DSK wrote:
Navigator wrote:

Say what you like but I was there and you weren't.


Oh, really?

Look here

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq68-2.htm

and here

http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org...hronology.html

or

http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/historyupdat.htm

In the early 1970s, the ship was given a major rebuild & refit. In 1976,
the Constitution was part of OpSail, tall ships parade, and was given
huge amounts of publicity.

You claim that less than ten years later, she was held together by metal
straps (funny how the people discussing intricate details of her
rebuilding fail to mention that), kept afloat by pumps (they don't
mention that either), not manned (maybe the Navy officers & men
stationed aboard would like to know about this) and closed to the public
(why do they say it was in fact open & on display?).


Doug here's some maths: 1988 is not 'less than ten years' after 1976. I
also did not say that the straps were in place in 1988! You are soooo
desperate to discredit me you must be wetting yourself. The fact is that
the defects in her structure manifest by hogging and opening amidships
were started in her earlier repairs and were not addressed in the refit
you talked about. I spotted the problems quite early on -I could see
seams starting to open that were just painted over.

http://www.hazegray.org/faq/smn8.htm#H2

"In 1994 the Navy surveyed Constellation and found her to be in very
poor condition. One officer reported that he could easily plunge his
finger through some of her major beams, due to the advanced state of
decay. Among other problems, she was leaking 1200 gallons a day and had
suffered 35 inches of hog. She was promptly closed to the public, and
all rigging and guns were removed. The frail hull was temporarily
supported by a network of steel cables and slings to hold her in her
proper shape until she could be drydocked."

Note the pumps and steel cables and hogging problems -as I said! And I
also petitioned for her proper repair earlier than that!

An apology from you would be in order.

Cheers