"S.S. Meteor Project Photos"
Please Mark Your Calendars and Join Us Next Year for the
2021 S.S. Meteor Preservation Project
April 24 -25, 2021
Thank You For Your Understanding and Support!
Closing Report
S.S. Meteor Project 2020 Photos
S.S. Meteor Preservation Project 2020
By Phil Kerber
This year has been quite a year for many organizations like the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeological Association (WUAA) and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society (GLSPS). Due to the COVID-19 outbreak many preservation programs and projects were postponed to a later date, rescheduled for next year, or canceled all together. Preserving maritime history is very important, and somehow the volunteers will find a way to continue their passion and continue to make it work.
The GLSPS has cancelled most for their preservation programs and projects for 2020. A couple of these projects would still allow us to practice Social Distancing.
After multiple phone calls and a discussion with Megan Meyer (Director) of the Superior Public Museums, and her staff, we received special permission from the City of Superior and the State of Wisconsin to move forward on the largest Preservation Project of the GLSPS, the S.S. Meteor Preservation Project. Unfortunately, we had limits/restrictions for this event by only being able to allow fifteen or less people. The state was allowing Museums to start opening, Superior has three public museums, and they could open by June 15, 2020.
Typically, the S.S. Meteor Project supports 55 to 70 volunteers that come from all over Minnesota, Wisconsin, and sometimes Michigan. This year we were only allowed a skeleton crew.
After we were finally cleared for the project, we set up three weekends to perform as many projects as we could maximizing the limits of people we could allow to work on the Meteor at one time or weekend. The dates were May 30 – 31 – June 1 (which was Memorial Weekend), June 6 – 7 and June 13 – 14. Dale Koziol and Jerry Sandvick volunteered May 30 -31. Dale replaced some rotten boards on the walkway leading up the first deck of the ship and a few other smaller tasks. Jerry painted the stairway and engine room railings.
The second weekend there were more volunteers that joined us. Kari and Craig David, Ken Knutson, Jim Christenson, Megan Meyer, Dara Fillmore, Dean Soderbeck, Josh Mersha (newcomer) and I.
Throughout the summer a few hardly folks will be stopping by to perform other needed or smaller tasks. If you are interested, please contact Phil Kerber from the GLSPS or Megan Meyer from SPM.
We completed the following tasks on the second weekend:
1. Cleaning the entire hull (bow to stern) with a pressure washer. The ship always needs an annual bath due to lots of pigeon droppings, dirt and dust collects over time.
2. The two lifeboats needed to have 4 inches of pigeon droppings removed and cleaned. The area needed to be covered with orange snow fence to keep the birds from re-entering and making a mess again. The fencing was also installed because the Marina would shrink wrap each lifeboat to secure them from additional damage and rotting.
3. Pressure washed the walkway to the upper deck prior to painting. After the pressure washing, there were several planks that were rotten and still needed replacement before being painted. Those two tasks will be completed during the 2020 summer or by fall.
4. Crew’s mess hall was scraped, primed, and painted.
5. The upper deck walkway on both the starboard and port sides were painted tile red for historical reasons. They were not able to be completely painted until later when Kari David traveled back up to Superior and finished the rest of the painting. Thank you Kari David!
6. Some housekeeping tasks such as making the beds in each room for display during the tours.
7. Cleaning, sweeping, and vacuuming the museum display areas.
8. Replacing bulbs that were burned out.
9. Cleaning restrooms and preparing them for the season.
10. Cleaning the Office area and setting up displays of clothing and other souvenirs.
The weekend went very well, and the nine volunteers (Eleven altogether) completed many tasks.
The upper deck walkway wasn’t totally completed that weekend, so Kari David traveled back to the Meteor on Wednesday June 10th, and worked on the ship everyday until June 14. She completed the upper deck and a few other paint jobs that needed to be done before the opening of the Museum. Great job, Kari!
I would like to thank all the volunteers that joined us for the work weekends. Thank you for playing a part in getting the museum ready to open to the public for the touring season by June 15, 2020.
If you have any comments or questions about the S.S. Meteor Preservation Project, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email.
Phil Kerber
President - Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society
S.S. Meteor Preservation Project Chairman pkerber@glsps.org
612-720-2825