Sixthelement.org

I am a bit behind on posting adventures but since it is a rainy Sunday, I will try and catch up.   Two weeks ago, my friends Clare and Sebastian Pedersen, came in from Seattle for a bit of a sight seeing trip of Boston and area.  We met up on a beautiful and warm Sunday and went to see the USS Constitution and the New England Aquarium.  The Aquarium is very well worth the visit but does not allow photography so as not to disturb the animals.  The USS Constitution was a great visit and I took lots of photos.

The USS Constitution is still a commissioned US Navy ship and is actively maintained by the Navy.  At the end of May, early June, she moved into Dry Dock #1 in the Charlestown Naval Yard for a 3 year refit.  One of the main things they are doing is replacing all the copper sheathing on her bottom with new.  A neat thing is that the museum has the new copper plates out so you can sign your name to them with a copper metallic ink pen.  We did that of course!

While the lower decks are currently not available for touring due to the current stage of the refit, we were able to walk on the deck and speak with the sailors manning her.  I purchased a US flag and ship coin as a donation.  Unexpectedly, the Lt manning the sales table unwrapped my flag and had me raise it up the mizzen mast to the top of the yardarm – so now my flag has flown from the USS Constitution – a real treasure!

The museum is interesting and focused heavily for school visits learning about the War of 1812 which I found neat but wished there was a bit more discussion around the origins of the USS Constitution.  Originally, the US Navy was founded with 6 frigates (Constitution being one of them) to protect US commercial shipping around the world – since after revolting and separating from Britain, the Royal Navy no longer felt doing that sort of thing was still in their job description.

I would like to recommend the EXCELLENT book Six Frigates: the founding of the U.S. Navy to anyone who is interested in this.  It talks about the furious debate on whether to build a Navy and what it should be used for immediately after the conclusion of the Revolution – and then the subsequent successes and failures of the young Navy.  Ian W. Toll ISBN-13: 978-0393330328

Overall we had a grand time.  Clare’s father (who still lives in London) is a volunteer who helped save and restore the famous tea clipper ship Cutty Sark   He is still extremely active in her preservation and presentation.  He was very interested in our visit and I sent over all my photos in full resolution.

Photos Ho!  these are in general order as we approached and went through the ship, dry dock and museum.

USS Constitution general Museum website

USS Constitution restoration blog – which is much more interesting than the general museum website

USS Constitution’s long 24 pounder guns – if i recall correctly, all originally built in the Tower of London arsenal

Constitution in Dry Dock #1 at the Charlestown Naval Yard. This was the first stone dry dock in north america and when built in 1838, was the largest civil engineering project to have been ever undertaken by the US government. The USS Constitution was the first ship to use it back in 1838 and is still using it today. Her normal berth is next door

Correction:  from the USS Constitution restoration blog, this dry dock was the second in the US.  Here is their quote:

Dry Dock 1 in the Charlestown Navy Yard and its companion dock in Gosport, VA were the first two public dry docks built in the United States. Both docks were built between 1827 and 1833 and were considered engineering marvels at the time. Gosport’s Dry Dock 1 opened first on June 17, 1833, making it the oldest dry dock in the country. Boston’s Dry Dock 1 opened at 5:30 AM on June 24, 1833 when Isaac Hull, a naval hero of the War of 1812, commandedConstitution across the dock’s sill. Vice President Martin Van Buren was there to witness the ship’s first ever dry docking.

Details of the dry dock construction – note how it is curved at the ends, almost like a Roman Forum – but probably more likely intended to use the arching stone work to spread the support load of the corners

The Boston skyline in the background, across the Charles River basin – really an easy walk from downtown

my friends Clare and Sebastian Pedersen.

Part of this round of dry dock work, expected to last 3 years, is a full replacement of the copper plating protecting the hull. The copper plates protect the wooden hull from organisms. The original plating was put on in this dry dock and was manufactured by Paul Revere’s company

And yet another correction from the Constitution’s restoration blog.  Paul Revere provided the copper plates and bolts for the original sheathing – but contrary to what I understood, he brokered the purchase of the plates from England as the manufacturing capability did not exist in the US at that time.  I don’t believe the Museum ever actually stated out right that Revere manufactured the plates – just that he supplied them – so my mistake yet again.  The Blog is full of a tremendous amount of information!

The smooth curve of the hull and keel. Note in the background, as an extensive part of this refit, the dry dock itself was refurbished with a new floating caisson structure. It is a beautiful piece of engineering and they have an interesting time lapse movie at the museum showing its installation

The deck of Constitution is the only thing you can tour at the moment. Sebastian Pedersen checking things out

From this angle, you can really start to see how thick the hull of the ship is – about 2 feet of oak

looking at the open gun ports, you can see the thickness of the wood

Another shot of the keel and the caisson structure. Note in the background is the USS Cassin Young, a WW2 Fletcher class destroyer. We did not have a chance to visit her on this trip but I would like to in the future
http://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/usscassinyoung.htm
The Ship in the 1940s.
USS Cassin Young was built by Bethlehem Steel Corporation at San Pedro, California and commissioned on December 31, 1943. Assigned to the Central Pacific, Cassin Young first experienced combat in April 1944, attacking Japanese strongholds in the Caroline Islands. In June, the ship escorted American amphibious forces that invaded the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Guam. In August, the ship was reassigned to Task Group (TG) 38.3, which included several aircraft carriers. For the remainder of the Pacific war, Cassin Young would be in the forefront of the naval offensive against the Japanese.

http://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/usscassinyoung.htm  for the Cassin Young website

Constitution’s bow – she was normally considered a Fast Ship – when she didn’t have a fouled bottom

Sebastian presenting the Charlestown Navy Yard’s historic shipwright buildings – unfortunately not open to the public

A barrel that is held together by HOOPS! this is what the hoop mill at my property made and shows how they were used – fantastic!

My post on hoop mills and how it relates to my house in Carlisle

A model of Constitution’s hull. There is a Model Shipwrights Guild associated with the USS Constitution Museum that builds a promotes the model ship building

One of the exhibits in the museum, showing how trees became timbers and then became ships

A cross sectional model of Constitution

After visiting the USS Constitution, we are enjoying refreshing beverages, burgers and chips at the Bell and Hand pub – the oldest pub in Boston (founded in 1795 by the town crier). Across the street is the famous Union Oyster House. We had a wonderful cross breeze here which was nice on such a warm day

Andddd, here is what Kaj was doing while the family was playing tourist in Boston – climbing El Dorado peak in the Cascades

They successfully made the summit in what looks like was great weather.  A very strenuous climb from all accounts due the straight up climb – Kaj compared it to a much bigger version of Mailbox Peak.  Looks like a great trip!  A good weekend for all Pedersen’s!

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Interesting article here on The Magna Carta – it’s 8 century anniversary this year, its impact and suggestions of what it means.  I think it is interesting and intrinsic about The Magna Carta that, while the article does not mention it, ideas are like viruses – once you catch an idea, it doesn’t go away and it propagates.  Originally published in the Wall Street Journal by Daniel Hannan

Magna Carta: eight centuries of liberty
http://on.wsj.com/1d3IyFk

Mr. Hannan is a British member of the European Parliament for the Conservative Party, a columnist for the Washington Examiner and the author of “Inventing Freedom: How the English-speaking Peoples Made the Modern World.”

Invasive plants were coming back after being cleared by John Bakewell of Carlisle Arboriculture.  So I decided to take over my dad’s scythe with the brush blade to clear stuff on the other side of the silt barriers (since it would be hard to get a tractor mower over there).

Part of the deal John worked out with the Kimball’s was that I would keep clear the invasive plants on the land behind the barn – in exchange for keeping all the junk plants under control and taking the white pines on the property line down.  We are going to put some new trees (5 or so I believe) after everything is done.

I like using the scythe but I am not up to the standard of these guys.

BEFORE picture

standing on the Kimball’s property looking towards Pages Brook. The rock on the other side of the siltation barrier is the property line. Invasive plants on their way back in

MIDWAY through mowing

Using a brush hook blade on the scythe to clear the junk.

AFTER

Same place, to show the difference. I got about half of the junk cleared out between the barn, around the apple tree by the stack of telephone poles and the stone work by the old mill. Blisters and rain stopped me for the afternoon.

Today, Sunday, we went over to the building site with brooms and a bucket for splashing water around – to try and make the rock Gneiss a bit more camera friendly.  Along the driveway we achieved great success – everywhere else – not so much.  The good pictures below.

I also broke out the scrub brush to start prepping boats for the 2015 summer season.  Unfortunately, I discovered that Dad’s hi-performance single shell has started to delaminate along the joint between the deck and hull – in several places.  One split was over 2 feet long.  Interest was low in rowing in it, now the rot may be enough to consider it as a total write off.

My mom’s shell is a Maas Aero (if i recall correctly), made in Richmond California, across the bay from San Francisco  🙂   It is a really sweet boat – very handy, stable but still fast and efficient.  Just a lot of fun.  That boat is in great shape still.

So good stuff – more to do – but a good start in advance of Memorial Day!

A good shot of the Gneiss outcropping along the driveway – after a bit of sweeping of surface materials

Gneiss – sweeping the top of the knoll

cleaning up boats for the 2015 season. Two single shells and a ride on top surf kayak. My dad’s high performance shell, which has not been used in several seasons, unfortunately showed a half a dozen delaminations between the deck and hull. Since it is very lightly built, the loss of integrity has turned it into a bit of noodle. We may come to a decision to apply fiberglass in long strips along the joints but due to its age, I think the decision is likely to come back as it is terminal rot.
My mom’s shell is in the foreground and it is a sweet ride