Shipyard: Kingdom of Bahrain
Approaching The Blocks!
You either crave the chaos or dread the countless grueling shifts! Preliminary schedules are pipe dreams. Unforeseen conundrums delay even the most organized crews. It often feels like the ship is on the edge of catastrophe.
This ship, the “Catawba”, was christened in 1979. It’s spent years sailing in the Persian Gulf. Scorching summers and winter swells are broken up by a few weeks of decent weather each year. The ship’s location keeps it stranded from proper resources and shore-side support.
The five year dry-dock in Bahrain was a typical repair period. Promising Gantt charts were comprised before the end of the first week. Yard workers (aka “yard birds”) range from stellar through mediocre to very inept. Language barriers test the patience of disgruntled sailors. Bobbing-head nods suggest comprehension but results commonly fail to meet expectations.
Off-loading the ship’s fuel was prolonged over multiple days. Yards of hose patched with duct tape flopped all over the deck as it carried fuel to decommissioned barges. The ship was grit blasted and skinned to bare metal. Grit, rust, and wasted paint enveloped the decks and ship’s house for days.
Twenty-three tanks are scattered throughout the Catawba. Shapes, sizes, and cargo vary. Stainless potable water tanks are submerged in aft saltwater ballast tanks, generators sit on top of the long but narrow bilge water tank, sewage tank access plates are covered by bunks in the lower berthing. It is a real cluster hump.
Droves of laborers were sent to tackle the most unpleasant jobs, spending days scrubbing the spaces with rags and undersized brushes. Ship’s crew inspected each tank no less than 3 times; sometimes more if yard birds failed to clean up after themselves.
Ship service diesel generator overhaul during previous repair period.
Riggers armed with clunky chain-falls hoisted metric tones of troubled and renewed steel through the bowels of the ship. Welders burnt holes in the skin of the ship, rejuvenating the rotting hull with fresh metal.
Rudder stocks were blue fitted to the rudders, both propellor shafts were pulled for inspection, and the controllable pitch propellers were exchanged for refurbished ones. Revolving shifts kept the operation going non-stop. Unfortunately, shipyard personnel floundered in keeping the work flow fluid. Technical corners were not cut although unorthodox practices were occasionally employed to pick up the pace.
Despite all the dilemmas, we reached completion and got her back in the water! Sea trails were a success and I signed off the vessel. I felt satisfied to have persevered through the ebbs and tides of the assignment.
