Topic starter
17/11/2007 7:16 pm
Greetings From Baton Rouge ,
Today I am in Baton Rouge , actually Port Allen , which is just accross the river from Baton Rouge , preparing to sail a Phillipino cargo ship and to my surprise , there is the Str. Delta Queen , laying at what is affectionatly know as the " Paper Clip " dock . Also , she is just ahead of the USS Kidd , a vintage WW II , naval destroyer which is part of a downtown effort to attract tourist and revitalize the CBD of Baton Rouge. Also , in the back ground is a large white building which is the former Louisiana State Capital building . The former state capital building is really a very unusual state structure from the stand point it has a close resemblance to a european castle and is quite ornate on the inside and adorned with beautiful stained glass and has been well restored and preserved . I believe it is also on the tour that the Queen's passengers take while in Baton Rouge . Hope you enjoy the pictures and if ever in Baton Rouge , taking time to see the former state capital building would well be worth your while .
Smoothe sailing !
Ted Davisson
17/11/2007 8:10 pm
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17/11/2007 9:10 pm
Does the Kidd float when the river's high?
18/11/2007 12:41 am
The Old Capitol Building is the Army Corps of Engineers' logo.
18/11/2007 1:53 am
David, those two blue scaffold looking things on the river side of the Kidd act just like a floating pin in a lock. The boat is attached to those two scaffolds which allows the boat to rise with the river yet not move an inch horizontally. If you look close you can see that both the Kidd's hull and the scaffold is stained with ol' Miss mud. When the river drops the "floating pin" arrangement allows the boat to settle easily/gently onto permanent cradles.
The first time Deb and I saw the Kidd, April 2004, she was up and floating we were told, though I suspect not by much. Looking at my pictures, the river was up to the next to the top 'box' of the scafolding and the top of the scaffolding was even with the middle of the forward gun turret. The river was about at the exact level that would have left the mud stain you see in Ted's pictures.
By the way, thanks Ted, really appreciate them...
18/11/2007 2:10 am
David, here you go...the river is a little higher here than we saw it in April 2004. If you look close you can see that the Kidd is attached to the scaffolding with what looks like big U-bolts, with the U-bolts sliding up/down on the round legs of the scaffolding as the boat rises and falls. From an engineering standpoint, I tip my hat...
18/11/2007 3:46 am
I forget when it happens, but there are occasions when they actually fire the Kidd's guns (with blanks, obviously). I found this out rather unexpectedly one day in BR when I was working on either the AQ or the MQ (I forget).
Sitting quietly at the Calliope Bar enjoying my customary Diet Coke with a lime while we were tied up at the Paper Clip, I suddenly and quite rudely became acquainted with the sound of those guns going off. I almost expected the Capt to give the command to prepare to repel boarders. OUCH
paul
18/11/2007 4:19 am
Thanks Bruno, that's about what I suspected, but didn't want to just assume!
The Delta King rides up and down the river levels on a similar set up--just never sets in a cradle.
18/11/2007 9:37 pm
Judy Patsch;8567 wrote: The Old Capitol Building is the Army Corps of Engineers' logo.
I believe the Corp logo is based on a building at U.S. Army Military Academy, West Point, N. Y. For many years the best engineering school in the country.