Sailing the Morgan
With the announcement of the Museum’s intention to sail the Morgan after her restoration, the scope and timeline of the project has changed.
Morgan Restoration
Fabricating the crane, testing the hull
Fabrication of the overhead crane in the lower hold should be completed next week. This assembly is highly engineered. It consists of four tracks on the underside of the lower deck, two on either side of the amidships stanchions, which support the deck beams
Milling exterior planking
The recent focus of the shipwrights’ efforts has been on milling exterior planking and ceiling for the Morgan. Much of the southern long leaf pine from Thomasville, Georgia, has already been milled and work will commence soon on some of the live oak.
Taking more hog out
After several weeks of effort, and leveraging the experience of the restorers of the USS Constellation, the Museum’s shipwrights have taken nearly three inches out of the hog.
Removing the hog
Currently the shipwrights’ priority is removing about half of the hog. Not all the 11 inch hog will be eliminated because over time some of it has been built into the vessel; therefore it is not practical to reduce it completely.
Cataloging the parts
Part of the restoration process is the cataloguing of materials removed from the vessel. The pole barn just north of the main shed will be emptied and used as a staging area. Key parts and items made of unique materials will be retained in accordance with National Park Service standards.
Stabilizing the hull
Approximately one third of the Morgan is original, including various planking, most of the ceiling, the keel and much of the framing. With this major restoration she will receive her fifth bowsprit and fifth lower foremast.
New ladder and landing platform
A new ladder and landing platform have been built for better access to the lower hold. It will not be open for most visitors, but may be used for escorted tours to get a closer look at the work in progress.
Replacing the crush blocks, again
Today the shipwrights replaced the crush blocks at the keel for the third time. Crush blocks are sacrificial soft wood pieces set on top of hard wood keel blocks which support most of the ship’s weight. As the hull settles, the crush blocks are pinched. They are removed with a chain saw and replaced.
Keeping the hull wet
The shipwrights are still working on developing an efficient method to keep the hull wet. The rain this past week has week helped. Additional applications of Bora-Care and AnchorSeal have been made to the starboard side, which has the benefit of locking in moisture because of their white reflective nature.