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S.S. Meteor Preservation Project 2015

Date and Time

Saturday, April 25, 2015, 9:00 AM until Sunday, April 26, 2015, 5:00 PM

Location

S.S. Meteor Museum Ship on Barkers Island
www.superiorpublicmuseums.com
300 Marine Dr
Superior , WI  54880
USA
715-394-5712

Event Contact(s)

Phil Kerber
612-720-2825 (p)

Category

GLSPS Events

Registration Info

Registration is recommended
Please bring respirators, safety glasses and warm cloths you can get dirty.

Capacity

75 Total Slots
53 Available Slot(s)

About this event

 
 
 
 

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 "Eleventh" Annual S.S. Meteor Preservation Project. Saturday and Sunday April 25 and 26, 2015

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 2014 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.

 

 


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 11th 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 2015 Work Weekend Tasks List

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

(Nearly 70 Tasks to Complete)

  • Tasks-Every Year:
  1. Cargo Hold Cleaning (If Applicable).
  2. Vacuum staff office
  3. Clean exhibit case glass inside and out.
  4. Engine room Scrape and touch up paint, Polish Brass as needed
  5. Cabin Deck (In this order):
  1. Touch up paint in Crew’s quarters, galley and mess halls.

    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 Terri Cloth)!!

  2. Wash portholes
  3. Wipe down walls and furniture as needed
  4. Vacuum all rooms
  5. Clean up paint drippings
  6. Make beds and put out props
  7. Wash windows clean equipment
  8. Polish all brass as needed (Including Pilot House).

 

  • General House Cleaning:
  1. Pressure wash entire outside of ship with pressure washer (Especially where bird droppings occurred on the Aft Starboard side of the ship).
  2. Clean out Work Shop area – (See Don from SPM). (Low Priority). 
  3. Go through very old Chamber of Commerce files and throw out papers / files that are not relevant.  (The old documents will be in boxes which will be picked up by the Chamber of Commerce after the weekend and shredded).

 

  •  Scraping and Painting:         
  1. Paint ceiling in display area on starboard side and other areas in the display area.  (Need Scaffolding to complete this task).
  2. Clean and paint rust lines on outside of ship from water draining down - Port side turret and stairways. (Please use Terri Cloth)!
  3. Apply another coat of white paint to areas that still need it in lower engine room.
  4. Shower room – Apply another coat of white paint?
  5. Paint knobs valves or Alarm bell covers that are already red - Heaters / radiator in chart room and other crews quarters, alarm bells and covers in crew’s quarters and engine room.  (Only paint them what color they are now)!
  6. Paint the poles that hold life boat netting.  (They only have primer on them)!  Add more netting after paint dry’s.
  7. Confirm Smoke Stack Color and Paint Smoke Stack – (Only if we have scaffolding available).  Bill Smith - Leader
  8. Touch up any spots on the hull (with black paint) that have been missed from last July /August hull painting project. (If additional paint is applied, the surface has to be prepared again by sanding the area)!
  9. Paint white lettering of Meteor name and hull numbers on starboard side. - Tim Pranke
  10. Start scraping and apply first coat of paint in Haz-Mat Room – Dean Soderbeck – Leader
  11. Repaint floor in Captains Quarters.  (Tile Red).
  12. Paint forward deck-with anti-slip sand in paint. (In future and if weather permits).

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

  1. 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).
  2. Paint rails in Boiler room (Silver color)
  3. Paint floor in Mess Hall and certain parts of the walk way that are peeling?
  4. Paint floor of lower engine room. (This will only take place after all other painting and cleaning projects are completed?  May not be until 2016 project?  (Paint color will be tile red).

 

 

  • Mechanical Repairs:
  1. Rewire / replace old switch, replace electric starter box, install hour meter if applicable and replace older fuse box with breaker box on electric motor that runs the main engine.  (Electric Motor specs – 10 HP, 230 V, 45 AMP 1750 RPM).  (Motor cannot be installed until Jacking gears are installed)!
  2. Repair / replace site glass tubes in engine room??  After they are found or ordered online.
  3. After inspection of other related jacking gears on engine and discussion about pros and cons of installation - possibly Install new Jacking Gear and mating gear – Tim Pranke – Dick Giese – Bob Olson.  (A separate briefing for the engine team at 10:30 AM).  
  4. Grease all moving parts on main engine – Clean the lubricated areas as needed. Tim Pranke.
  5. Clean rust off valve rods on main engine (fore and aft) clean thoroughly and lubricate with light oil. (Use steel wool or Terry cloth)!
  6. Create Manual to indicate lubrication points of main engine along with photos. - Tim Pranke – Leader.
  7. Replace missing light bulb guards (red & silver color) clean, paint and install.
  8. Clean brass fittings in lower engine room including brass fittings that were accidentally painted.
  9. Seal areas with spiral cutting wire were Pigeons nest /roost, on the aft deck under starboard turret along the conduit and wiring leading to pilot house (Spray Down With WD40, Pigeons don’t like the smell)!
  10. Seal square hole on hull with chicken wiring (aft port side).
  11. 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, Large and new tasks:
  1. Complete re-roofing of the Displays.  (Last year the shingles were removed and displays were painted grey on the outside).
  2. Start Cleaning out old flaking paint from restroom in crews quarters – Dean Soderbeck
  3. 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)!
  4. Life Boat cradles on Starboard side, remove / lift straight up, perform welding repairs, clean, paint and replace rotting cradles under life boat.  Cradles previously made by Tom Brueshaber.  This process is very tricky.  Ken Knutson is in charge of lifting!
  5. Remove / cut-out old rusted pipe under life boat (starboard side) and weld in new pipe. Craig David
  6. Prepare and weld roof of Forward Turret where it is rusted through and railing around turret – Craig David
  7. Pick up 1 in x 2 ft long solid steel rod to put in anchor chain to secure it from falling out of chain locker on Starboard side anchor.
  8. Clean up rust under stairway to pilot house.  Cut out and weld in new metal as needed.
  9. Remove plugged and rusted drainage piping and replace with new piping – Needs to look authentic
  1. Reseal Chart Door by applying new weather stripping and calking other Areas – Dale Koziol
  1. Glue down all wood toilet seats with white silicone calking – Remove zip ties that are holding them down now.

 

  • Miscellaneous Repairs, and other Odd jobs:   
  1. Repair deck railing that’s broken (by main entrance) – Dale Koziol
  2. Replace two access barrier gates for the port side main deck.
  3. Move treated engine room wrenches from front entrance to storage area.(Until engine work is completed).
  4. Bring any other untreated wrenches up from lower engine room to send out for treatment.

     

  5. Remove artifacts from the displays for storage while displays are being re-done - Inventory them by recording them on paper and photos as they are removed.  (Transport them to the briefing room for now).  (SPM Staff)
  6. Remove Fitz Gerald Display in display area.
  7. Remove all flags in the display area.  – Inventory the flags as they are removed.  Cut carpet tubes to size for storing flags.
  8. Prop up fluke for propeller so it’s not sinking into the ground.(Use 4 x 4 posts).
  9. Remove bags of old waste from rear turret room.
  10. Remove ALL signs on each room and around ship to reproduce and rehang.A trip to Museum and or Office Max to scan and print will need to be done.
  11. Locate and record all port holes that need to be replaced.Measurements will also need to be done.
  12. Look into installing new bulletin board cork on boards in mess hall / crews quarters.
  13. Create templates out of cardboard for the new exhibit panels.
  
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 25 and 26, 2015
(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).  

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".  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.

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
Cell 612-720-2825
 
Sara Blanck
Director - Superior Public Museums
sbb@superiorpublicmuseums.org
Office 715-394-5712