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 JOHN GASTALDO / Union-Tribune The Lewis and Clark slid into the water last night at a ceremony attended by thousands. The Navy combat cargo ship is longer than two football fields. It is the first of its type to be built. |
Posted on 05/22/2005 1:38:48 PM PDT by bkwells
By Michael Stetz
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 22, 2005
JOHN GASTALDO / Union-TribuneThe Lewis and Clark slid into the water last night at a ceremony attended by thousands. The Navy combat cargo ship is longer than two football fields. It is the first of its type to be built.
With much pomp and circumstance and lots of grease to help the big thing slide down the sled and not, heaven forbid, get stuck; the Navy ship Lewis and Clark was launched last night.
It had been four years since National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. had launched a ship in such a tradition-rich way, so this one was celebrated big time.
Thousands attended and speeches were made. Champagne bottles were smashed against the bow.
And, at 7:56 p.m., the ship hit the waters of San Diego Bay.
"I still get teary-eyed," said Riley Johns of Lemon Grove, who has worked at NASSCO for more than 31 years. "It;s always exciting. And I;ve seen a bunch of them."
It took six days of prep work and a lot of sweat to have the 41,000-ton ship slide, oh, a few hundred feet and get its first taste of sea.
Give that goo; slathered along the sled; an assist for making the magic moment happen. It's just one key element in getting a giant ship such as the Lewis and Clark a state-of-the-art combat cargo ship into the water.
And talk about a sight. When the moment came, the ship it's longer than two football fields moved slowly and gracefully.
The incline is 15 percent. The weight of the ship and the friction it causes is so great the grease can actually smoke.
The ship went stern first the big propeller leading the way because if it went bow first, look out. The ship's momentum could force the bow to cut deeply into the water and hit bottom or create a giant splash.
Instead, it made a nice little wake. It began floating peacefully in the bay. Tug boats snared it. And the world's greatest Navy has a new ship in the water.
"It was pretty spectacular," said Dennis Nowlan of Normal Heights, who came with his wife, Pam. They have lived in the area for 20 years and had never seen such a thing. So, on a pretty Saturday night, with a big moon in the sky, they hit the shipyard.
The public as well as NASSCO employees and their families were invited. More than a few dressed up. Fireworks went off.
The big, tough ship even sported balloons.
Not all ships are launched like this anymore. Many are constructed in so-called "graving docks" because they are more efficient work spaces. The area is flooded when the ship is ready for sea. And the ship rises.
Efficient, sure.
Dull? Most certainly.
This was not. "Pretty cool," said Charles Brown, a relatively new employee at NASSCO. A pipe fitter, he bought along his son, Luis, 9.
Descendants of Lewis and Clark, the famed explorers, were on hand to christen this ship. That ceremony, which dates back centuries, simply has to be done. It's for good luck, of course.
The day before, they practiced hitting the bow with fake wooden bottles. Jane Lewis Sale Henley, the fourth great-niece of Meriwether Lewis, was one of the people swinging the bottle. The other was Lisa Clark, the great-great-great-great-granddaughter of William Clark.
Henley was not nervous. She was getting a lot of advice, she said. "People tell me, Swing hard. "
The bottles were covered in red, white and blue wrapping, to prevent glass shards from, like, hitting a rear admiral or a member of Congress.
When the bottles are smashed, that's the signal for workers to release the metal latch that holds back the ship. It's called a trigger. And away goes the ship.
Sometimes, though, nothing happens. One story involves movie great John Wayne, who was present at a Navy christening when the ship failed to move. The crowd cheered and yelled at Duke to do something. He moved toward the ship and lo and behold it began its descent. Last night, no chiseled actor was needed.
The timing of the ship's launch had nothing to do with dignitaries schedules. Nature was in control. The ship was launched at high tide.
The Lewis and Clark, which took 4 million manhours to plan, design and build, is a vital new part of the Navy. It and others in its class will replace older cargo ships that were limited in moving key supplies. The new class of ships can haul both fuel and ammunition.
It's the first of eight to be built, at a price tag of $2.5 billion. Another four may be approved, as well. The contract has helped spark new life into NASSCO. It's the biggest job ever for the company.
The launch doesn't mean the Lewis and Clark is ready for duty. Workers will finish it at its berth. It'll be ready to go by January.
But last night, it proved one big thing:
It floats.
Michael Stetz: (619) 293-1720;
Ping!
Whooo hooo! Build more more, I want more ships and bombers and stuff that makes the bad guys go *POOF* :)
Bless her and all who will sail upon her.
Thanks for the article!
Thanks Master Chief bkwells
PING!
General Characteristics: Lewis and Clark Class
Length: 689 feet (210 meters)
Beam: 106 feet (32.31 meters)
Draft: 29.5 feet (8.99 meters)
Full Load Displacement: 40,539 long ton (41,187.62 metric tons)
Speed: 20 knots (23 mph)
Range: 14,000 nautical miles @ 20 knots
Max Dry Cargo Volume: 1,388,000 cubic feet
Max Cargo Fuel Volume: 26,000 barrels
Ships:
Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1)
Nice. I remember reading about how we needed to use a bunch of non Navy ships to transport equipment before we took Iraq. This ship is going to really help out
Does anyone know how much a non military cargo ship costs? Less than 2.5 billion?
Kind of resembles the old Puget Sound AD-38.
Master Chief, What is she?
Me too :) Add to that offensive space weapons :)
I think that's $2.5 billion for eight of them. Three-hundred million (or so) each.
Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station...
The Feds are paying $200 million for a bridge in Alaska to serve an island with 50 people. Cancel the bridge toss in another $100 Million and they can have a boat to go visit the island. I really doubt the taxpayers paying for this party, would have any plans for the money if it was not taxed away from them anyway.
Is the author, like, in high school?
See post #7.
Done, and thanks.
I noticed that too, also the repeated use of "sled" when for generations, a launched ship "slid down the ways".
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