U.S.S. Inaugural

[Nicotti]

Yeah that was our first serious shoot and I don't think she's comfortable wearing bikinis. Hopefully the river level will go way down again and I can find someone who will be ok in a bikini cuz that would be hot

If the sun's out then it'll be cheek burning hot sitting on the metal.

[Nicotti]

So I finally got the pics off my ruined camera from when we were crawling around in the Mech room.

That was a good day. That's what exploring is all about! We're probably the only ones to have gone inside to explore it and take pics inside since it sunk.

I know there were some other guys who did while I was there once. But there can't be more than a hand full of us that did.


Hopefully the current is washing the mud out of the salvaged ares now and not filling them up.

[Nicotti]

Normally It's partially out of the water. This is what it looks like in the spring when the rains come. And we were excited cause we could get to it by walking, which you usually can't.

Yeah last year was the first time ever, at least since I've been around.

Well, there was the time WR walked out to it. But it was still about a foot deep for him.

[Eagle90]

Here are some photo's of the Inaugural from the 60's.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ ... ound-1978/

[DerSchnickelfritz]

Nice find on the US Militaria forum!

[Nicotti]

Was out there last weekend. Surprisingly, the drainage tunnel was cleared of all the sediment that had packed it nearly shut last year. And that sediment was spread out nearly reaching out to the boat.



In the tunnel looking up at the flood gate:


As far as I could see past the gate (I didn't have a light source with me):


The Boat:


Looks like the spring floods washed a lot of the graffiti off except for a fairly new looking nose:












It appears that the cut off bridge pieces were removed at some point too:

[SubLunar]

The bridge pieces were by all accounts simply washed away. As the river rose, the pieces sat. So they cut up our boat for no fucking reason.

[Nicotti]

Possible but I don't think they were. They would have gotten stuck or wedged between the downstream barges i think.

And I'm still 50/50 on the cutting of the boat. I miss the look of the thing as a whole, but I like the ability to see inside of it.

[SubLunar]

Let's get more inside of it then.

[Nicotti]

That's what I'm talking about!

[archinstl]

I wish someone would finally just scrap the whole ship and put her out of her misery.
I was on the Inaugural right after it arrived here and have good memories of her.
As related before, one of my good friends from American Can Company served on her during the War, and for his sake alone, I wish she were gone.
She did yeoman service during the War and deserves more than this.

[Nicotti]

Damn snow/rain forcast for saturday! There gos a good draining trip.

[cdevon1200]

thanks to this thread, I was able to see it for the first time in 4 attempts. the last time i missed it by a few hours i was told.

[SubLunar]

Is that how low the water is currently? Looks like you could walk out to it again.

[cdevon1200]

yes, i was there yesterday.