Another superb display by the folks on the USS SLATER, this page features before and after photos of the aft engine room, panoramic photos of two machinery levels, lists of all the machinery in the space, and a "donate" button at the bottom of the page. That beautifully restored Cleveland Diesel 8-268A was a recent project:

http://www.ussslater.org/tour/decks/platfrm2/b3/b3.html

Keep in mind that this ship originally had only vertical ladder access to this space through watertight closures, a provision of this class of WWII Destroyer Escorts. The ship was modified through the installation of conventional watertight doors between aft berthing and the two rear machinery spaces to allow access all on one level for visitors. This involved a lot of work by the crew, but greatly enhanced the accessibility and display value of the machinery compartments.

One of the finest museum ships in the world, USS SLATER is located in the Port of Albany, New York. If you have not visited it, you should consider doing so.

PC

FYI, Slater is currently in drydock, near NYC, a million dollar plus project. Following their progress on their FB page, they are getting a lot of work done. Some of the most impressive from my point of view is needle gunning/scaling of voids and tanks.

It also appears they have a flexible arrangement with the yard, that allows them to stay in the drydock as long as funding holds out. In other words, if they show progress and get more donations, they will be able to stay in longer.

Bob

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I was particularly impressed by the very comprehensive information presented on that page, which is typical of the entire USS SLATER website. There are lots of lessons to be learned from their technique and presentation. The pages on the site that list historically correct items of equipment they are seeking to complete the restoration are particularly interesting. Many good ideas that could be adapted by railroad museums for their own websites.

By the way, the vertical access to the engine room, which used to be the only access, is visible in the panoramic view from the lower level right above the freshly overhauled Cleveland Diesel 8-268A engine. Just tilt the view upwards and you can see the ladder and the WT trunk. You can see why they put all that effort into providing same level access to the upper platform level through a new WT door.

PC