Thundejet commented on my in-progress 133’ USCG Buoy Tender …
I have a couple of questions for him regarding the hatch on the buoy deck on the 133’ tenders. The photos and plans at the Library of Congress site which I referenced did not show how it opened. Not that I am planning on detailing the inside of the deck, but currently I just have an engraved line around it. Was it lifted out as one piece? Was it hinged to swing? One-piece or two pieces, where was the parting line? Are the hinges internal or external?
The hatches & ports will be added using Toms Modelworks PE. Still to add - the bridge roof, the A-frame & crane and assorted bits & deck fittings
Hi Ed,
I was on the USCGC White Pine for a couple days in '97 (serving as a stand-in Officer of the Deck (OOD)), and also was on the USCGC Sweetgum (WLB 309). The hatches in the buoy deck that lead to the stores below are a one-piece hatch bolted down, then lifted out using the ship’s crane. There is, at each corner of the hatch, at least a recessed padeye that you would run a line or cable through, then lift the hatch up. I don’t remember if there was also one link of chain at each padeye or not, but it was definitely recessed (so you don’t trip and kill yourself doing buoy ops on deck). The hatch would be moved out of the way, then extra sinkers (the large cement blocks used to keep the buoy from drifting too far) could be stored there. On the Sweetgum, we had at least one down in the hold, but more for a better ride and an emergency spare than anything. I don’t believe we opened that hatch in the two years I was onboard.
Your boat looks great. It brings back a lot of great memories. One of the neat things about the White Pine is that, unlike most of the other ships in the class, she had spuds so you could drop them into the mud and become a moored boat.
Hope this helps.
George Borlase
Hi Ed
I sent you a response to your question concerning the 133’s work deck hatch, did you receive my email? I also located more photos of the buoy deck.
Regards
Mike M.
Yes, I received your offline mail over the weekend. Thank you.
The information youy provided seems to jibe with that which George posted above. Any photos that you have that you would like to share would be appreciated. Post them here or at my offline email.
Thanks again
Have you seen the National Park Service report on the 133’ Buoy Tenders? It has some pictures from inside the hold.
Many of the photos on the Library of Congress/Historic American Engineering Record website that I referenced earlier went into the production of the NPS/HAER documents on the bouy tenders. There are more and better photos for modeling purposes at the LoC/HAER website.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/
Put White Lupine into the search box. There are more photos to be digitized for other members of the class.
After I recieved the responses from Mike & George regarding the deck hatch, I went back and looked at some of the photos. Now, knowing what I was looking for, I was able to locate the padeyes in the corners of the hatch.