ATTENTION

MEMBERS and FRIENDS

of the

S.S. Meteor!

All Hands on Deck!!
 
Please Register for the 20th Annual 2024 S.S. Meteor Project
Work Weekends ASAP!

Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society (GLSPS)
Superior Public Museums (SPM)

Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA)

PLEASE NOTE:  There is not any requirement to be a member of the organizations listed above to join us for this project.
However, we certainly encourage you to become a member of your favorite organization, or all of them.

We will be Sponsoring the "Nineteenth" Annual S.S. Meteor Preservation Project, Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, 2024.   There are others that arrive Thursday and Friday April 25 & 26, 2024. 

Everyone is welcome to join us earlier if they so desire.  Please Note:  The special price at the Barkers Inn for lodging is only secured for Friday and Saturday nights.  Any other days are your responsibility.

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!

Please Click on Above Pictures to Enlarge

2023 SS Meteor Project Photos


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 safety glasses, respirators, masks, knee guards, gloves, coveralls, shoes, boots, hats, and warm clothes. Optional: Hardhat.

5.A liability release form from SPM will need to signed and handed into the staff before anyone can start working on the suggested tasks.

6. Please Note:  Some tools will be provided.  Such as, paint scrapers, brushes, wiping rags, cleaners, and some respirator masks (Limited Quantity).  Please bring your own if you prefer a certain brand and that they are in good shape to provide adequate safety.  We highly recommend and most often require a full respirator mask with separate filters.  Please purchase your own for sanitary reasons.  Who would want to use a mask that someone else used?

To speed up the process, please click on the link button below to print, read, agree, sign the Liability Release Form and bring with you to hand into the SPM Staff.

S.S. Meteor Preservation Project Work Weekend 2024

Task List

Updated 04-21-2024

Bold = priority items

Water Leak Stoppage

1. Craig David’s leak list – what is left to do.
2. 2022 Tim/Randy Leak List – locate, weld, or seal the more minor water leaks.
3. Exterior hull leak—patch over the leaking rudder area (from the 2022 Tim/Randy Leak List). We will need to dig down about 2 feet on the hull's port side to obtain access to where it is leaking.
4. Storeroom – Continue to follow leaks and find leak sources.

Welding Repairs (Craig David)

1. Pilot House exterior – starboard wing rail – cut off rusted and sharp metal.  Dara Fillmore + Craig David
2. Shipwreck Room Hopper – Remove or secure plate from end of tour route hopper near shipwreck room door. 
3. Exterior Walkway Ceiling—On the Port side, aft of the pump room door, before the porthole, the ceiling has a rotting plate that needs fixing. It may be the same as #4.
4. Officer Mess (Rm 17) – port side hole rotting from underneath.  It may be the same as #33.
5. Aft turret – weld in the ceiling plate.
6. Officer Mess (Rm 17) – south ventilator tube hole rusted through.
7. Crew quarter deck under the starboard aft exterior – very rusted.  A large plate will need to be welded in. 
8. Engine Room (Rm 44) – sheet metal opening on starboard side ceiling near stair – Possibly a couple of screws would hold it back up or weld it.
9. Pilot House exterior – starboard side rail.
10. City piping hole—Once the City removes its piping through the hull near the forward port doors, a weld patch will be placed over the remaining hole.

Painting (Crew Chief = Russel Leitz) (priority items are bare metal coverage)

Red epoxy paint – needs min. 35F + 5F above the dew point. 10 days to cure – 5 hrs. to touch, 48 hrs. to handle (at 35F).
White epoxy paint needs a minimum of 20 F + 5F above the dew point. It takes 14 days to cure, 3.5 hrs. to touch, and 12 hrs. to handle (at 40F).

1. Room 30 (2^nd Cook & Porter) – ceiling & walls.
2. Room 19 (Galley) – Vents 5 + 24 (the two ceiling vents) – area on ceiling around vents are rusted showing bare metal and needs to be cleaned and painted.
3. Room 25 (4 to 8) – ceiling – Some painting missed around edges of ceiling. Scraped and cleaned but needs Gloss-off again.
4. Room 26 (8 to 12)—ceiling—Most of it is not painted. It has been scraped and cleaned but needs Gloss off again.
5. Room 28 (12 to 4)—ceiling—Most of the ceiling is painted. Check for missing paint on the ceiling close to the door and around the edges of the ceiling. It has been scraped and cleaned but needs Gloss off again.
6. Room 31 (rear Turret)—The line (rope) locker has a few small areas left to paint with epoxy. It has been scraped and cleaned but needs Gloss-off again.
7. Hallway 42 (forward of Steering Gear Room) – Remove paint flakes on walls.
8. Room 32 (Utility Man Wiper rm) – Remove paint flakes from the ceiling.
9. Room 21 (Crew’s Mess) – Remove paint flakes from underneath the surface of the lower shelf under TV.
10. Deck Cowl Vent/scoops (whichever needs work) – interiors (red) – repair caulk if necessary first.
11. Room 17 (Officer’s Mess) – floor – Minimum is to paint the walking path through the room.  Needs recleaning before painting. The temperature needs to be warm enough for painting.
12. Room 21 (Crew’s Mess) – floor – Minimum is to paint the walking path through the room.  Needs recleaning before painting. The temperature needs to be warm enough for painting.
13. Room 23 (hallway) – ceiling.
14. Room 27 (crew room) – ceiling.
15. Room 42 (hallway in front of steering gear room) – section of port wall.
16. Railings (last priority)—if there is time, scrape and sand to prepare for student volunteers.

Other/Misc

1. Forecastle contents: Move rings and life preservers to the basement of Fairlawn (pallets in pool?). (Dara or a museum lead).
2. Pilot House – Starboard door – remove hasp from door lock and paint over.  Dale Koziol
3. Pilot House exterior – starboard wing rail – once fixed by Craig, rope off that outer edge, leaving stair for safety exit.
4. Boat Deck Grocery Hatch (under the awning pipes, forward of the dumbwaiter) – better secure it (any way to lock it with a padlock?)  Dale Koziol
5. Lifeboat Davits – potentially install hardware cloth inside the bottoms of lifeboat davits on the port side (see pigeon poop for details) and see if it’s an issue on the starboard side as well.  Dale Koziol??
6. Exterior Engine Sump Hole—Fill the hole from the Engine Room sump with gravel on the lawn, aft starboard end. May need to have the City perform this duty?
7. Engine Room Workbench: Clean the rust off it (wipe/clean off—don’t scrape—it’s not being repainted).
8. Exhibit starboard exit cardboard – remove. Dara Fillmore
9. Exterior under ship nose – Extend or adjust plastic pipe.  Dara Fillmore + City
10. Research - Starboard side engine room vent. Can the flapper be removed to address the rust and water/condensation leaking in.  The vent is causing lots of water to come in and drip on the walkway where touring occurs.  Dean will take a look at it.
11. 3D Shipwreck Model Display Case – troubleshoot lighting issue and install new model (if available).  Dale Koziol
12. Forward hold doors – Needs wood safety railing constructed inside.

Annual Tasks

1. Replace burnt-out lightbulbs.  Aaron Kivisto
2. Scupper plugs on the boat deck need checking – tighten before pressure washing.  Replace any worn-out ones.  (There are 7 or 8 new ones available).
3. Pressure wash ship.
4. Water in the bilge – Plug in all water pumps. 
5. Prop set-up (including making beds). 
6. Polish all brass in the engine room, pilot house, and chart room.
7. Clean staff office and area
8. Clean exhibit areas – sweep, dust, vacuum
9. Clean exhibit glass inside and out
10. Clean glass on all port holes and other windows
11. Vacuum all areas that need it (especially on tour routes)
12. Whistle air compressor – service as needed.  

Leaks Located in 2022
(there are photos that go with these leaks – use the QR code or the link.)
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nhrzaBBVxVX8RNtPYeQCE8oIyIzQ_ouE?usp=share_link

Please Note:  Any cargo holds and other areas that need cleanup, will not take place without SPM Personnel Present!! 

*If you are a leader of a task during the project work weekend and, you were assigned to bring supplies and equipment, please let Phil K or Megan Meyer know who you are and what you were assigned to. 

The large list of tasks continues to grow as the project draws near.

More will be added, please check back later.

Masks/respirators are highly recommended - Although most of the the time you will need to be wearing a safety respirator during the work weekend inside the Meteor while working because of the dust and painting.  Please be aware of your environment and if you need to step out for a breath of fresh air, please do so as many times as you need.

(Saturday: 9:15 AM for the Project Briefing)!! Please be present for the briefing!! (The briefing will take place inside the ship).

Breakfast:   You will be on your own.  Everyone is welcome to join us at the Perkins Restaurant (Near the Meteor) both mornings for Breakfast at 7:00 AM.  

Lunch: Lunch will be provided by Bellisio's at 12 Noon.  We will also be taking a group photo at this time.  Please be a lunch on time.

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.

Please register for the project by clicking on the "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 Megan Meyer.   Contact information for both Phil and Megan are below.

Please confirm your attendance ASAP!

Thank you very much for your time.

Phil Kerber

meganm@superiorpublicmuseums.org
715-394-5712