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S.S. Meteor Preservation Project 2016

When:
Saturday, April 23, 2016, 9:00 AM until Sunday, April 24, 2016, 5:00 PM
Where:
S.S. Meteor Museum Ship on Barkers Island
www.superiorpublicmuseums.com
300 Marine Dr
Superior , WI  54880

715-394-5712
Event Contact(s):
Phil Kerber
612-720-2825 (p)
Category:
GLSPS Events
Registration is recommended
Payment In Full In Advance Only
Please bring respirators, safety glasses and warm clothes you can get dirty.
Capacity:
85
Available Slots:
53
No Fee
No Fee
No Fee
No Fee
No Fee

ATTENTION

GLSPS, LSMMA, WUAA, SPM

MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

Of The

S.S. Meteor!

 
All Hands on Deck!!
 

GLSPS, (Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society),

WUAA, (Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association),

LSMMA, (Lake Superior Maritime Museum Association),

And

(SPM), Superior Public Museums

We will be Sponsoring the "Twelfth" Annual S.S. Meteor Preservation Project. Saturday and Sunday April 23 and 24, 2016

This is a very worthy cause and if we don't continue to preserve this one-of-a-kind Whale-back ship, it could be lost forever!

Please join us in preserving one of the only "Whale-back Ships" remaining in the world!

We are looking for a few good men and women to help stabilize and preserve the S.S. Meteor.


Please Click on Above Pictures to Enlarge


 

S.S. Meteor 2015 Volunteers, Old Meteor Sign Removed, New Meteor Sign Installed, Painting the Vents and tanks on the Aft Deck, Before and after Photo of the Hull Painting.

 

Meteor Preservation Project 2015 


Requirements / Recommendations:


 

1. You must be 16 years of age or older. (Unless other arrangements are made)

2. Have your own Medical Insurance.

3. This is a project that requires the ability to do both light and heavy physical work.

4. Please bring any of your own safety equipment such as respirators, masks, knee guards, gloves, coveralls, shoes, boots, hats and warm cloths. Optional: Hard hat.

5. A liability release form from SPM will need to signed and handed into the staff.

6. Note: Tools such as paint scrapers, brushes, wiping rags, cleaners, and some respirator masks (Limited Quantity) will be provided. (Bring your own if you prefer).


Please click on the link button to print, read, agree, sign and bring with you to hand into the SPM Staff.



S.S. Meteor Liability Release and Waiver Form

 

 
This project is the 12th Annual.  The last ten years we put this Project together, we had a great turn out. We broke a record of 100 volunteers in 2014.  We have an average of 50 plus people typically volunteering for this event! The folks from the Superior's Public Museum's Board of Directors were very appreciative with the efforts of all the organizations that helped make it successful!  Let’s try making this event another successful year!




 

S. S. Meteor Project 2016 Work Weekend Tasks List

(The Task List Can Change at any time and up to the Day of the Project)

April 23 -24, 2016

(More than 50 Tasks to Complete)

 

(The Task List Can Change at any time and up to the Day of the Project)

 

 

Tasks-Every Year:

 

Exhibit Area

  1. Clean staff office-This year we will be tearing out the carpet.
  2. Clean exhibit case glass inside and out. Not needed this year because exhibits are under construction.
  3. Engine room Scrape and touch up paint, Polish Brass as needed

 

Cabin Deck (In this order)

  1. Touch up paint in Crew’s quarters, galley and mess halls. –
  2. Please Note: Some areas may only need to be cleaned and waxed to clean very small areas of rust.  Mainly around the bolt and screw holes. (Please use Terry Cloth)!!
  3. Wash portholes
  4. Wipe down walls and furniture as needed
  5. Vacuum all rooms
  6. Clean up paint drippings
  7. Make beds and put out props

 

Pilot House

  1. Polish all brass as needed
  2. Wash windows- clean equipment-vacuum

 

Exterior

  1. Pressure wash entire outside of ship with pressure washer (Especially where bird droppings occurred on the Aft Starboard side of the ship). Warm water or car wash soap-DO NOT USE DAWN!
  2. Replace/install bird spikes where needed. Check Pigeons nest /roost areas on the aft deck under starboard turret along the conduit and wiring leading to pilot house (Spray tops of areas down with WD40, Pigeons don’t like the smell)! Remember you will be able to see where you have sprayed the WD40.
  3. Touch up any spots on the hull (with black paint) that. (If additional paint is applied, the surface has to be prepared again by sanding the area.)

 

Mechanical

  1. Check oil level and condition of air compressor.Change if necessary.Check Air filter.Check and change if Necessary.
  2. Clean rust off valve rods on main engine (fore and aft) clean thoroughly and lubricate with light oil. (Use steel wool or Terry cloth)!

 

This Year’s Tasks:

  

Scraping and Painting-

  1. Scraping and touch up Paint in engine room over work bench
  2. Clean and paint rust lines on outside of ship from water draining down - Port side turret and stairways. (Please use Terry Cloth)!
  3. Apply another coat of white paint to areas that still need it in lower engine room.
  4. Paint the poles that hold lifeboat netting.(They only have primer on them)!Add more netting after paint dry’s.
  5. Paint Smoke Stack - Needs 30 Ft. ladder and three-point harness. Confirm Smoke Stack Color and Paint – (Only if we have proper equipment available).Bill Smith - Leader
  6. Paint white lettering of Meteor name and hull numbers on starboard side. - Tim Pranke
  7. Start scraping and apply first coat of paint in Haz-Mat Room and small rest room – Dean Soderbeck – Leader
  8. Paint forward deck-with anti-slip sand in paint. (Tile red) (If weather permits).
  9. Paint ceiling in display area on starboard side and other areas in the display area.(Need Scaffolding to complete this task).
  10. Paint Panel wall by divers room

    *Please Note:  The tasks below will need to be done later on Sunday as we exit the ship.

  11. Paint Red rails on stairs in boiler room going up to engine room (Need to be painted red (or Yellow for caution and for safety reasons).
  12. Paint rails in Boiler room (Silver color) (Most are completed, there is more).
  13. Paint floor in Mess Hall and certain parts of the walk way that are peeling? Paint floor of lower engine room. (This will only take place after all other painting and cleaning projects are completed? (Paint color will be tile red)

  

Mechanical Repairs-high priority:

  1. Create plan and estimate for updating On-Off Switch and old fuse box in the main and lower engine room on the following Equipment:

    Replace old switch, replace electric starter box, add hour meter if applicable and replace older fuse box with breaker box for electric motor that runs the main engine.  Also replace wiring as needed or to bring it up to code.  (Electric Motor specs – 10 HP, 230 V, 45 AMP 1750 RPM).  (Motor cannot be installed until Jacking gears are installed)!

  2. Create Manual to indicate lubrication points of main engine along with photos. - Tim Pranke – Leader.

     

    Mechanical Repairs-lower priority:

  3. Clean brass fittings in lower engine room including brass fittings that were accidently painted.
  4. Repair / replace steam site glass tubes in engine room??After they are found or ordered online. (Jeff Lee)
  5. Clean Machinery in main engine room – Use stiff plastic brush and vacuum debris. Work with Sara/Tim to make sure nothing is damaged.
  6. Install black plastic corrugated drainage hoses on drainage pipes that don’t stick out far enough to keep water of the hull and stain it.(Watch and plan it in 2015 and possibly install during the 2016 project)??

 

General Repairs, Fabrication, and other odd Jobs- high priority:

  1. Life Boat cradles on Starboard side, remove / lift straight up, perform welding repairs, clean, paint and replace rotting cradles under lifeboat.  Cradles previously made by Tom Brueshaber.  This process is very tricky.  Ken Knutson is in charge of lifting!
  2. Prepare and weld roof of Forward Turret where it is rusted through and railing around turret – Craig David
  3. Place 1 in x 2 Ft. long solid steel rod in anchor chain to secure it from falling out of chain locker on Starboard side anchor.
  4. Remove plugged and rusted drainage piping and replace with new piping – Needs to look authentic
  5. Front Desk rebuild / replace
  6. Repair Railing on Walkway-Dale Koziol
  7. Remove Carpet in Office-all furniture taken out-scrub walls and floor-paint walls-put furniture back in.
  8. Re-build Shelving in Office– Dale Koziol
  9. Lighting in Entry and display area in cargo hold- lead-Tony Musial
  10. Paint both Male and Female inside Restrooms
  11. Build wooden Scaffolding for painting upper engine room
  12. Caulk all vents, especially where water is leaking in.
  13. Pump out water in bilge below engine. Investigate possibility of a lower point for the water to exit the ship.
  14. Reseal leaking port in Captains Office Port aft side on top of Pilot House.Write plan on how it will be done!
  15. Rebuild rear turret door hinges by welding shut and re-drilling.
  16. Start clean up with paint chips in lower engine room
  17. Grease up gear and shaft currently in the office-put in bags.

     

    General Repairs, Fabrication, and other odd Jobs- lower priority:

  18. Clean up old concrete in the crew’s quarters 2nd mate room – haul it out with buckets and shovel.Prepare / clean area and apply lay down new concrete.(Painting the floor tile red later in the summer or next year). (Will need to paint primer on metal wall let dry then add concrete foam barrier, then lay in cement)! Make a drain within the concrete.
  19. Glue down all wood toilet seats with white silicone calking – Remove zip ties that are holding them down now.
  20. Move treated engine room wrenches from front entrance back to lower engine room.(Only after engine work and floor is painted and completed).
  21. Bring any remaining untreated wrenches up from lower engine room to send out for treatment.
  22. Rehang all recreated signs that were removed in 2015.(Reproduce and rehang).A trip to Office Max to scan and print may still need to be done.
  23. Locate and record all portholes that need to be replaced.Measurements will also need to be done.
  24. Look into installing new bulletin board cork on boards in mess hall / crews quarters.
  25. Replace missing light bulb guards (red & silver color) clean, paint and install.
  26. Install more netting.
  27. Reface front of display area in Divers room
  28. Paint walkway to front Cargo hold?
 
The large list of tasks continues to grow as the project draws near.

More will be added, please check back.


Date: Saturday and Sunday April 23 and 24, 2016
(Ship will be open at 8:00 AM for early riser's and set up)
Time: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Saturday and 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Sunday or until …….

 

(Saturday: 9:15 AM Project Briefing)!! Please be present for the briefing!!

  
Where: S.S. Meteor Whale-Back Museum in Superior Wisconsin on Barkers Island.


Lunch: Will be provided by Grandma's Sports Garden. (Breakfast you will be on your own).

This year, we will be meeting at Barker's Island Inn Restaurant (Barkers Island near Meteor) both mornings for Breakfast at 7:00 AM.

LodgingFree lodging is available but limited.  We can provide space for up to 10 people in various campers, boats and houses around the area free of charge, based on a first come first served bases.  Please let us know if you need free lodging ASAP!  Barkers Island Inn / Hotel are offering a $60.00 per night room special only for the S.S. Meteor project participants.  Please reserve your room ASAP for they only blocked out a certain amount of rooms.  Please mention "The Whale-back Clean up" to receive your special room discount.  Their phone number is, 715-392-7152


Please Note: If you are staying in any of the campers or boats, please bring your sleeping bag, pillow and other sleeping accommodations. If you are staying at a marina, the showers are most likely open for use.


If you prefer to stay in another Hotel, there are a few smaller and inexpensive Hotels in the local area. Please Google “Hotels Superior Wisconsin” Mention you are there for the Whale-back Project. Some hotels will give you a discount.


This year’s Saturday night program, we will once again have the “free” Buffet Dinner.  Like last year the Dinner will be at the Fair-Lawn Mansion in Superior WI (Not far from the Meteor).  We will be offering free tours of the Mansion. 


You can also ask the SPM staff of the Museum to bring you on a tour of the ship you normally don't see on a regular summer tour!


If you are interested in volunteering, please register for the project by clicking on "Register Now" button in the upper right hand corner of this page.  Follow the step by step directions.  Or, by contacting the Chairman of the event, Phil Kerber or, the Director of SPM Sara Blanck.   Contact information for both Phil and Sara are below.
 
Please don't delay in registering ASAP, this will help us determine the head count for the food and provide email communications for any additional information about the project.

Please confirm your attendance ASAP!

 

Thank you very much for your time.


Hope to see you there.

 

Phil Kerber

President - Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society
S.S. Meteor Project Chairman
 
Sara Blanck
Director - Superior Public Museums
sbb@superiorpublicmuseums.org