Posted on Friday, May 28, 2010 by Peter Knego
MT GETTYSBURG arrived at BAE Systems for cleaning on Friday, May 21, 2010. Photo by James Tagliani 2010.
The 1957-built liquid bulk tanker GETTYSBURG is the latest ship to depart Suisuin Bay for BAE Systems in San Francisco for hull cleaning prior to being towed to Brownsville, Texas, where she will be scrapped. The eighth ship of some 55 slated for disposal by 2017 (the 20 worst of which will be gone by 30 September 2012), she was built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company as the ESSO GETTYSBURG for Esso Shipping Company. The 27,300 dwt ton ship had a service speed of 18.3 knots and was built with provisional military service in mind. In 1977, she was renamed EXXON GETTYSBURG and in 1987, joined the reserve fleet at Suisuin Bay where she was renamed GETTYSBURG in 1989. The handsome two island type tanker was put on the scrapping list in 2006. Special thanks to James Tagliani for the photo of the GETTYSBURG in drydock.
David
May 28, 2010 at 9:14 am
Not a bad looking tanker. If you filled in the empty superstructure she could almost pass for a liner.
J. Sutton
May 29, 2010 at 9:53 am
Esso built 4 of them at Newport News in 1957. They were built for speed and originally were rated for 25,000 HP needless to say being steam their fuel consumption was a bit high and they were de rated in later years. They were good looking ships. One of the sisters is still in the Beaumont reserve fleet.
norman warren
May 30, 2010 at 6:35 am
I sailed on this ship in the 1970 s working in the engine room. for a single screw ship she was very fast. on the downside, at full speed she burned just over 6000 gallons of fuel in a 4 hour period.
Andy
May 30, 2010 at 4:28 pm
M/T? (Motor Tanker)
Was she steam or diesel? If diesel, what kind of engine?
norman warren
June 1, 2010 at 6:07 pm
She was steam, 26,000 hp 850 PSI boilers (2) single screw was subadized by U.S. Govermant to sail in a 20 Knot convoy if war broke out. was designed to have a 5 inch gun mounted foward and aft. there was provision in the engine room to add a 3 rd generator to provide the extra power to supply the 2 guns.
Andy
June 3, 2010 at 3:36 am
M/T “Empty”? Not sure if that’s what was meant.
David Walker
June 12, 2010 at 7:16 am
Peter, is there a way to tell which ships and in what order will be leaving the Suisin Bay ghost fleet this year and next? Thanks!
Mage Bailey
June 17, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Thanks James Tagliani for taking the time to get these images. They are much appreciatied.
David Walker
June 27, 2010 at 7:03 am
She went thru the Panama Canal today on her way to Brownsville TX:
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3482_14.jpg
Jesse
July 12, 2010 at 5:34 am
Just arrived in the Port of Brownsville on Saturday, July 10th. She is already in the dirt slip where she will be scrapped very, very soon.
Peter Knego
July 12, 2010 at 8:26 am
Hi Jesse, thanks for the update. I’m curious how all these ships can be scrapped at one facility in Brownsville. Do you know if PATRICK and POPE demo has begun and are you able to take any photos? I’ve tried contacting ESCO but they have summarily ignored all my messages.
David Walker
July 12, 2010 at 10:25 am
Peter, I called and spoke at length with Mike Furgatch (Yard Manager) at ESCO. He confirmed all the ships have arrived (POPE, PATRICK, YNEZ, and GETTYSBURG. He said that only cleaning and removal of contaminants (PCB’s?) has begun on the PATRICK and POPE but no torches have been taken to them for dismantling. I gave him a brief history of who we are (myself and your website) to reflect on the ships histories, as well as offered him my email address and a special request for pictures. He said he couldnt promise anything but would try. That would be great if he could!!!!
David Walker
July 12, 2010 at 10:42 am
P.S. I forgot to mention we spoke just today around 12:50pm. He was quite cordial and a bit hesitant at first. Must have thought I was some crazy person, but was very respectful and pulled up your website as we spoke over the phone. I understand his reluctance to give out information but I tried to impress upon him that this was information and requests for pictures to soley document the end of their respective careers. These are great historic ships and it would be interesting to put a final chapter on these great ladies.
Avery
July 12, 2010 at 10:39 pm
David: If you speak to Mr. Furgatch again, impress upon him how much some of us appreciate the photos presented on ESCO’s website. It is interesting to see the process, and very few scrap companies seem to be keen on visually presenting the work they do. -Avery
Peter Knego
July 12, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Very kind of you, David. I’ve exhausted all of my resources trying to get access to the PATRICK. Sadly, it looks like I will not achieve this goal despite countless attempts over the past twelve years. Any updates and info you get from ESCO are greatly appreciated by myself and others who really are fascinated with the P2s.
David Walker
July 13, 2010 at 2:18 am
I did happen to mention the gallery section of the ESCO website to Mr Furgatch. I believe he indicated that it was more for perspective clients than those of us who are, more or less out of curiosity, interested in how ships are dismantled. I think it would be great if ESCO could maintain an updated gallery since they now have the last two surviving non-museum Victory Ships, as well as the last surviving vessel built at the Marin Shipyard in Sausalito and the last two P2 transports. That’s a lot of maritime history. I kidded with him that they must have looked like rust buckets when they arrived but beneath that rust is a history of service to our country that should not go unnoticed. That’s another reason I gave him your website so that maybe he would see that they were not just another contract for dismantling.
David Walker
July 28, 2010 at 7:37 am
Mike Furgatch, the Yard Manager at Esco Marine, Inc. in Brownsville, TX sent me these pictures he took this week of these two historic ships awaiting their final dismantling:
USNS General Edwin D. Patrick and USNS John Pope
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3500_3.jpg
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3500_4.jpg
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3500_5.jpg
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3500_7.jpg
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3500_6.jpg
Here are the links back to the threads of webcam grabs I got of their final departures from San Francisco being towed to the Panama Canal, and transits through the canal:
USNS General Edwin D. Patrick towed from San Francisco
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=16&t=000468
USNS GENERAL JOHN POPE towed from San Francisco
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=16&t=000473
USNS General Edwin D. Patrick in Panama Canal
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=16&t=000476
USNS GENERAL JOHN POPE in the Panama Canal
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=16&t=000483
Peter Knego
July 28, 2010 at 8:13 am
Hi David,
Great links, many thanks! Glad Mike from ESCO was kind enough to send these. What a comedy of errors it has been between MARAD contacts, shipyard issues and the like. A shame if I cannot go and at least document PATRICK on board in her final configuration before she disappears but glad you have been keeping the story alive to the very end.
Peter
David Walker
July 28, 2010 at 8:36 am
He did mention that the Santa Ynez was almost gone, and would send me a picture of her as well as of the Gettysburg. He is quite considerate to take the time from his schedule to accomodate mine among the many hundreds of requests he has from hundreds of past members and shipmates of these fine historic ships.
David Walker
October 15, 2010 at 7:06 am
These pictures courtesy of Mike Furgatch, the Yard Manager at Esco Marine, Inc. in Brownsville:
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3521_7.jpg
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3521_8.jpg