NetDoc
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2011
- Messages
- 517
So today I was going to guide some new divers from Jacksonville to go hunt Bugs (Florida Spiny Lobster) but we were blown out (Small Craft Advisory). The boat I dive off (and sometimes fix) departs out of Key Largo Harbor Marina. As I was talking to the captain about a tragedy on the reef yesterday (boat sank with fatalities) and tourist stops us and asks us where the The African Queen. Being the helpful guy that I am, I tell him where they have stored it on the otherside of the canal, about two minutes away. I also told him that there was talk of them restoring it, so it might be gone. Captain Noah, an unassuming young man, smiles and tells both of us that it's already been pulled and is sitting about 100 feet away from us in the boat yard! O Rly?
Being a fairly common sight in the yard, I decide to go see this beast. For those of you not familiar with this boat, it was in a movie once. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn starred in the 1951 hit, The African Queen. It was built in England and used as a shuttle on Lake Albert from 1912-1968 by British East Africa Railway. The construction is overlapping steel plate, sealed by lead and held together by rivets.
The boat was first launched on February 8, 1912 and the goal is to relaunch her on her 100th birthday, less than two months away. So with the permission of Doug Kipp the principle welder on the project, I took some pictures of the boat, of Doug, Doug's dog and Doc who is also working on it. Not to miss a fantastic opportunity, I have also offered my humble services as they are needed. I will be posting pictures of this historic boat being restored as the work progresses.
The boat as she sits in the yard
Holes cut in the starboard bow.
The repairs will be done by a Miller Mig welder and a Miller Plasma Cutter.
The stern
Profile of the stern
Being a fairly common sight in the yard, I decide to go see this beast. For those of you not familiar with this boat, it was in a movie once. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn starred in the 1951 hit, The African Queen. It was built in England and used as a shuttle on Lake Albert from 1912-1968 by British East Africa Railway. The construction is overlapping steel plate, sealed by lead and held together by rivets.
The boat was first launched on February 8, 1912 and the goal is to relaunch her on her 100th birthday, less than two months away. So with the permission of Doug Kipp the principle welder on the project, I took some pictures of the boat, of Doug, Doug's dog and Doc who is also working on it. Not to miss a fantastic opportunity, I have also offered my humble services as they are needed. I will be posting pictures of this historic boat being restored as the work progresses.
The boat as she sits in the yard
Holes cut in the starboard bow.
The repairs will be done by a Miller Mig welder and a Miller Plasma Cutter.
The stern
Profile of the stern
