Restoration Plan for World War 1 Light Cruiser.

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Big Pete
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Restoration Plan for World War 1 Light Cruiser.

Post by Big Pete »

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picture ... me=2469576

The photographs show she is in a sorry state, but fairly well preserved for her age.
Acive service in both World Wars, including the Battle of Jutland and then a Reservist Training ship until 2011.

BP
It is always better to ask a stupid question than to do a stupid thing.
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JollyJack
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Re: Restoration Plan for World War 1 Light Cruiser.

Post by JollyJack »

On the outside, she looks well for her age, but paint can cover a multitude of sins, as we all know. I presume she has had a complete survey, including tanks, frames, stringers, floors etc?

Our Naval Memorial here in Halifax, NS, HMCS Sackville, is the last of the Flower class corvettes. She, too, looked good with new paint when she was gussied up for HM's review of the fleet and plaque presentation to her. She is berthed at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in the summer months, and in HM Dockyard, Halifax, in the winter, where the RCN Tiffies do regular maintenance. She is, however, showing her age in the hull plating behind the boiler and in the frames in the shaft tunnel. The plan down the road is to set her up as a permanent showpiece at the Maritime Museum. That will take time and money, of course, but DND and RCN are on board to a certain extent. The vast majority of the money needed comes from Corporate donations, grants, volunteer activities and Trustees of the Memorial (of which I am one). She is manned by volunteers, dressed in period, in the summer months, when tourists flock to the Halifax waterfront. The major reason she is what she is, is because of the volunteer time lavished on her.

http://canadasnavalmemorial.ca/

The river class destroyer, HMCS Frazer, was sold to a private trust for $1 when she was decommisioned, with the intent of preservation and exhibition of this unique class of warships. However, they ran out of money and the ship was derelict for years in the town of Bridgewater, NS. She could not be scrapped without removing environmental hazards like asbestos, PCBs etc, so she mouldered away. Eventually, she was given back to the Navy to made into razor blades. Not sure where she is now, but I'm sure you can buy decommisioned destroyer or submarine for a buck in Halifax, all you have to do is get rid of the nasties in her. :)
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offshoresnipe
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Re: Restoration Plan for World War 1 Light Cruiser.

Post by offshoresnipe »

Somewhat along the same lines, two good books on the salvaging of the WWI German High Seas Fleet.
Good reading and some great pictures and drawings. While reading the books I kept thinking no computers, calculators just slide rules and a very tough bunch of workers.

Cox's Navy
by Tony Booth

Jutland to Junkyard
by S.C. George
Big Pete
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Re: Restoration Plan for World War 1 Light Cruiser.

Post by Big Pete »

Another interesting story is that of the German Battlecruiser Goeben and Light Cruiser Breslau, at the start of the First World War they were in the Med and the RN tried to carch them, but there were mistaken orders given by the Admiralty in London and they managed to escape to Turkey, where the Germans gave them to the Turkish Navy as part of the deal to bring Turkey into the War on Germany's side.
The Goeben remained in commission in the Turkish Navy until the 1970's but I believe she has been scrapped now.

BP
It is always better to ask a stupid question than to do a stupid thing.
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