Comments for Naval Historical Foundation

Comment on Battleship IOWA Repair Work Underway by Luke Evans

Luke Evans — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:14:33 +0000

Yes, the purpose of the steel decking is mysterious to me as well. While it is beautiful when new, it is a moisture trap and must be a continuing maintenance headache. I’ve been working on the ship for several weeks now while she’s been in Richmond. Most of my work has been on the deck boards. From what I’ve seen, just about all of the decking will need to be replaced. An area on the aft section of the main deck just forward of the flight area is in pretty good shape, but the rest is severely deteriorated. This includes both the teak and the douglas fir boards, though the teak does seem to be faring much better. However, even those that look OK on the surface usually have rot underneath where water has collected between the boards and the steel subdecking. Where this has occured, the steel subdecking is substantially corroded as well. Tearing up the boards, preparing/repairing the steel subdeck, and then replacing the boards with new wooden decking will be quite a job and will be costly. Once replaced, maintenance will be critical, otherwise you’ll be back at it a few years later. It’s just the nature of the design.

I did encounter one area just aft of Turret 3 where the teak was in beautiful condition and some sort of super sealent adhesive had been applied beneath the teak. The wood was perfect, and the steel subdeck was spotless. Getting up the boards was very difficult and required cutting the pieces into small chunks and prying them up, thus destroying the boards. However, it needed to be done to gain access to some steel protrusions that needed to be cut out. Whatever that sealant was that was applied in that area was very effective. Assuming it was applied before the ship was decommisioned in 1990, it has held up perfectly for 20+ years and literally looked like it was applied yesterday. That same stuff is what needs to be used for the replacement boards, if possible.

All who want to get their hands dirty should visit the Pacific Batleship Center’s website and volunteer. There will be plenty to do for years to come. Much of the work isn’t exactly glamorous, but it is very rewarding.

Comment on Navy Photographer Tells the Story of Apollo 11 Recovery by Barry Sweet

Barry Sweet — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:45:31 +0000

It is a nice article Milt. Brought back many memories. Still doing photography but now in Las Vegas.

Comment on Volunteers Needed: Naval History and Heritage Command, Photo Section by Cloid L. Dokich

Cloid L. Dokich — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:06:02 +0000

The Wings of Eagles, where John Wayne played Spig for Naval Aviation to A Wing and a Prayer, where Don Ameche played the skipper on Carrier X in WWII? To today’s Navy and those Drones from LUCKUP from the Deal of the Century and ” Look See Pigeon,” from the Sand Pebbles with Steve MacQueen all in Harms Way?

PBR Street Gang Over and 0ut Almighty !

Comment on Volunteers Needed: Naval History and Heritage Command, Photo Section by Cloid L. Dokich

Cloid L. Dokich — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:53:58 +0000

Since I just signed up with the Naval Historical Museum as a student Sea Scout ? I’ll have to start off with some basic knot tying before I can actually set sail as a sailor on one of your Brigs? So I’ll try by writing a couple of reviews on some of those books the foundation has suggested to read? Kind of like when I went to my local library’s literacy program to compete writing a book report to the State 0f California’s Libray Literacy programs ” Writer to Writer,” contest where my book report of ” The Mount Vernon Love Story,” by Mary Higgens Clark about our first president George Washington who wanted to be a sailor but lost to his first Naval command crossing the Delaware in a row boat? Which just goes to prove you have to learn to dog paddle before you can swim? I lost to that gal who wrote about ” Chicken Soup For The Brain,” who had a TBI and rode her Schwinn across country when the only cross country ride on my Schwinn was from Pettis VA in Loma Linda to Hemet when I missed my bus?

Comment on Navy Photographer Tells the Story of Apollo 11 Recovery by Susan Wood, Susan Wood Photography

Susan Wood, Susan Wood Photography — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:44:45 +0000

As a professional photographer, I was very intrigued by Milt Putnam’s wonderful eyewitness account of covering the Apollo 11 splashdown and recovery. I had a good high-level overview from reading the book Hornet Plus Three (written by Bob Fish), but found this in-depth account very insightful!
I wasn’t lucky enough to be there for “the splashdown” but did have the GREAT opportunity of photographing the 40th Reunion of the Recovery of Apollo 11 on the USS Hornet in 2009!

Comment on Navy Photographer Tells the Story of Apollo 11 Recovery by Don Blair

Don Blair — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:10:36 +0000

I remember Milt very well as I sailed on the Hornet out of Pearl with the privilege of covering the Apollo 11 recovery for world-wide radio….largest radio audience of all time. Many of us from the news media, the Navy or NASA still convene every five years aboard Hornet just to re-live the friendships we developed back in July of 1969. I sincerely hope that Milt will be among those of us who, given continued good health and fitness, will be back aboard the great gray lady in Alameda in 2014. All the best.

Comment on Battleship IOWA Repair Work Underway by Brian Chapman

Brian Chapman — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:32:26 +0000

> What possible use is a wood deck on a battleship anyhow? It is laid directly on a sealed steel flooring. -George <

George, hello, I have read that the teak overlay was a safety measure. Teak will not (iirc) splinter and shard in the way other woods will do, if shells struck Iowa's deck. For footing, an overlay atop the steel deck plate was required, and teak was easily the wood of choice.

Comment on Neil Armstrong Visits Cold War Gallery by Navy Photographer Tells the Story of Apollo 11 Recovery | Naval Historical Foundation

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:41:39 +0000

[...] lunar module piloted by Neil Armstrong touched down on the moon on July 20 – “Houston, Tranquility Base here, The Eagle has [...]

Comment on Navy Photographer Tells the Story of Apollo 11 Recovery by Michael Wheat

Michael Wheat — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:58:22 +0000

Interesting story which brings back fond memories. I was a Navy journalist stationed aboard Hornet from January 1967 until June 1970. On splashdown day I shot 32 rolls of slide film, including the photo of Milt with President Nixon on the flight deck. I was also editor of the Hornet cruisebook for Apollo 11.

Comment on 2012 Navy Calendar by admin

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:06:46 +0000

Mr. Siegel,

If you have not heard from Michael Drumm, he handles our Membership. You can reach him at mdrumm@navyhistory.org