
Tim Pranke - GLSPS Appreciation Award
Tim Pranke has been an active member of the GLSPS since 2004. He was asked in 2008 by the GLSPS President and Chairman of the Dive Into the Past - Twin Cities Shipwreck Show to be the show's Co-Chairman. He worked so well with everyone, he was asked to take the position of Show Chairman for 2009. Tim pursued it like it was his own show, and the show was very successful. Tim then became incredibly valuable to the GLSPS with his spring preparations, maintenance, and improvements to the R/V Preservation, our research and work vessel. Tim has used his expertise from the European auto body field to help us with the paint on the boat. Tim has a great deal of mechanical abilities which have also helped us with many tasks that are needed to get the boat ready for each upcoming season. One particular task he completed recently was the overhaul of the port-side transmission. He did a great job researching this project, and completing the overhaul on time, and it has been working great! If you follow face book, you can occasionally see some interesting information from Tim's researching shipwrecks and all around history. His love for shipwrecks, boat yards, trains and train-yard history has brought him to the level of being an expert on those subjects. We think he’s a walking "Google". Tim has also taken courses in Amateur Archaeology through the Wisconsin Historical Society and WUAA. This would help the GLSPS document shipwrecks along the north shore of Lake Superior.
His most recent and largest volunteer effort was participating in the Pretoria Boiler Relocation Project as Co-Chairman. This project required a great deal of planning with archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society. Tim and the other very experienced and highly trained GLSPS members had to rely on the RV Preservation research vessel to be a reliable work platform. They also needed intense training to learn how to use commercial dive equipment to complete the project successfully. Lifting a 13,000 LB donkey boiler and moving it 300 feet was no easy task. It was like lifting and moving a two-ton truck.
Tim has also been the Project Chairman for the Thomas Wilson Invasive Species Monitoring Project for the past six years. His implementation and perseverance of the project every year is no less than amazing. The data he gathered has also been used by researchers from the U of M. Participants on this project totally enjoy the volunteering, diving, and monitoring of invasive species to study their habits.
Tim helped out on many projects throughout the years such as the S.S. Meteor Preservation and Stabilization Project, Photo Mosaic Projects and many documentation projects.
Tim has been working on his opportunity and position as Captain / Boat Operator on the RV Preservation. With his many mechanical skills he personally knows every inch and every piece of equipment on the vessel, can repair any of it in a moment’s notice, and he will be a very worthy candidate for the position. The GLSPS Board of Directors and the President are reviewing his resume this spring and will probably approve adding him as a Captain / Boat Operator for this coming season.
We are so honored to have such a hardworking, talented and active member that engaged himself in volunteering for the GLSPS. Therefore, we extend our appreciation by presenting him with the distinguished GLSPS Appreciation Award.