See
section 4 for the latest news (12/05/08)
On
August 29, 2008 Gary Holmes stopped by the Moctobi and
Quapaw berth and discovered a crew working on the ships.
Below are a series of photos that he took. There are a
couple of emails to me (Edited !) explaining what he
found out. Apparently the Moctobi is getting readied for
a voyage to Singapore towing the Quapaw where one or
both ships will be put back in service as working boats.
Gary's First email and photos:
Hey
there, Mike -
Are you ready for this? I showed up at the dock next to
the Moctobi, there were some workers standing
around...... their boss wasn't there........come back
later. Their English wasn't good....... They didn't mind us being there, just come back later. I
had a picture of me, my Ford and the ship in the
background.... I whipped that on them.
THAT got their attention and they all huddled around
looking at it while in a tight cluster. Then along comes
their boss, a Greek named Alex. He's about our age, a
bit less. He was very friendly and when he learned I had
been on the ship, I just had to come aboard. Well,
DUH....... the picture I had ended up in some other
fellow's pocket, but I excused myself, pulled the photo
from his pocket, showed it to Alex......SCORE!! Then he
handed the photo back to me, and I handed it back to the
fellow who apparently thought I gave it to him... so I
made it official and gave it back to him. It turns out
they are all Russians (actually Croations see next email
below), except Alex and the fellow who
will be the Captain.... both Greeks.
What are they doing, you ask? They are preparing to get
the ship ready to get underway. I have to tell you,
languishing in a salt water environment for 13 years
hasn't been gentle. They have their work cut out for
them. They intend to get underway on Monday or Tuesday,
towing the Quapaw to Alameda (home of the "NOOK-LEE-ARE
WESSLES" ... per Chekov in Star Trek) to go in dry dock
a couple of days to have the bottoms cleaned. According
to the "Captain", towards the end of the month they hope
to get underway, towing the Quapaw to Singapore.....
supposedly the Quapaw will be scrapped and the Moctobi
made to provide more service, but with today's scrap
metal prices, and that the Russians were all saying it
would be scrapped...... there's the quandry.
Meantime, I had the run of the ship, went everywhere I
dared or care to go, including down into SHAFT ALLEY.
I'm not as young as I used to be.....or as skinny. That
was fun... (NOT).
On the Radio Room door, what should I see but the ship's
patch.... the one I designed! It was the only one I saw
on the entire ship. The berthing quarters all have
"Hollywood bunks" and from that I would guess a smaller
crew. TWELVE people will take her to Singapore. Because
I had been an Engineman on board - they offered me a job
going over to Singapore and they'd fly me home. Hmmmm.
Two months trip... on a 65 year old ship that's been
unused for 13 years, with a Russian crew and a Greek
command. There's a trip made in someplace other than
here. They have a missing panel on the main panel and
wondered how to get it working. I'll contact Mike Bruce
and see if he can shed any light on it. The company
might even offer to fly him out here to get it working.
Anyway, it was kind of a sobering trip back in
time....lots of memories... can't say as I will miss the
old gal, but I have respect for her and wish her fair
seas and calm winds.. and people who will take care of
her. It's got a lot of potential, but I think money is
the angle of this whole deal... making short-term scrap
money. May it rust in their pockets if that's the case.
I shouldn't be too harsh for they invited me and the
fellow who was with me (my sailboat skipper) for lunch
and they already had it made when they asked. I mean to
say, they were VERY nice people......even a cold can of
Pepsi! We were treated like kings, so to speak, but not
bothered, either. Just real genuine people. I was the
ranking Moctobi sailor on board.......... the ONLY one,
but hey!
Oh yes, they (whoever THEY are) RENAMED the MOCTOBI to
LION and the QUAPAW to TIGER............. yeah, okay,
whatever.
Take care.
Gary
Second Email:
..............Another bit
of news, they cannot get the main propulsion motor to turn
over... (the electric motor)... they've broken the jacking gear
shaft a number of times and have the one from the Quapaw as
well. They did not break the gear or the shaft, just the wrench
extension. Apparently they aren't very good welders.
SO, they have decided to REMOVE the motor from the ship, send it
to a shop for rebuilding and testing, then have it reinstalled.
NOW we're talking money! I think that motor has not been out of
the ship since it was built. This may mean they are serious
about keeping this ship a working ship.
My neighbor and I went over to the ship yesterday with a dozen
and a half donuts for the crew.... (points).... and about a
dozen photos (including the one with you me and Sarge standing
at the mess hall door)... later the big boss (a Greek) came by,
saying he saw the photos, thanked me for the donuts and invited
me back aboard any time. This in front of the foreman and
several of the crew... which make it a point to let us know they
are NOT Russians, but rather CROATIANS! The crew is living on
board now... just about any place there is a bunk, there's
somebody's stuff... EXCEPT the Chief's quarters - nobody is
living there. The RADIO ROOM desk is now a bunk!! (above where
the spare teletype was kept). I didn't see if there was a safe
room at the back of the radio room... there is on the Quapaw.
One of the Greeks says both ships will be refurbished once they
get them to "friendly" waters where labor rates are cheap and NO
environmental restrictions to deal with. He said they don't
build ship's like this any more (heavy) and have a place in the
shipping world.
Several of the Croatians ares saying both will be scrapped. The
Greek foreman seems to think the Moctobi will be kept and the
Quapaw scrapped......... I need a set of magic dice.
Anyway, I want to see them pull that motor. I think it will have
to come up through the head... or thereabouts. The forward
bulkhead in the crew's compartment is the aft bulkhead of the
motor room... for reference. The picture today is the main motor
as of yesterday
- that's a 16 inch Crescent wrench showing. And those are the
deck plates on the left. It's a BIG MAMA!
Below: More photos
    
Email:
Radioman@OceanTugs.com
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