A vessel like this that goes back to the nineteenth century was involved in a lot of major events
and locations that are quite important to our national history and to our heritage.
So it means something for vessels like this that represent a powerful nation, a powerful
navy.
Baltimore is of course, a iron hulled riveted ship, launched in the late eighteen hundreds.
And there will be some distinctive things that we just no longer see at all.
It has a ram bow, you can see the edge of the bow it actually projects forward.
It harkens back to a really old nautical tradition style of, as a last ditch effort, if a ship
had to it could ram another vessel and poke a hole in the hull and sink the enemy vessel.
The auxiliary sails and masts that only recently vanished from steam ships, the Baltimore had
more powerful steam engines, horizontal steam engines.
I think she was converted to mine laying, in like nineteen thirteen nineteen fourteen.
Well the Baltimore set a record for laying nine hundred mines at night when she was training
sailers.
Note to ship: when I went to the sea floor was seventy three years ago last Friday.
The old vessel just kind of stuck around Pearl Harbor for a long time because they didn't
want to let her go.
It was kind of with a little sadness the seabees finally took the hull out there put her into
Davey Jones locker.
May be this broadcast maybe if there is any seabees still living today that were part
of the demolition team, would be great to interview them.