MADONNA FERRY PROJECT 23.0

All hull and superstructure spray painting was finished
by Wednesday, April 14.  Upper decks and main
deck non-skid finish will be rolled before Friday.
(all photos by Rich Ellefson)

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

This morning I typed up a blog, imported five photos, all of which took me about an hour.  Then I thought I uploaded the completed blog to the internet.  I didn't realize until some time later that only the last photo and last sentence made the internet (even though I had seen the posting in both a "preview" and what I thought was a "finished" or published state.)   All of which is to say, I need to recreate this piece as best I can now.

Main deck looking aft.

Rich Ellefson went down to the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding facility on Easter Sunday afternoon, anticipating high winds that could possibly keep him from a meeting Monday morning with a project manager.  (As it turned out the wind was brisk but didn't stop ferry runs on Monday.)

He then sent me a number of photos that show further painting progress.  Spray painting of hull, bulwarks and upper structure is nearly complete, save for touch-ups here and there.  The upper deck had about 50% of its surface rolled with a non-skid paint and may possibly be finished by now.  The main deck, which gets the most aggressive texture, will be rolled today and tomorrow (Wednesday & Thursday).

View from upper passenger deck toward bow.

The Madonna is now slated to be rolled out of the paint shop Friday and onto a floating dry dock positioned at the yard's south end.  The pilot house will be set sometime next week.  Propeller shafts will be installed, then propellers, and then rudders.  Propeller couplings will be mated to the output flanges of the reduction gears.  That will enable engine alignment to take place.

While still in dry dock, keel coolers will be snugged into place and the protective ice guards will be bolted over them.  The cooling system will be air pressure tested and verified by the Coast Guard before the dry dock is flooded and the hull set in water.  The transducer (depth sounding device) will also be installed in the hull.

Work will continue: wiring, piping, fitting out of equipment, installation of benches, heaters, toilet fixtures, fire fighting gear and so on.  Windows and doors will also be installed.  

Once the vessel is floating and major equipment in place (but not yet fueled), Naval Architect Mark Pudlo will take draft readings to verify load lines and judge whether the calculated amount of ballast called for still stands.  As of now, 9.3 cu. yds. of cement, roughly 37,600 lbs., will be poured into a starboard void to counter port heel caused by superstructure on that side that supports the upper decks.

As stated in previous postings, the fact that the new launch date (in this case the gradual flooding of the dry dock) of the Madonna will occur about one week later than the scheduled date of months ago,  and is of little consequence to the Ferry Line in the scheme of things.  It is imperative that painting be finished indoors, as modern epoxy coatings are sensitive to temperature and humidity.  The cold outdoor temperatures experienced during the past week would not have been at all good for any kind of outdoor painting.

Main deck looking forward.

It's hard to believe there are but seven weeks remaining, at most, before the ferry is ready to be delivered.  Just what will our corner of the world have in store for us by then is anyone's guess. Will lodging and dining businesses be open?   Will there be some degree of tourism, people able and willing to travel, by then?  

One bright spot today was the order for a load of fuel placed in the ferry this morning: lowest price per gallon for diesel in decades.
 
-  Dick Purinton