Luna

It was spring 1987 when I saw this boat first, a decade and a half after her retirement.  She and her sister Venus were a sorry sight on the bank of the Charles near the Science Museum; if you wanted a photo that screamed “forlorn,” they were that shot.  Unfortunately, I took very few photos back then.   Over the years, I knew Venus was scrapped and always wondered about Luna.   Here’s a chronology of steps toward the saving of Luna–and loss of Venus–in the first two/thirds of the 1990s.

All the photos in this post–and there are a lot of them–were taken less than a week ago over in Chelsea.

Click here for a chronology of Luna’s life from 1997 until end of 2000, which found Luna in Boothbay, Samples Shipyard.

I don’t think you’ll argue if I say she’s a great looking 86-year-old today.

 

Talented and exacting volunteers were attending to details when I visited.

Of course, she’ll never push again  But who imagines sending an 86-year-old out to work?

 

Here’s another link with some duplicate info.  John G. Alden was the designer.

The “lights” under the tender bring light into the engine room.

Here’s from the engine room deck looking up . . at the gauge boards, with

project priorities in full view throughout.

 

 

As a result of Luna’s immersion(s), her Winton engines, exciters, and motor will likely never run again.

 

Here’s a finished starboard aft crew cabin.  Note the stencil on the mattress for Boston Tow Boat.

 

Those are functioning 1930-era bulbs, and yes, Bag Balm has been around since long before 1930.  My father used it in the stable.

What!?  No Nescafe?

 

 

Many thanks to Ben Grudinskas of Atlantic Hunter for this tour.   Here’s another shot of Atlantic Hunter arriving at last year’s Roundup.