[Marine Preservation] S.S. Catalina Update

survivingworldsteam · **Posted:** Mon Aug 13, 2007 3:57 pm

The following was sent out by the owner of the sscatalina group on Yahoo:

Quote:

t looks very much like if anyone wants to see, or say goodbye to the
SS Catalina, they better do it in the next month or so, as her
scrapping seems to be imminent.

I spoke with Dave Engholm who will be down in Ensenada until around
August 21, and he said that the scrapping contracts are in
negotiation, now.

As he has been from the beginning, and will be to the bitter end,
Dave is trying to save at least the Pilot House and the stack if
possible, for the Island Museum, but he has received no funding, nor
help from anyone, including the various SS Catalina Preservation
groups, official and private efforts. All of my emails to the
National Trust, Nautical Museums, CA State Agencies, LA County
Agencies, etc. have all gone unanswered to this date, and it has been
several months. So it seems that she is been completely abandoned by
all the "Preservation" groups and agencies and left to be destroyed
in the next few months.

If anyone want to get down and see her for the last time, I would
schedule it immediately. If anyone knows of anyone who will be going
down by boat in the next two weeks, I would like very much to take my
son down to see her before she is gone, and if we could "hitch a
ride" that would be great, or I will just have to drive down ASAP.

If any of the Groups have any residual funds from contributions still
in their coffers, now is the time to give them up to this last effort
to save anything from her history for the future generations. It also
is the last chance to get public awareness, through newspapers and
publications, of just how this irreplaceable piece of maritime
history, city, state and regional history has been lost, forever.

I just thought that everyone should know the situation immediately,
and if someone knows of a boat ride down, they can email me directly
at tcamartin@charter.net.

Ted Martin (Owner of EGroup)

Bobk · **Posted:** Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:40 pm

What is sad is that the triple expansion steam engine will be cut up. To bad it couldn't be pulled out and sent home for display.

Jim Baker · **Posted:** Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:44 pm

Too bad, but I imagine after being mostly under water for so many years, it would really be some job to put the engine (or what's left of it) in even displayable condition.

If you want to see a really nice triple expansion engine, go to the Maritime Museum of San Diego. One of their ships is the ex SOUTHERN PACIFIC (railway connection here) San Francisco Bay ferry "BERKELEY." They have electric motors connected to the propellor shaft somewhere up in the shaft alley where you can't see them. The motors turn the engine at a fairly slow rpm. So, it isn't just a static disply, but everything is moving, as if it was actually under steam.

They also have an OPERATING steam yacht, the MEDEA, but you can only see into the engine room from above.

mxdata · **Joined:** Thu Jun 16, 2005 11:54 am **Posts:** 609

The triple expansion engine from New England Steamship Company SS NOBSKA still exists, at last report in a warehouse in Fall River, Massachusetts, taken apart and with pieces missing. However the website is still sailing along, asking for donations to pay the lawyers more than a year after the ship was scrapped.