Bow of the SS Cape Gibson (T-AK 5051), one of the Mothball Fleet's Ready Reserve Fleet ships. She has a modular cargo delivery system, which enables her to transfer cargo to other ships while steaming.
From the Left, USS Reclaimer, SS Winthrop Victory, SS Rider Victory, SS Earlham Victory. On the extreme right is the USS Pigeon, a submarine rescue vessel.
SS Earlham Victory
The bow of SS Rider Victory
The three Victorys again. On the right, one of the bows of the USS Pigeon is visible. She is a catamaran submarine rescue ship.
Close-up of Earlham Victory's stern. She still has her aft gun platform in place.
USS Pigeon (ASR-21)
The rusting, peeling, flaking hull of the Earlham as seen from the Pigeon.
Two five-ton and one "Jumbo" 30 ton boom mounted in cradles on the deck of the SS Rider Victory.
Aft end of the main deckhouse on the Winthrop. Paint, please!!!
Rider Victory's mizzenmast, with more cargo booms on deck.
Ship names are stencil-sprayed near the gangway, so the workers can identify where they are.
Looking forward on the Rider Victory.
Allow me to introduce myself...Sir Scrap-a-lot.
Welcome to the Winthrop.
Winthrop's #4 cargo hatch, and mizzenmast. The cargo holds have been sealed with roofing shingles to try to prevent water from leaking inside. It's pretty effective, but unfortunately, water still leaks into the ship from rusted-through overheads.
Jason chatting it up with our MARAD escort, "Jimbo". Jimbo has worked at SBRF for 22 years.
More jaw-jacking with Jimbo.
Winthrop's starboard lifeboat davits, looking forward. She has peculiar platforms welded into the aft ends of her bridge wings. Could be either machine gun, or searchlight mounts. Not sure.
Paint, please!
One of Pan American Victory's lifeboats lying abaft the #4 cargo hatch on the Winthrop.
The salvage party prepares to go into the hot, steamy, stinky Winthrop Victory.
Dad checking out the starboard exterior passageway.
Greg Vasquez heading off to get a fuel flow meter from the fuel oil heating/pumping station.
Winthrop's mizzenmast and shrouds.
Close-up of Pan American's No.3 (starboard, aft) lifeboat.
Rider Victory's poor, decrepit looking bow. Paint, please!
Winthrop Victory's stern, looking down at the rudder. Paint, please!
On the right, is a Victory Ship lifeboat, on the left, upside-down on the deck, is a larger powered lifeboat from another, newer merchant vessel.
Winthrop Victory's aft gunners' quarters, which was converted to a workshop in civilian service.
The gunners' quarters was partitioned, and this is the port side partition. You can see the tool outlines on the pegboard, and the pillow used by a bored MARAD worker. Catching naps on these ships seems to be a popular pastime of the workers.
Another dumb pigeon. They fly into the ship, get lost, can't get out, and die.
Dave Penn recovers a nameplate for a breaker panel for use on the Red Oak.
Rider Victory's main deckhouse.
Rider Victory's deckhouse. Paint, please!
Rider Victory's starboard side. Paint, please!
Rider Victory's forward and main masts.
Winthrop Victory's starboard side main passageway. The window on the left is where the galley would serve meals. The 'hardwired' coffemaker on the left is original ship's equipment. The door on the right leads to the crews' mess. The ladder just forward of it leads down to the refer stores area.
Dad checking out the Winthrop's mess deck.
Vietnam-era map of Vietnam hanging in the Winthrop Victory's crews mess.
Winthrop's diesel-fired galley stove. Parts from it have been cannibalized for the Red Oak.
Dad checking out the diesel-fired galley stove on the Winthrop.
Engine room ventilation uptdakes, funnel in the background.
A flooded cabin on the port side of the Winthrop. Leaks from rusted-out overheads cause the ship to fill up with rainwater.
Winthrop Victory's cannibalized RCA Radiomarine Model 4U radio set.
For comparison purposes, this is the Red Oak Victory's restored and fully functional Radiomarine 4U.
Dad looking through forgotten paperwork in the chief engineer's cabin.
History, rotting away.
The ship's logs were still on board from her last voyage to South Vietnam.
Personal property passes for the crew. These are to ensure crew members aren't accused of stealing ship's property when leaving the ship.
Ash Can
Winthrop's chartroom. Note the pigeon crap on the left. Somebody left a porthole open, and the pigeons invaded.
The Red Oak Victory's chartroom, for comparison purposes.
Winthrop's bridge. Their radar-scope has a nifty blackout curtain rigged around it.
Winthrop's stripped bridge. The ship's telemotor is in the center. This is where the ship's wheel was mounted.
The Red Oak Victory's bridge, for comparison purposes.
Dad inspects Winthrop's Makay Radio RDF.
Winthrop's forward bridge portholes. It should be evident which porthole was left open, and allowed the pigeons into the ship.
Red Oak Victory's forward bridge portholes, for comparison purposes.
Pigeon carcass. The stupid little bastards get into the ship, fly around in the dark, get lost, then starve to death, and die.
One of Winthrop's beautiful external wooden bridge access doors.
Dad marveling at a real cork drain stopper.
The starboard, aft kingpost on the Winthrop. Notice the railing, completely rotted out.
Dad going for another lighting fixture on the main deck.
I can't get my Dymo label tapes to stick that long!!!!
Starboard passage on the main deck of the Winthrop.
I think this is the athwartships passageway on the boat deck of the Winthrop.
Vietnam era porthole screen with pigeon detritus and eggs.
A crewman's cabin. Washsink and lockers visible.
Dad salvaging lighting fixtures for the Red Oak.
Jason going for a lighting fixture.
Lost my hard-hat.
Got a paint-chip in my eye. Attempting to extricate it.
I'm going to get that fixture, come hell or high water!
Quite an undignified position...thanks, Dad!
Still unscrewing light fixtures.
Getting brass lightswitch screws. We've replaced the vast majority of light fixtures on the Red Oak, but one constant problem we have is buggering up the screw heads on the all-brass screws. These replacements I'm gathering will solve that problem.
Dad descending into Winthrop's engine room.
Winthrop's throttleman station has been completely cannibalized.
For comparison, here's the Red Oak Victory's throttleman station.
Inside of a status annunciator in the engine-room.
Postings near the engineer's watch station from management of the Pacific Far East Lines, the ship's operator. See the shiny drops of liquid on everything? That's condensation from the water that has entered the ship, and is evaporating due to the 90 degree heat. It was like a sauna in the ship.
Dad inspecting the ship's two turbo-generators.
Main electrical distribution panel on the left. Dad getting a closer look at the turbo-generators.
Jason admiring a very precision bronze sleeve for the TGs.
Spare carbon brushes hang on the inside of the turbo-generator.
Aft turbo-generator, looking out across the engines.
Winthrop's Falk-manufactured reduction gears.
Looking up Winthrop's fidley.
Winthrop's turbines.
Eerie color shot of Winthrop's turbines.
Winthrop's LP turbine.
Winthrop's machine shop. I'd kill to own that Royersford Excelsior drill press in the center of the picture.
Rotten antique safety goggles.
Dad checking out the spare parts room.
Forward of the boilers, looking starboard.
Winthrop's #3 hold contains her four lifeboats, davits, ladders and hardware.
Starboard side of #3, middle. Notice the binboards have been removed, exposing the ladder that leads down to lower #3.
Turnbuckles, fire hoses, steel line, blocks, tackle...all sorts of junk in #3 cargo hold.
Dad checking out one of the lifeboats.
Winthrop's motor-launch. Victory ships had four lifeboats. Three were sail-powered, one, considered the "captain's gig", was powered by a low-compression four-cylinder gas engine.
Davits, chain ladders and various lifeboat gear.
Middle #3 cargo hold on the Winthrop. Her four lifeboats are stored in this hold.
Dad examining Winthrop's fuel oil heating and pumping station. The two green devices attached to the pipes are periscopes used to see if the funnel is emitting smoke. A very useful tool for the fireman on watch. Red Oak has these, too, but they're mounted in a different position.
Red Oak's fuel oil heating/pumping station, for comparison purposes. If you look to the left and right of the furthest outboard thermometers, you'll see little round viewing ports...these are the ROV's smokestack periscopes.
Dad zooms in on the fuel oil flow meter we're taking.
Smokestack periscope.
Firebox of Winthrop's port boiler. The firebricks are clearly visible, as are the forward water wall tubes (used to preheat the feedwater and to prevent firebox heat from radiating into the engine room).
Greg and John heave a heavy fuel flow meter up from the fireman's level up to the turbine level.
Rider Victory
Winthrop Victory's main deckhouse doesn't look so bad. Notice she also has the non-original ladders leading from the main deck to the boat deck.
Salvage vessels Reclaimer and Clamp. The ex Chevron Tanker "Alaska Standard", currently "Sagamore" is in the background.
Rider Victory's stern.
Earlham Victory's bow. She has a layer of paint showing through, that is pink in color!
Winthrop's anchor windlass, looking aft. The Winthrop has had her bow and aft gun platforms completely removed.
Winthrop Victory in her glory days.
Winthrop Victory docked at New York after World War II. Notice she still has her wartime liferaft skids in place, as well as her Richardson-type engine room skylight. Armor is still in place for her aft and cabin-deck 20mm Oerlikon Gun mounts. Thanks to Stuart Smith of the shipsnostalgia.com forum for the use of this great image.
Dad leaning over to get a look at the Rider Victory's stern.
A close-up of Rider's propeller. It's difficult to see, but the right blade has a hole, about 4" in diameter bored through this blade.
Dad checking out the Rider Victory.
the ex-USS Reclaimer's stern.
Bridge of the poor, old USS Clamp.
The Rider Victory's port, aft Breidert vent is literally disintegrating in place.
A post-war addition. An elaborate landing and ladder provide access to the boat deck on the forward end of the main deckhouse. Red Oak Victory has simple vertical ladders in this position.
Rider Victory sailed under GAA contract for the American Mail Lines. This is their logo, still in place after all these years, coming through the deteriorating paint on her funnel.
American Mail Line's logo, for comparison purposes.
One of USS Pigeon's funnels, bearing the SUBDEVGRU 1 Logo.
Dad pointing out that Rider Victory's engine room skylight hatches are propped open.
Dad scrutinizing a non-original piece of Victory Ship hardware. We suspect it was a platform for a searchlight added during Vietnam. OR...it could be a light machine gun mount.
Rider Victory's rotting main deckhouse and funnel.
Old ships make me happy!
It was hotter than hell out there. When the Winthrop was opened up, she was like a sauna, due to the rainwater accumulations inside her hull. Ron takes a break topside.
Dad grabs a meat-hook from Winthrop's freezer.
Dad checking out the engine room spares locker.
Another flooded-out cabin.
Mystery escape-hatch on the Winthrop Victory. The Red Oak Victory doesn't have one of these!
Cape Gibson, formerly S.S. President Jackson, a C-5 cargo ship. She's part of the Ready Reserve Fleet, and can be reactivated in 5 days.
The C-4 freighter "President" was once the American Presidents Line's "President Tyler".
The President Tyler in service, sporting her American Presidents Line colors. She was modified to carry standardized containers forward and aft of the deck house, spoiling her fine lines when loaded.
USS Hoga. This historic little navy "Yard Tug" was at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese surprise attack. She rescued many sailors from the burning waters of the harbor, and assisted in fighting fires aboard the damaged ships.
The former US Navy large yard tug, Pushmataha (YTB-830). She was used as a yard craft by the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, and was renamed "Black Kite".
The stern of the gorgeous Military Sealift Command steam ship, SS Cape Blanco. She is a C4-S66 class freighter. She was originally the SS Mason Lykes.
Jason and Noel hit the mothball fleet!
