Wed, Dec 06, 2006
Crews Succeed In Moving WWII Carrier For Refurbishing
The first attempt a month ago ended only a few feet from the
dock, with the mighty ship's stern mired in Hudson River silt...
but on Tuesday, crews finally succeeded in pulling the USS
Intrepid away from its berth on Manhattan's west side.
The trip almost didn't happen, however... again. The New York
Times reports the ship once again refused to budge for the first 25
minutes that crews tried to pull the ship away from the pier. Just
before 9 am Tuesday morning, however, the ship started to move.
"We got it!" said Pat Kinnier, who oversaw the towing operation
as a crowd of about 100 looked on from the neighboring pier.
As Aero-News reported, the
first attempt to move the Intrepid ended almost as soon as it began
on November 6. US Navy crews spent have three weeks since then
dredging to free the ship's massive propellers from the river
floor. And this time around, instead of just one tugboat pulling
the ship... crews used three.
"More is better than less," Kinnier said.
The WWII-era aircraft carrier -- which has served as the
Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum for nearly 25 years -- is bound
for drydock in Bayonne, NJ, where its hull will be sandblasted and
repainted. Crews in Manhattan will use the time to rebuild Pier 86,
the Intrepid's home since 1982.
The Intrepid is due to return to the pier in the fall of 2008,
with its exhibit spaces completely reconditioned. Its impressive
fleet of airplanes and helicopters will also sport new paint
jobs.
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