Highlights From TC Drydock Repairs 10/11/01
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Aloha from the Townsend Cromwell!
October 11, 2001
The NOAA Ship TOWNSEND CROMWELL is currently drydocked in Barbers Point Harbor, on the island
of Oahu. We had to terminate our Coral Reef assessment cruise, TC-01-10, several days early after the ship hit a piece of
derelict fishing net near Maro Reef, which disabled our starboard propeller shaft. This is somewhat ironic, since our
next cruise is directed at removing marine debris, including abandoned fishing nets, from the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.
To repair the damage, the ship needed to 
be drydocked, to
allow workers to replace several bearings that support the starboard propeller shaft. The type of drydock we are in is
basically like a giant barge with very high sides. To get the ship into the dock, the drydock barge is first sunk, and
then the ship is positioned over it. Then compressed air is used to refloat the drydock barge back up underneath the
ship, raising the whole works up out of the water.
The whole process
took a few hours, as it was very important to ensure that the CROMWELL was exactly positioned on the blocks on the
drydock floor that will support her weight while out of the water. While the ship was high 
and dry, we also made some repairs to the steel hull plating near the bow. The repairs are
nearly complete, and we are looking forward to getting the ship back into the water and to getting started on our next
cruise, TC-01-11, Marine Debris Cleanup!
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