TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014
A World War II veteran is getting a stopgap coating job after 20 years while her tenders seek funds for a complete $3 million redo.
The aircraft carrier USS Yorktown CV-10, located at the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mt. Pleasant, SC, is having her starboard side painted from the main deck to the water—a project expected to take about eight months, according to the Patriots Point Development Authority.
|
|
| Photos: PatriotsPoint.org |
|
Patriots Point receives no state or federal funding, so the $190,000 paint job is being paid for by admissions and gift-shop sales. USS Yorktown was commissioned in 1943. |
The $190,000 job will take about 500 gallons of paint and is being funded through admissions, gift-shop sales, overnight camping and event rentals. Patriots Points does not receive state or federal financial assistance.
Cutting Costs
The Development Authority said it had spoken with state regulatory agencies and had determined that lightly removing the flaking paint and scale, without sanding or grinding, would be sufficient.
"We're doing this job as efficiently as we can," said Bob Howard, Patriots Point Operations Director. "To clean the ship to bare metal and apply a new coating system would cost well over $3 million.
"While that's ideal, funds that large simply aren't available. We chose an alternative that would help preserve the metal and make the ship look better for a few years while we identify the funding needed for the long-term solution."
A primer and topcoat are now being applied to the steel.
 |
|
Patriots Point plans to ask its board for funds to paint the port side next year. |
"By using our crews to do this work, we are saving hundreds of thousands of dollars," said Mac Burdette, Patriots Point Executive Director.
Patriots Point plans to request funds from the Development Authority board in the next fiscal year to paint the port side.
"She will shine when our guys are finished," Burdette added.
About Yorktown
Yorktown was the 10th aircraft carrier to serve in the U.S. Navy. The ship was called Bon Homme Richard while under construction, but she was renamed in honor of the Yorktown (CV-5) that sunk in the Battle of Midway in June 1942.
After less than 17 months of construction, the ship was commissioned on April 15, 1943. Yorktown was decommissioned in 1970 and towed in 1975 from New Jersey to Charleston, SC.
Tagged categories: Coating Application; Maintenance coating work; Marine Coatings; Paint application; Project Management; Shipyards; Surface preparation; U.S. Navy
