I just completed over twenty years of Maritime Service in Baltimore, MD.
I got me plenty of stories to tell! (Grammar)
So I will start by posting my story of the Steamship Columbus Mission my Army Unit was involved with at the mouth of the Potomac River back in the early 1990's.

The salvage operation was made up of Marine Archeologists, Army Divers, Army Tugboats, barges, 100 ton floating crane, and a civilian dive team, and of course some media. Being as I worked for the Baltimore Maritime Museum prior to gaining my position with the Army as a full-time Marine Machinery (dual-status) Technician, and assistant engineer on our then 1950’s 65 foot tugboat with the Atlas Imperial Engine.
I knew something about museum work, and a little about naval history. I had visited the famous South Street Seaport Museum in New York while still employed by the museum.

This day however, I was merely a spectator and soldier sitting on the deck of our watercrafts as the giant steamship engine was gently hoisted from its watery grave.
It was my understanding that this engine designed by Robert Fulton, would be the earliest example to be put on record! Why? Because the hall of records the original and later version steam engines burnt down some time in the late 1800’s from what I was told.

As our dive teams and the “Big Switch” derrick, gently lifted the historic engine to be cut in half (by torch) and then sent for restoration to South Street, and the other half the State of Maryland was supposed to get for display at the Inner Harbor.
I remember noticing a “rope ring” strung around the piston to provide for compression.
We finally lowered the half’s of the engine onto our barges for transport back to our pier, (across from the US Coast Guard Yard) to be shipped out by truck to there intended locations. The Marine Archeologists put sprinkler systems on the remains to help insure against further corrosion prior to shipping.

That night anchored on station, I can remember praying for the safety of our crews, we were well lit but I herd from the “BD” crew the following morning that a near miss had occurred overnight. The Big Derrick pitched and rolled as a ship had passed too close to it. I can remember thinking that all souls aboard the Columbus had perished by fire or drowning before the steamship went down.

The next part of the story was never reported to the newspapers, but I will bare testimony to it. When the artifacts were placed on our pier with the sprinkler systems in place, transport was supposed to occur within a day or two.
The semi showed up to rig one half of the engine for transport, the truck had a million dollar insurance policy on the engine half.
However, the young Marine Archeologist that dressed like Indiana Jones never showed up until the following week. He said that the artifacts were crumbling so badly that only a pile of rust remained. The other half of the engine must have made it to South Street Seaport Museum for restoration in the electric bath, but I never heard anything more of the fate of the Steam Ship Columbus’ Engine half.

• RE: Steamship Columbus Mission - Roland Dell 09/10/2007 20:17:10 EDT (3)