A full Coast Guard inspection would be required before the Battleship North Carolina could be declared seaworthy. (StarNews file photo)
From Capt. Terry Bragg, executive director of the Battleship North Carolina:
“Now that repairs are completed to the starboard bow, the ship is considered sound and ready for continued service as the state of North Carolinian’ WWII Memorial. Dredging of the slip, refloating and a full Coast Guard inspection would be required before a certification as ‘seaworthy’ is warranted. Plans for additional hull repairs to the rest of the ship will include hull plate replacement similar to what was done on the starboard bow, removal of 1.5 million gallons of ballast water, additional underwater inspections and ultimately floating of the ship in its current berth here on Eagles Island.”
Date posted: December 14, 2011
User-contributed question by:
Charles Walters
Seaworthy? No way, no how. Will the boilers work? Will the steering mechanism work? All of the radar, radio and communications gear is obsolete. I’m confident there are many other systems that are obsolete. My guess is just about everything in the ship would have to be scrapped and modern systems installed. However, it is a great honor to have the battleship museum in Wilmington. Anchors aweigh!