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. In addition to providing the shipwrights with leverage to remove large pieces of the Morgan‘s structure, the outboard tracks will support the edge of the lower deck, when it is disengaged from the clamp. Heavy steel rods will extend from these tracks up through the main deck, where they will be secured.
Non-destructive testing of the hull and fasteners will begin soon. The technique used is sonic testing, which is also utilized to monitor the surprising number of wooden bridges around New England. Not only will the tests indicate the condition of the framing and planking it will also help the shipwrights assess the feasibility and desirability of additional remediation of the hog.
Approximately one half of the hog has been eliminated, which was the original goal. There is a definite change in the shape of the hull, evidenced by movement in the vessel’s sheer lines and the downward sloping of the gangway at the top of the stair tower. This was precisely level at time of completion. Work on the hog has been suspended pending an evaluation.
Milling will recommence this week. A couple of the shipwrights have been culling the “Katrina” live oak at the rear of the main parking lot. They have identified the pieces to be cut for the new stem and several knees. As part of the hog remediation process, the bow has been raised somewhat. Because much of the bow is newer material from previous restorations, in some ways it is a separate structure. Part of the engineering puzzle will be to provide enough longitudinal strength to join the older and newer portions of the hull and to resist the hull’s normal tendency to hog.