The major goals for the PT-305
restoration crew over the last few weeks have been the fitting and installation
of the stem, building the ammunition locker, and the replacement of hull and
deck ribs. With the “Wood Butchers” hard
at work towards these goals the front section of PT-305, she is on the verge of
having all of her hull structure back into place.
The stem is the upward curving
extension of the keel at the bow, which forms the very front of the 305. This installation brings the keel, sheers and
chines all together, which makes it an important structural element in the
hull. With the sheers complete, the last few weeks have been spent building and
installing the chines.
This photo
shows the chines and sheers in place.
Permanently attached further back, they were only clamped to the stem,
until it was permanently put into place.
After the stem attachment, the crew permanently attached the chine and
sheers to the stem with large bolts.
The chine of a boat is the meeting
of the side and lower hull. In the
case of PT-305 it is a hard chine, meaning there is a sharp angle that defines
this intersection. The chine runs the length of PT-305 on the port and
starboard sides. Due to the deterioration
of the existing chine it was decided replace the foreword 20 feet of the port
and starboard chines, splicing it into the original chine.
After a few lessons learned in
gluing up the sheer, which included splitting apart a 20 foot glued section as
the crew tried to attach it to the boat, the process was streamlined, and project
coordinator Bruce Harris and volunteer Frank came up with the plan of attack.
Three boards would be glued together on the boat to get the curve, then they
would be removed, shaped and reinstalled as finished pieces. This process took three weeks to complete. After two
weekends of glue-ups the chine was removed in order for Bob and Frank to use
electric planers to shape it. Once both port and starboard chines were shaped
they were installed, clearing the way for the installation of the stem.
The stem consists of three main
components, the forefoot, the backing block and the stem. The forefoot is
attached to the keel and curves upward, the stem is attached to the forefoot
and continues the curve up to the deck, and the backing block secures the
forefoot and stem together. When removed from PT-305, all of these structures were too
compromised to put back into place, each one would need to be rebuilt. The
forefoot and backing block were built by laminating wood from other parts of
PT-305. When a part cannot be used in its original location we recycle it by
using it to make different piece for the boat. .
The crew created the components
which make up the stem by gluing multiple layers together to from blocks of
wood . These blocks were then shaped
into the forefoot and the backing block. The final piece, the stem, was rescued from
PT-659 when she was scrapped. The
forefoot and backing block were the first pieces permanently installed. The stem installation could not be done until
the chines and sheers were completed.
Although backing block and forefoot
had been installed permanently for several weeks, the stem had been held in
place only temporarily. In late March,
the crew gathered at the bow of the 305 as Frank’s crew completed the process
of permanently attaching the final stem piece.
With a few words from Bruce, and wisecracks and laughter from the crew,
the large stem was lifted into place.
Surfaces were coated in a special flexible epoxy, and as several of the
crew strained to get the large piece in place, bolt it to the backing block,
and attach the chines and sheers properly, the whole crew looked on, took
photos and made even more jokes at the expense of those actually doing the
work.
Volunteers wrestle the heavy stem into
place. The piece had to be perfectly
aligned so that it joined with six other pieces of the boat.
Inside PT-305, Ed’s crew has begun
building the ammunition locker. This is where the 20mm and .50 caliber machine gun
ammunition is stored. The locker is directly below the chart house and sits in
the middle of the officers’ quarters. From the deck it looks like a plywood
elevator shaft, and without any shelves installed it is a void from the deck to
the keel. The sides of the box are joined by corner pieces with rabbets cut
into them to receive the plywood. (A
rabbet is a ledge cut into the edge of a piece of wood.) One side of the box is installed already, it’s
an original bulkhead that is in place, and the other three sides have been
rebuilt, having been removed by PT-305’s previous owners. These sides are 10
feet tall and take some muscle to wrestle into place. After a series of awkward
lifts, the three sides have been clamped into place and are awaiting final
fastening.
Ed and crew are on the deck while working on the
ammunition locker. The plywood and
handrails on the deck is only temporary, so that volunteers have a surface to
walk on while working. When completed,
the deck will be double layered, with a water tight layer in between the layers
of wood. The handrails are for the
safety of the volunteers. PT boats were
not equipped with railings to prevent men from going overboard.
Though the ammunition locker has not
been completed, Norman and Jimmy can begin working on the foreword half of the
steering system. The steering system runs from the wheelhouse to the lazarette,
the last compartment in PT-305. When the wheel which is above deck, is turned,
it moves a chain, which turns a pipe. .
This pipe runs roughly 60 feet from below the wheel to the steering gear box,
just above the rudders. This simple connection of a chain and a pipe to the
ship’s wheel turns the two rudders of the 305, thus moving the boat as it
maneuvers through the water. At this
stage Norman is measuring and plotting the route through the various
compartments and bulkheads while Jimmy works on securing and restoring the
hardware that supports the system.
Post by Josh and Kali
