some cool boat stuff

[Daddyo]

A few boats of interest at least to me. The first boat is the Sterling Atlantic. The ship is the worlds only nuclear powered commercial craft. The buoy pic is the spot where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. The wood boats are our famous Chesapeake oyster buy boats and the other are steel serious passagemakers.



-- Edited by Daddyo on Friday 26th of November 2010 07:28:54 AM

 

[Moonstruck]

Daddyo wrote:

A few boats of interest at least to me. The first boat is the Sterling Atlantic. The ship is the worlds only nuclear powered commercial craft. The buoy pic is the spot where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. The wood boats are our famous Chesapeake oyster buy boats and the other are steel serious passagemakers.



-- Edited by Daddyo on Friday 26th of November 2010 07:28:54 AM

Daddyo, the bouy is called the Stars and Stripes Bouy for obvious reasons.* A little anecdote.* I have a picture of my grandson when he was 9 years old with the bouy in the background.* He was very interested in it, and asked how they knew exactly where it should be placed.(it is removed in winter).* I said that I don't know, that he should ask someone who had knowledge.* He sent an e-mail to the Baltimore Public Library.* They did not have the answer, and referred him to the history section of the library at the University of Maryland.* They didn't have the answer, so referred him to the National Park Service.* The ranger in charge of Fort McHenry gave him an answer.* He said that he had never been asked that, but the answer is that they do not know the exact location.* The bouy is placed at the approximate distance down stream.* It is located out of the channel west of the Frances Scott Key Bridge.* He said the ship was probably anchored in the channel somewhere near the bridge location.* Leave it to a nine year old to ask the question.* I might add that all facilities contacted put a researcher on it.* When they didn't find the answer, they replied and forwarded the inquiry on.* They could not have been nicer.

*

 

[Fotoman]

Very cool story Don.

 

[bshanafelt]

We met the designer of the Sterling a couple of years ago in Nanaimo.* He and his wife liked the boat so much, they bought one for themselves.

They spent a couple of years doing the loop and then trucked the boat up here to the PNW where he took a job for a local boat builder.* They now cruise around these parts.

She is one great looking, albiet somewhat retro and a very comfortable vessel.


This pic is at Pirates cove Gulf Islands

 

[RT Firefly]

Hiya,
** Whoa there Mr. Daddyo.* Are you saying that 1930's ish cruiser (first boat)*is nuclear powered?* I gotta get one of those!

 

[Daddyo]

That 30ish cruiser is the Sterling Atlantic a new boat designed to be retro. The ship is the Savannah, it has been a freighter and a cruise ship, it is currently undergoing refit to be a cruise ship. She used to be in Norfolk for years now in Baltimore.

-- Edited by Daddyo on Friday 26th of November 2010 06:45:58 PM

 

[Daddyo]

The first boat is a 50 foot cold molded beauty built by her 70ish owner, his first build! A one off Sparkman & Stevens designed aluminum canoe stern work of art! Atlantic City, NJ from 4 miles out. A stunning Morris toy $1.5mil.

-- Edited by Daddyo on Friday 26th of November 2010 06:45:18 PM

 

[Marin]

Speaking of nuclear-powered commercial ships, the first one was the NS Savannah, which entered service in about 1962. I was a kid in Hawaii at the time and my mother worked for the mayor of Honolulu, Neil S. Blaisdell. The Savannah called at Honolulu not long after her entry into service and my mom and I were given a a stem-to-stern tour of the ship by the captain. I don't remember much about it other than it was a pretty neat-looking ship. They had some pertty snazzy staterooms for passengers who wanted to travel on a freighter.* My mom talked about doing this to go to wherever the Savannah was headed next but we didn't. Actually, a lot of freighters had these sorts of accommodations back then.

The Savannah still exists somewhere on the east coast where I understand there is a movement to turn it into some sort of museum. The nuclear power plant was removed some time ago.



-- Edited by Marin on Friday 26th of November 2010 06:45:21 PM

 

[Daddyo]

Marin,
She is the Savannah. Though you can't see it in my pic she has great lines which were more visible when she was in Norfolk on the ICW.

 

[Marin]

Sorry, you said it was the Savannah but I zoned out and thought I'd read Atlantic, which was the name of the boat in another one of your shots.

The Soviets also built some nuclear-powered commercial ships during the same timeframe--- the Savannah was the US government's idea to beat them to it.

 

[ARoss]

Savannah was moored at Patriot's Point, north of Charleston SC for years, along with a carrier, a sub, etc. I toured aboard in the late 80's and it was pretty much a rusty hulk. Glad to see some use will be made of her.