MADONNA - FINAL PUSH BEGINS - 26.0

Around 12 noon Thursday (today) the newly painted
Madonna pilot house was lifted onto its intended 
upper deck location.  (all photos by Rich Ellefson)

      


Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

Last evening Rich Ellefson sent a report on the day's progress, and he also outlined the many tasks to be tackled and completed today and tomorrow on the Madonna ferry project at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.  The fact that so much is being accomplished this week is quite stunning, many facets of the construction project all undertaken at once, by different trades, in different vessel locations.

Despite heavy frost the past few nights, paint crews continue
with touch-ups on the Madonna exterior.

Here is Rich's notes on Madonna work list, along with photos of the various activities:

 Lots of progress today on the Madonna. Here are a few of the highlights

1) Rudders with pintle bearings are installed 

2) Aluminum anodes installed

3) Steering jockey bar got installed

4) Working on pipe layout to ramp winches and through deck penetrations

5) First wiring got pulled top side for the bow shore power pedestal

6) Stern ramp is all tacked together in a jig and will be getting installed first thing in the morning

7) Bow ramp is tacked together in a jig and should be ready by morning for install

 8) Lots of progress in the engine room on piping and electrical, spent most of my time today on finalizing layout and routing questions

9) CO2 system layout had a few glitches and am currently working with the pipefitters on optional piping layout, manifold for the CO2 interferes with toilet drain line. Mark designed the sewage system but not the CO2 system, that was Hiller, so interference just became apparent today. Should be a minor correction on Bayship's part and no cost to us

In the previous blog, ramp sections were laid out on the shop
floor.  Here, they've been temporarily fastened together with
steel angle, to facilitate installation.  A long round bar will
insert from one end, providing the hinge to hold
the sections in place.

The  schedule for tomorrow morning is to set the stern ramp at 0700, they are figuring a few hours to get it installed. The bow ramp will be installed right after the stern ramp mid-morning. The pilothouse is getting the last coat of paint tonight and is scheduled to come out of the shop around 10am tomorrow. They will be setting the pilothouse on board around lunchtime.

This photo, just added during Thursday's noon hour, 
shows the stern ramp suspended from an overhead crane, 
awaiting the fastening pin to secure it in place.

While all this is going on they will be finishing all the black painting on the side from manlifts and then Steve wants the red and  blue stripes painted by tomorrow night. We are scheduled to launch the Madonna early Friday morning and get towed around to berth 9 (right by Steve's office). I have a tentative time for Mark Pudlo to come out after lunch on Friday (weather permitting) to get all the initial freeboard measurements. Steve feels we are still in good shape to hit all these milestones in the next 48 hours. They really want to be ready for the concrete ballast by Monday or Tuesday at the latest. They need the concrete installed for final engine alignment to begin, which is scheduled to take 5 days. I'm heading back out to the drydock to meet with the second shift workers and answer any layout questions. Bayship has definitely put their foot on the gas this week and the questions are coming a lot faster than in any previous week. We probably had 20 folks working on the vessel today. It is really starting to look amazing and the workers are taking a lot of pride in the boat, which is really nice to see and hear from them.

You're in the engine room here, looking down
at one of the propeller shafts.  A soft strap and
chain wrapped around the shaft help to coax the shaft
flange - and support it - against the output flange
of the gear (at left) as engine alignment is achieved 
to within hundredths.  A chock fast product will then
support the engine in place on the engine frame.

You're in the steering room, the sternmost compartment, looking across
from one rudder postto another.  They are connected by a strong square tube,
called a "jockey bar," that will enforce simultaneous movement of both rudders.
 In recent years, Coast Guard regs require a main steering system,
and then an independent, back-up system, i.e.,  second
steering pump and PH controls.

Close-up of jockey bar (steering bar) attached to the
top of the rudder post.

A rather benign photo, but the cable end shown above represents
hours of pulling, bending, and laying out of what will be the
shore power connection in the bow, leading to an engine room
junction box where power can be distributed for lighting, fans, etc.
when the ferry is moored.

In the past I've posted one blog per week, at the very most, in order to capture progress.  This is the third posting this week, and it may not be the last!   

There's been amazing production over a very short time, owing to the many tradesmen being assigned, to pre-planning, and the coordination of various components, suppliers and yard shops.       - Dick Purinton

Port rudder installed, with one of several "zincs"
 - in this case aluminum anodes - are bolted to the ice horn.  
These are sacrificial metals
to help reduce the threat of electrolysis pitting
and removal of  essential elements in hull or propeller.