1930 Custom USS Williamsburg Presidential Yacht

Features
The USS Williamsburg was originally the yacht Aras (Sara backward). She was constructed by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, for Mr. Hugh J. Chisholm, and was launched on December 8, 1930. The yacht ARAS had her trial trip on January 10, 1931 and had 614 net tonnage; length 243 feet, 9 inches; breadth 36 feet, 1 inch; depth moulded amidship 21 feet, 10 inches. She was acquired by the U.S. Government on April 24, 1941 and renamed the USS Williamsburg PG-56. When President Truman assumed office the USS Potomac had been condemned by the Navy Department as being unfit for duty in open waters and recommended using the U.S.S Williamsburg as the Presidential yacht. President Truman accepted the recommendation and on November 10, 1945 took her first cruise as the Presidential Yacht. President Truman made several short cruises down the Potomac. On August 16, 1946 the USS Williamsburg departed Washington, D.C. with President Truman on board, for a trip to Quonset Point, Rhode Island. On August 20, 1946 she got underway for Bermuda in company with the USS WEISS returning to Washington September 2, 1946.

President Truman entertained several foreign leaders aboard the yacht; May 1, 1947, President Migual Aleman of Mexico; December 5, 1950, Prime Minister Clement R. Attlee and January 5, 1952, Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The Navy manned the Williamsburg with 8 officers, 130 men and 26 stewards.

Currently she is in a sad state of repair. The price includes total refurbishment of all of her structures.


Accommodations
The philosophy of the reconstruction shall be to preserve as much as possible not only the lines of the ship but also her characteristics as historical vessel. For this reason the pat of the hull above water shall be preserved as riveted (substituting all the rivets) maintaining also the riveted connection with the bulwark and all the existing mooring equipment such as bills, fairleads, etc. For the underwater part the welded solution shat be preferred trying to maintain at least the original internal frames or changing the damaged ones but maintaining their original shim. For the superstructures it has been decided to scrap the existing ones and reconstruct them completely in welded steel; later on it could be investigated the possibility and benefit of a preservation of the existing structures. From contacts with Lloyds Register of Shipping we are planning to renew the class of the vessel as historical vessel . SCOPE OF WORK . Cleaning of the internal from any waste material ; Moving of the vessel into the floating dry dock of La Spezia harbour ; Cleaning the external and internal surface by means of high pressure water (1.500 bar), disposal of waste material ; Loading of the vessel on board of the barge by means of heavy duty boogies and using special built for purpose saddles ; Unloading of the vessel at quay and positioning inside the workshop ; Survey of the hull with LLRR to decide the extent of demolition ; Dimensional check of the complete vessel in order to have the data for plates cutting and forming as well as internal structure construction ; Demolition of existing engines ; Demolition of existing structures: Main deck: maintaining at maximum extent the existing stoictures (beams, longitudinals, frames, connecting brackets etc.), removal of all the rivets ; Superstructures ; Chimney, to be recovered ; Masts, to be recovered ; Windsocks, to be recovered ; Forecastle deck: recovery if possible, windlass, bills, fairleads, removal of all the rivets ; Fore tank and chain pit with recovery, if possible, of the hawsehole ; First deck with recovery, possible, of the supporting structures, removal at all the rivets ; All the bulkheads below main deck, including bulkheads for engine room access ; Port and starboard bulwarks, recovery of the riveted half round piece and accessories ; Steering gear room, rudder supports, rudder ; Breakwater





Engine(s):

Fuel Type: Diesel

Engine Type: Other

Quantity: 2

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