Torsk Work Weekend 20
October 4-6, 2013
Saturday night crew photo. Special thanks to Roy Ator who funded the evening meal!
***
Work Report
Crew
onboard: COB Bill Derouin, Chief Mike Eacho, Chief Art Mary, George
Vest, Chuck Weaver, Greg Cotton, Ron Mack, Roy Gavilan, Skipper Dennis Dyckman,
Capt Don Graf, Frank Morgan, Cathy Steiner, Al Freund, Larry “Ski” Sibiski, Jane
Sibiski, Dave Thames, David Bridges, John Rollin, Larry Derouin, John Biesecker,
Stephen Baker, Tracey Johnstone, Michelle Ford, Kevin Ford, Jaime Eacho, John
Kill, Rich Basera, Nicholas Basera, Dan Walls, Nat Little, Roy Lenza, Bruce
Broseker, Charlie “Gohmer” Arbaugh, Ron "Buttons" Budin, Mike Davidsen, Gil
Bohannon, Carol Bohannon, Tristan Bohannon, Charlie Bohannon, Bob Whitehead,
Zach Whitehead, Stormy Howard, Carmen Santoro, Fred Nelson, Bill McGlinn, George
Kelly, Pete Frey, Pat Cotton, Stephen Baker, Ed del Santo, three unidentified historic
vehicle enthusiasts, and Brian and Rob of HSIB.
Local TORSK crew turned the boat over to out of town crew and focused on making
sure they worked safely, had the right tools, enough water [no mean feat in the
heat], and organized ship’s commissary. The bulk of the work of the out of town
crew focused on topside, electrical and lighting and general house-keeping.
Topside Work:
• Dave Bridges and John Rollin worked with Rob on Rob’s pigeon-proofing project
under the deck forward of the sail on the starboard side. Dave welded metal
screening into the limber holes in some of the bulkheads below the deck on the
pressure hull and ballast tanks. John Rollin helped him.
• George Vest, Ron Mack, Pat Cotton, Fred Nelson and Bill McGlinn all worked hard chipping,
scraping and cleaning the hull aft of the forward doghouse. Rob Howard hauled
the chips, etc. to deck level and disposed of them. This area will now need to
be painted so that tourists leaving the boat will have a good view of how the
pressure hull looks on the outside.
• Charlie “Gohmer” Arbaugh helped with hull chipping and also cleaned
compartments in the sail of pigeon effects.
• John Kill used a needlegun to remove paint from the bullnose. Rich Basera and
Nicholas Basera supported him and worked on chipping paint just aft of the
bullnose. Nat Little and Dan Walls also worked in this area.
• Michelle and Kevin Ford worked with Larry Derouin on restoring the aft
emergency buoy. They removed several layers of old paint and prepped it with
epoxy for painting.
Lighting Repair and
maintenance:
TORSK's lighting received a lot of attention this Work Weekend:
• George Kelly and Pete Frey worked on correctly polarizing AC receptacles and
DC lighting. This is an ongoing project to improve the safety of the ship’s
electrical system.
• Art Mary and Ron Budin worked on the fluorescent lighting repairs in the
Forward Torpedo Room. Art also looked over the electrical disconnect for the A/C
unit topside.
• Lighting was repaired in Control.
• John Biesecker worked on fluorescent lighting in the Sonar Room.
• Chuck Weaver worked on the DC emergency lighting throughout the boat.
• The DC light bulbs in the lower level of the engine rooms were all replaced.
• Art Mary and Ron Budin worked on the bow planes indicator light in Control.
• Bob Whitehead, Zach Whitehead and Nick Basera removed and cleaned DC light
globes and fluorescent light covers throughout the boat.
Radio Room restoration:
• Greg Cotton worked with COB Bill, Ron Mack and Chief Mike on the power supply
for the TCS-12 transmitter/receiver. They also worked on the receiver for that
unit. Both are now operational.
Engine Room restoration:
• Don Graf, Roy Lenza and Stephen Baker worked in the engine room.
• Roy Lenza continued Tim Calvert’s project of stripping and painting the
fuel injector drip pans. Ed del Santo helped.
• Don Graf and Keith Clough examined engine plans to devise a long-term
restoration program.
Other work:
• Three new volunteers on TORSK polished in the Forward Torpedo Room.
• John Biesecker and Larry Sibiski performed some maintenance and adjusted the
mooring lines. They wrapped the areas on the lines that were beginning to show
signs of wear from rubbing on the rockface on the edge of the pier.
• John Biesecker and Stephen Baker – both of Keystone base - unclogged a
long-clogged the forward toilet in crew’s head. A few years ago, an overnight
group had stuffed Styrofoam cups down the head into the piping. John had gotten
some of the Styrofoam out, but was unable to get more than a trickle of water to
pass through it. This Saturday John and Stephen snaked it until, it – finally –
cleared. They also worked on a back up in crew’s showers.
• Cathy Steiner, Dave Thames, Jane Sibiski, Tracey Johnstone, Rob Howard of HSIB
and John Biesecker kept the crew fed.
• Cathy Steiner and Tracey Johnstone kept order in Lower Level After Battery
tool well.
• Keith Clough adjusted and tested the grove reducer for pressurizing the
forward potable water tanks (#1 and #2). The regulator maintained 13# all
through the night even under heavy load.
• Keith Clough also replaced the broken globe on the air compressor’s
filter/moisture separator and assembled the parts needed to replace the
filter/moisture separators on the air compressor. He plans to return and finish
all the piping changes.
• Larry Derouin lubricated and cycled all the bulkhead ventilation dampers. He
also cleaned all the watertight doors including their operating mechanisms. Then
he cleaned the sealing surfaces and gaskets on the hatches.
• Keith Clough assembled heavy-duty shelves in Lower Level Forward Battery.
• Dennis Dyckman and Mike Davidsen worked in Control repairing items on the
discrepancy list.
IF WORK YOU PERFORMED WAS
NOT MENTIONED HERE, PLEASE LET US KNOW
Other facts of note:
• The Work Weekend crew worked in unseasonably high temperatures. The heavy work
on the hull, etc. was done in temperatures approaching 90 degrees. The weather
was nearly 20 degrees above ‘normal’ for the week.
• Keystone Base of USSVI contributed 5 volunteers this weekend: Dennis Dyckman,
John Biesecker, Stephen Baker, Roy Lenza and John Rollins.
• Five TORSK veterans were aboard this weekend: George Vest, Chuck Weaver, Greg
Cotton, Roy Gavilan and Ron Mack.
• TORSK had heavier than anticipated tourist traffic on Thursday and Friday
because of so many of the museums in Washington being shut down.
• Some of George Kelly’s classmates from USNA visited the boat on Sunday.
• Thanks to Nan Biesecker for baking several dozen cookies for the crew.