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 Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society

Dedicated to Preserving our Shipwrecks and Maritime History
"From Prevention to Preservation"



News Stories

RV Preservation "Splash Down"

Phil Kerber | Published on 6/6/2023

RV Preservation Ready for Another Season of Projects

On June 4, 2023 at 2:00 PM we were finally able to launch the GLSPS Research Vessel the "RV Preservation".

The launch was a bit late this year because we had a lot of upgrades and painting to do this year.  The good thing is that we had great weather to be able to perform a lot of the painting tasks this year however, there was a lack of volunteers to to help with the process. 

The largest task we to perform this year was the re-wiring of the 120 volt system. At the beginning of 2022 a Marine Survey was ordered by the Insurance Co.  The Marine Surveyor found that our 120 volt system on the boat was suddenly needing an upgrade because the old system was outdated and not meeting Coast Guard standards.  The process of making the change was going to be time consuming and very expensive.  We tried for a year to raise the money to complete this needed task.  It was grueling but we finally achieved our goal to raise the money to perform the upgrade.  Thank you to all of the donors that gave a donation this year to help keep the RV Preservation up to date!  (Which is also your boat as a Member). Also thank you for those that volunteered their time to help install the new upgrade to the 120 volt system.  As of this writing of this article, we were not completely finished with it as we had a few loose ends to wrap up.  The final part will be completed when the boat arrives at the Silver Bay Marina June 11, 2023. 

Many annual tasks have to be completed in order to launch the boat each year.  We are always looking for a few good Men and Women.  If interested, please check the details on the closing report about what the volunteers performed the whole month of May 2023 and into the first weekend of June.

If you are a member, and would like to join our RV Preservation Research Vessel Committee, please let us know by sending an email through the "Contact Us" Menu.  We are always looking for more volunteers to help us with our research vessel.  This Committee is one of the largest Committees of the organization.  One will be very proud to be part of and the accomplishments associated with your participation.

Please checkout our process and progress on the boat committee by watching the reports.  If you have any questions or comments, please contact us and we will be happy to respond.

Keep in mind, the GLSPS RV Preservation Research Vessel is one of the most maintained vessels on Lake Superior or quite likely the Great Lakes.  As of this article the vessel has been in operation for more than 17 years.  The Committee makes sure the vessel is up to date on all aspects of owning and running of the vessel, including all the safety equipment.  If there is anything that is expired or old and can cause a breakdown of the equipment, it will be slated to be rebuilt or replaced.  The RV Preservation is also very comfortable and can sleep six people comfortably with each person having their own bunk.  The vessel has been and will remain very reliable with the two very dependable and efficient diesel engines and transmissions driving the vessel.  It's even very comfortable when traveling long distances.  

The GLSPS staff and Committee take pride in the RV Preservation Research Vessel and we enjoy the fun and learning experiences it provides to all of us and Members that have been on board.  Please join us and enjoy what we enjoy.

Hope to see new (and old) faces onboard the RV Preservation in the upcoming year and into the future.

Phil Kerber
President - Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society
Captain - RV Preservation Research Vessel
president@glsps.org