these ships, it’s all private businesses and sometimes state governments. Technically, someone could afford to restore United States, but the simple fact is no one wants to. While she is in good shape, she’s absolutely massive and pretty much everything on the inside that isn’t the power train would have to be refabricated and replaced. A very hard sell for any business, as the several that have tried to do something with her found out.

[@harrysbirch6299]

Rodriguez Brian Perez Karen Jackson John

[@nonovyerbusiness9517]

I’m not crazy about your sarcastic narration.

[@usskidd661]

@@nonovyerbusiness9517: Sorry if you were offended. The rudder controversy has been ongoing for multiple ships for multiple years. It's become a point of humor for everyone in the field and in the viewership. 🙂

[@sirboomsalot4902]

I quite enjoy it personally. With all the crap these guys get from the public, I think they’ve earned the right to be a little tongue-in-cheek about some things.