1- The status of Pampanito's galley is at:
http://www.maritime.org/pres/potrack/index.htmWe occasionally operate most of the equipment in the galley. For each piece of equipment we clean and inspect. We then check it with a Megger (a megohm meter that measures the quality insulation.)
For the oven hotplates we found that the connections on the back of the hotplates were full of grease, then the porcelain insulators on a couple of the connections were cracked. We covered them with high temperature tape. After we started them, we found that the thermostat on one oven just needed cleaning and re-assembly. We replaced its knob with one we got from Susuin Bay Reserve fleet. The other thermostat was rebuilt. FYI, we used Carbon Off to clean the heavy black off. This is a lot like paint stripper and requires all the same safety treatment, but it works. The grease traps were cleaned.
Pampanito's original hot water heater was missing when we got the boat. We found a replacement on USS Sailfish. It was the same size and brand. Unfortunately it had bad heating elements that we had to get custom built replacements. The DC controller had been cannibalized and a modern contactor installed in it. So we use a non-historic 110 VAC control circuit to control a relay that turns the 250 VDC heating circuit. We chose old style (1950s) controllers that are very close in style to the original.
The A120 mixer is a 120 VAC model from Susuin. We have serviced it and have run it from 120 VAC a couple of times but do not use it regularly.
The ice cream freezer runs off of 250 VDC and has been fully restored. We have made ice cream for two vet reunions.
The Navy is mostly concerned with health and safety. We basically operate the equipment infrequently and not for commercial purposes.
The main ventilation blowers work. One of them had a controller problem last time we used it and needs some repair.
2- Pampanito's power was restored to original 250 VDC, 120 VDC, 120 VAC and 12 VAC ca. 1996. It was a big project lead by Len Vaden.
We have a 100 amp 480 VAC three phase shore power that goes through a removed salvage valve in the head and then down into after battery. In after battery we have transformers, DC rectifiers, etc. The rectifiers supply the normal 250 VDC and 120 VDC battery taps. We have the buss tie closed so the boat thinks it is getting all its DC power from fwd battery.
To get 120 VAC from after battery to maneuvering where our DC-AC motor generators and their distribution panel is located, we lifted three of the massive wires that form one lead of the DC power in both after battery and the entrance to the cubicle. These supply the AC distribution panel. So the boat thinks that two of the MG sets are running. We have not restored the other two, but it would be a fun project.
We supply the 250 VDC emergency lighting circuit with a computer style UPS and a small rectifier. A jumper crosses the port/starboard supply that originally had half the lights on fwd battery and half on aft battery. The handles are removed from the switches so they are all on. The benefit is that we have four batteries that get replaced after 7 or 8 years, there is also light pretty much everywhere, and there are no ugly modern emergency lights.
The 120 VDC lighting circuit is on DC. Interestingly, all the CFL and LED light bulbs we have tried have worked fine on DC. The DC fluorescent light ballasts in the crew's mess and wardroom were long gone. We found modern ballasts that work with 120 VDC.
On a normal day all of the 250 VDC switched disconnects are open at the aux switchboard. We only close them when we want to run a particular piece of 250 VDC gear. This minimizes the hazard to the public and corrosion from small leakage. The 120 VDC lighting circuit is always on as is the 120 VAC circuit. Fuses are removed from any equipment/circuits that have not been restored or is dangerous. We have locks on all the switched disconnects that can be operated. It has been a really good system.
3- I think others have answered the startup issues. The engines are started with compressed air. Right now we have shoreside compressors that feed the original shore supply fitting. We used to have #1 HP air compressor working, but it now in pieces with the crew slowly working on restoring it.
A boat needs either the aux or enough battery to excite a main engine generation to bootstrap.
rich
