23 December 2003

 Restoration Log 32

Happy Holidays!

Ben Koether, Chairman

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all and on behalf of the crew and membership let me send you heartfelt thanks for your support. 

We have been silent for a while, two reasons: First I have been in Europe and second we were aboard ship again in December with members of the American Geophysical Union who were holding their annual Convention in San Francisco. The ship is all secured and ready to move to the pier.

But we need your ongoing support to keep the Glacier Society going! If you can, please consider making a year-end financial contribution by clicking on DONATE at the left.

Here is the SITREP:

Kvaerner Masa, visit: http://www.masamarine.com/ and look for Icebreakers, sent a designer to visit the ship and they have subsequently presented a proposal for beginning the redesign process. They were very supportive of the project and believe it is indeed feasible. This is very big news and we will be proceeding with these discussions early next year.

DNV also sent a surveyor who paralleled Kvaerner and our team. We entered voids and found them to be in excellent condition. A complete inspection will be accomplished once we are along side the pier in preparation for placing the ship in Class.

Teco-Westinghouse inspected the main propulsion motors and the generators and cleared them for being placed back on line. They also conducted a class in motor design and maintenance for our work crew. We all enjoyed being back in class.

We received the okay to proceed to pier 80 after the successful election of the new Mayor Newsome in the City of San Francisco. We are completing the movement details ASAP and hope to shift the week of FEB 17th 2004. As soon as the movement details are confirmed with all the parties we will send out the detailed movement plan. 

We received aboard a team of scientists who previously cruised on the ship and discussed new modifications to the compartments and structure so as to make Glacier State of the Art Science capable. Kvaerner participated and contributed their Icebreaker knowledge. This was a giant step forward.


The Arctic Research Commission Executive team, Capt. Newton & Dr. Garry Brass, also participated. Visit: http://www.arctic.gov/. 

The only barrier remaining in front of Glacier's sailing is the lack of funding and we have robust plans to attack and solve that issue just as we have every other issue since the day we began this effort. Keep the faith we will prevail.

Ben Koether
Chairman Glacier Society

02 September 2003

 Restoration Log 29

Welcome to high technology! I am writing you and sending email via wireless e-mail at the airport. I will be traveling constantly until our SNAME World Technology Conference in San Francisco October 17 to 20. This will be a good opportunity for you folks on the West Coast to meet the crew, visit the ship, and see a good show. Visit the web site for details.

Our Big News: We have a new Vice President of Communications and Development &Steve Johnson. Steve brings a record of achievement at the highest levels in non-profit management. He served as President of AmeriCares or ten years. That group distributes medical supplies and care worldwide. 

Jim Echoff, has been appointed the Restoration Site Coordinator for the Crew and MARAD. Jim has spent nearly 100 days aboard ship at MARAD. He knows every inch of Glacier and is committed to ride her to sea!

We are on track with various grant requests and we are building momentum with new volunteers dedicated to this task. We hope to be generating a high volume of specific targeted funding requests in the months ahead. Steve Johnson will be spearheading this effort.

Victoria Ship Yards is sending a team to generate a ROM budget for our major overhaul to place Glacier into class . We will be meeting in San Francisco soon. San Francisco Dry Dock has already made an effort in this regard. Other shipyards have been invited to participate in the process.

SBC Communications has presented its first proposal for the new phone system. Our Volunteers onboard ship will review the plan and we will prepare to move forward with the installation in the near future.

Taylor Environmental has agreed to donate materials to rebuild ICEBUCKET and equip her with heat and air conditioning. Just the equipment we need to support our Youth Program.

Southern New England Telephone (SNET) has pledged to give The Glacier Society five cents of every dollar you spend on the long distance calls you make from your home.

There are absolutely no extra out-of-pocket costs for you. When you make in-state, out-of-state, international and calling card calls, SNET will aggregate your calls and the calls of other folks who are joining you in this effort. Then, SNET will send us a check for 5% of the cost of all those long-distance calls.

To help us get this money from SNET, all you need to do is: call 1-800-635-7638 and tell them you want five cents of every dollar you spend on long-distance calls to go to the Glacier Society and use the following code: 3140.

Ben Koether
Chairman Glacier Society
203-856-1469 Cell
415-686-0350 Cell 

06 August 2003

 Restoration Log 29

Work resumes July 7th for two weeks, please join the Team!

1. Summer is always a hard task for volunteer organizations. Thank the Lord we have such a dedicated core crew membership that keeps things moving ahead while lots of families take their vacations. I am one!! Lately I have been receiving emails asking where are you? Well I am taking care of family obligations…. but do not worry things are moving along…. we have a dedicated crew!

2. We are sending this to almost 4,000 addressees tonight. Only one addressee kicked up questionable as I entered the mail program. Thanks to Vickie’s diligence in editing the database. 

3. Crew work continues daily as scheduled. Lots of progress on many fronts. Last month we had SBC Communications aboard and we are expecting a new phone switch to be installed soon. This will be a great addition and an essential part of the ship’s equipment configuration for coming to the pier. Communications via voice to our supporters, and security forces, will be essential to our success.

4. We sorted out shore power cables, boarding ladder, electrical connections, sound systems, and dozens of other details last month and this week.

5. The pier move remains an issue related to California political maneuverings. We are hard on the case, but please realize the peoples minds are focused elsewhere at the moment…did you watch TV tonight? ...Maybe things will get better after the first of September, please make a prayer and, “keep the faith” we the people will prevail and move Glacier into San Francisco soon. 

6. I realized tonight that Walnut Creek, CA is the town with the largest number of dedicated supporters making scheduled trips to Glacier. THREE CHEERS to Walnut Creek!

7. The staff at GS HQ is working on new marketing materials and program development…that means fundraising. Our needs besides the ship are software and equipment to support our growing list of volunteers who are showing up at HQ in CT to work for the Society. We are bringing on board new volunteers daily back East, a great sign that our work is gaining recognition. THANKS TO YOU SHIP BOARD VOLUNTEERS!


Ben Koether
Chairman Glacier Society
203-856-1469 Cell
415-686-0350 Cell 

03 July 2003

 Restoration Log 28

Work resumes July 7th for two weeks, please join the Team!

1. We had a very productive month in June. Outstanding team of volunteers and a record number of people, both repeats and new. Please visit www.glaciersociety.org/commmunicate/volunteer.list.htm here you will see all the volunteers listed. If your name is not there you know what to do! This month was a big highlight for the ships systems are coming on line smoothly. We have a great team of talented and cooperative man & women working smoothly together in spite of their great separations by time and space and the difficult working conditions. Before I left last week we sounded the ships whistle, piped the crew to take a break and get into the hammocks for a rest! We sounded the alarms, collision, chemical, etc. And they all worked! We are all proud of the engineers and skilled workers who designed and built such a magnificent ship. It is truly an amazing tribute to our country's character that this ship and all it's systems are coming back after so many years of neglect with so little effort.

2. Big News! The ASME, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, has approved Glacier's nomination as a "Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark" There is more work to do, but the award should be officially announced in the fall. This was a team effort lead by Joseph C. DeFranco, P.E. An outstanding example of what one fresh volunteer can bring to lead our members to new successes.

3. Both the Port & Starboard anchor chains are bent on and both windlass sets are working. Pelican hooks are set and the anchors are ready to run.

4. All ventilation fans are running in their proper directions. And the ship is full of fresh air. This is the first time I could smell no trace of musty orders. The ship is alive and feels ready to go!

5. We completed the ultrasonic and visual inspections of the hull plates and voids under the direction of Edge Testing of Benicia, CA. You can see photos of Joe Arvizu and his team on the web site. The measurements showed more than enough steel in the hull and welded closure plates. Most significantly, the voids were very clean with just surface rust and no scaling or structural degradation. Conclusion: Glacier will pass into class without a problem. 

6. The Benicia Sea Scouts have reconditioned our MSB and they cruised me to observe Glacier from the waters edge. The next day they volunteers aboard Glacier and cleaned up the mess created when we lit off the ventilation fans. GREAT JOB! Meeting these find youngsters made the past 5 years work all worth it! Each of you has helped, thanks.

7. All watertight hatches & void covers are closed except a few hatches we need to reach the engineering spaces to light off power for the windlass. All mooring lines are flaked out and ready to run. New flags and signal halyards are rigged, we are ready to move to the pier.

8. Visit www.glaciersociety.org/press/061003press.htm to see Congressman Simmons Award.

9. The 1MC made a call for all hands last month for the first time in 15 years, PERFECTLY!

10. We are working out the troubles with the sound powered phone circuits, and expect volunteer assistance from Northern Telecom to fix our broken dial telephones. We should know about this next week. Pier 80 becomes available July 5th as the MARAD lease expires, we are hard at work to secure a lease, stand by.


Ben Koether
Chairman Glacier Society
203-856-1469 Cell
415-686-0350 Cell 

06 June 2003

 Restoration Log 27

WORK BEGINS Monday June 9th for two weeks, see you on board!

The ship will be ready to move after this month's effort that will complete the ultrasonic survey of the hull plates and the installation of the anchor gear. We will meet with USCG MSO, tugs, Pilots, and set a window for the move, SF Pier 80 remains the target.

I'd like to share just a bit of our mail with you, here are edited reports from the ship & others this past few weeks, and italics are my comments. I think you will gain an appreciation of the effect we are having. Please, if you cannot participate aboard ship, send in some cash to help these men and women who are bringing the Glacier alive. They need and deserve your financial support. Remember moving alongside the pier takes CASH DOLLARS as well as volunteers. 
Make a written reminder now...visit the secure web site and join or make your contribution on line...www.glaciersociety.org


Glacier Restoration Crew 05.14.2003 Jim Echoff (USCG Ret.) Reporting:
First thing......................... We will get anchor chain tomorrow, Thurs 5/15. 
Here is the drill: MARAD found some 2 1/4" chain, they started taking it off of one of the ships…. so we will get the chain right before or after (MARAD's) lunch. The crane will make sure we have the chain secured in the chain locker and are pulling it aboard. IF, we run out of time and there is still chain on the barge, at quitting time, they will take the remainder of the chain, and place it in front of the ship. Then, next month, the remainder of the chain can be brought aboard and put into the chain locker. 
As for today, work continued. Werner Pels, Frank Wright, Don Pomplun, Ernie Kelley, and myself where present. Worked on cleaning up deck areas, worked on alarms & tracing wire to vent motors. Placed 3 signal halyard lines on the port side, could only get 1 on the starboard side. It is going to take someone who wants to climb the stick and go out on the yardarms to finish this job. Ben has volunteered his son; we will complete preparations for the new flag bags in June. The new sets of signal flags arrived! We are ordering new service ribbon plaques to be mounted on the Bridge Wings.

Great effort today, both on the vent system & anchor chain projects. (The exhaust ventilation fan on the Port side is now reinstalled and fully operational and the Port anchor chain is complete, we will finish the other in June)) Frank continued his rust cleanup and he and Ernie took lots of pictures. (We are working to get these excellent photos of the chain loading this week at GS HQ).

"Be sure and copy Brent (A new volunteer, Welcome aboard Brent!) on all the Emails - we may have him hooked"
Bill Jones
Krogh Pump Company Benicia, CA

"I should be able to help with some prep and the move. I have helped in the past (okay, only once), but I am making myself available to help with the move. Please keep the info coming."
-David Blackwell
ET3, USCG DF '80, '81, '82

"Elaine and I would like very much to be part of the move. Mike and Nancy Devine want to be part of this also. We are anxiously (but not more anxiously than you, I'm sure) waiting the actual date so we can get reservations, etc. Would staying at the Best Western in Benicia be the most
central location? Is there a better place? We're just full of questions that you will probably answer in due time."
Frank Brown, USN (Ret.) Hospital Corps man who has worked on the restoration and helped keep our crew members alive and well in 1959, he and his wife brought the Devine family along, great fun to share this with them.

Thanks to all volunteers:
I initially joined in order to forward your messages to one of your alumni, CPO Richard Zinser. 
Thank you for your service to our country."
Ed Wood USCG (Ret.)
Sparta, TN

Old Sailors Never Give Up Hope!
Currently, June 9 - 20 are open for me, not accounting for falling in love.
Regards,
Don

Ben, Yes, I would like to join the crew for the cruise to SF. I expect I can be a more helpful volunteer once the Glacier is dockside in SF and available weekends. I mentioned to Jim, yesterday, I have experience painting and would be happy to contribute in that way. Also, I like to cook and would be interested in helping in the Galley with food service when you get to that point. 
Cheers! Bob Nordhausen, USN, Ret.

Ben, I definitely want to be part of the crew for the move. It will be great to get her into San Francisco where we can work on weekends. Then I can put in much more time. I will stay flexible during this period. GREAT WORK, BEN!! (He means all of you!)
Mike Milligan.

Ben Koether
Chairman

Glacier Society, Inc.
905 Honeyspot Road
Stratford, CT 06615
www.glaciersociety.org
203-375-6638 Office
866-ICE-PLAY Toll Free