Lady Washington Battle Sail |
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01. Prepare for BATTLE!!!On December 26, five members of the U.S.S. Angeles participated in a mock sea battle between two recreations of 18th century sailing ships--the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftan. It was a blast!
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02. Look familiar?The Lady Washington was given a false back panel and used as the H.M.S. Enterprise during a holodeck sequence in the seventh Star Trek film "Generations". On board the sailing ship, Mr. Worf received a promotion and was forced to walk the plank. Actual Lady Washington crewmembers were aboard and appeared on screen during that scene.
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03. The moor the merrierThe Lady Washington's home port is Grays Harbor in Aberdeen, Washington. But each year in the fall, she sails down the coast of California to host adventure sails and battle sails. This year, the Lady was joined by the Hawaiian Chieftain, a recreation of a 19th century topsail ketch. The two tall ships shared a dock, remaining moored together when not out at sea.
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04. Getting from there to here...While docked, visitors could transfer from ship to ship by way of this retractable metal gangway. Folks who bought tickets for the battle sail could choose which ship to be on. Gary, Steve, Max, and Darrell chose the Lady Washington, while Jon hopped over to the Chieftain in order to get photos of the Lady during the battle.
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05. Dressing for the occasion?From left to right, there's a member of the Lady Washington's crew (all of whom dressed in 18th century garb for the battle sail), Gary Sandridge, Max Cervantes, and Darrell Leach. Max decided to dress in period garb, as well, although his period was the 24h century. Without a doubt, Max was the best dressed of all the visitors.
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06. Not something you see every dayThe Lady Washington remained in the port of Marina Del Rey for nearly three weeks before setting sail for Long Beach, San Diego, and Newport Beach in January. After that, the Lady then begins her return journey northward, docking along the coast, and finally coming back home to Washington State in early May, 2005.
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07. What's with all those bright colors?Yes, the original Lady Washington was actually painted that way, too! The Lady Washington was a sailing brig designed for trading and carrying cargo. Lots of other ships were also competing for business carrying supplies and selling goods. When docked in the harbor, a distinctive paint job would attract attention and--hopefully--business, as well.
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08. Climbing the corporate ladderThis is a real sailing ship. Although it has an engine for manuevering in and out of dock, it usually operates under sail. And boy, does it have a lot of sails--11 in total! And if you laid out all the ropes on board end to end, there would be 6 miles of rope! Crew members are constantly climbing and tugging and pulling and running and tying and untying knots. It's a lot of work!
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09. Just hanging out?There are usually 12 sailors crewing the Lady Washington, and all live on board during their rotations. Of these, 7 are professional crew and 5 are volunteers. The volunteers actually PAY for the privilege of volunteering and learning to sail a brig! These men and women work long, hard hours to become Sqare-Riggers (tall ship sailors), and they love it. It's like no other experience in the world.
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10. And a star to sail her by...Built in Hawaii in 1988, the Hawaiian Chieftain is a recreation of a typical European merchant trader ketch from the turn of the 19th century. It has sailed as far as Tahiti and has spent much of its life based in San Francisco. But the ship was sold by its owners to a buyer on the East Coast in late 2004, and left southern California in early 2005 to sail through the Panama Canal to its new East Coast home.
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11. Old world meets modern worldBoth of these vessels endeavor to be as close as possible to exact replicas of their nautical ancestors of two centuries ago. Granted, there are some modifications--the galley has a microwave and refrigerator, the ship itself has a diesel engine, and old-style sailing ships didn't have global positioning satellites to help them navigate. But aside from that, it's a very precise recreation.
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12. Is that who we think it is?Speaking of technology, how the heck did R2-D2 get on board? It seems the crew of the Lady Washington has a good sense of humor and a healthy appreciation for science fiction. They're proud that their ship was used in "Star Trek Generations" as the H.M.S. Enterprise, and they welcomed us Star Trek fans with open arms.
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13. Getting ready to set sailThis is not your average pleasure cruise! Crewmembers have to climb the rigging and unfurl the sails by hand. There's lots of activity during the entire sail, and seldom do you see any "idle hands."
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14. No balls for battleCannon balls, that is. In order to maintain safety at sea, Coast Guard regulations state that ships can carry EITHER gunpowder OR ammunition (known as "shot") but not both at the same time. In this way, accidents are minimized. So for the battle sail, both ships carried gunpowder only, producing lots of noise but no damage.
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15. Interceptor!In addition to being used as the H.M.S. Enterprise in "Star Trek Generations", the Lady Washington was also the ship seen as the Interceptor in the film "Pirates of the Carribean". The original Lady Washington sailed and traded along the northwest coast of North America while her sister ship, the Columbia Rediviva, sailed across the Pacific and back with goods from China. Today, a replica of the tall ship Columbia is a ride at Disneyland.
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16. Prepare for cannon fire!The cannons on board both the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain are real, restored from actual 3-pound shot cannons used 200 years ago. They are carefully tended and cleaned after each use, as you can see here. It's important that all gunpowder residue be cleared out so that the cannon doesn't get clogged and misfire.
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17. Ready... Aim...And where should you aim? Well, back in the good ol' days of pirates and privateers, the idea was not to sink the other ship. After all, you wanted to loot it, which is tough to do if the bounty is at the bottom of the sea! So instead, pirate ships would attack the bow or stern or sails, trying to knock out the rudder or disable the ship's ability to flee. With luck, the damaged ship could be captured and repaired, adding to a pirate's fleet.
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18. FIRE!!!Even though the battle sails are friendly and done in fun, there is actually a score being kept. But how do you know if you've hit your opponent if the cannons have no ammunition? It's all in the echo! It you hear your cannon explosion echo off the other ship, it means it's a hit. No echo and you've missed.
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19. Is that a cannon you're holding or are you just happy to see me?Our two favorite seamen, Gary and Max, hung out on the tail end (also known as the stern) of the Lady Washington. Visitors were allowed to wander anywhere they wanted during the sail--except folks couldn't step onto the main deck when the cannons were being fired...for obvious safety reasons.
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20. Two ships that pass in a fight...The best angle to fire from is not side-to-side. Most pirates would try to maneuver their attacking ship into a "T" position, with cannons pointed toward the opposing ship's front or back section. In that way, the powerful side cannons could be fired at the opposing ship, but that ship wouldn't be able to return fire without having to execute a turn first.
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21. Where's the KABOOM? There was supposed to be a KABOOM...And there were lots of KABOOMS! The actual battle lasted for over an hour, with many shots being fired from both ships. As you can see, it was a good idea to cover your ears when you heard the order "Prepare for cannon fire!" Some folks wore earplugs. The cannon blasts were always thrilling to hear.
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22. There's a reason they call it the "crew's mess"All the comforts of home...well, sort of. Below decks, the Lady Washington has sleeping berths for up to 16 people (although far from comfortably), a kitchen, a bathroom with a rather complicated toilet, and a few other ammenities. The Queen Mary this ain't...but imagine how much less luxurious the original Lady Washington must have been without any of the modern appliances we take for granted today.
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23. Below decksThis gentlemen told us why the ship is named the Lady Washington. Originally built in 1750 and named Washington, twenty years later the ship was looking for a commission to initiate trade within the 13 colonies. By changng the name to that of the WIFE of the famous colonial general, the owners hoped to speed their commission. And it worked!
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