WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Construction on the
Battleship North Carolina started over 75 years ago. For the
most part, the vessel is in pretty good condition, but over the years, Mother
Nature has taken its toll on various parts of the North Carolina. A deck
maintenance project is now underway, to try and head off damage that rain water
may cause.
When the Battleship North Carolina was
commissioned in 1941, her massive deck was covered with the tropical hardwood
teak.
But in the late 1990s and 2000s, the ship's
teak deck was showing signs of wear and tear, so a major re-decking took place.
Today, that teak is still in good condition,
but some work is being done to make sure it will be around for a long time to
come.
"When you think about owning a boat,
and all of the maintenance that has to go into a small boat, and you take a
historic battleship, you can imagine it takes a lot of effort, it takes a lot
of resources and it takes a lot of dedicated people," said Chris Vargo, the
battleship's Operations Director.
These Florida workers are going over the
Battleship's main deck inch by inch, looking for any damage to the surface.
The teak is attached to the ship's main
steel frame, by bolts. There is a filler substance between each
plank. If cracks are found in the planks, a sealing compound is inserted
into the split. The purpose is to keep water from seeping into the
cracks, which could cause the plank to continue to split and even worse,
collect on the steel under the wood and cause more damage.
"Most of the teak is in great shape, it
just needs to be re-seamed, re-plugged and resurfaced and the planks that are
bad are pulled and replaced," said Vargo.
Overall,
the deck work won't be finished until next year. And the cost will top
out at about $1 million, a small investment for one of the most
decorated ships of World War Two.
Copyright 2012 WECT. All rights reserved.
A deck maintenance project is now underway, to try and head off damage that rain water may cause.
