[Hallicrafters] Radio Equipment Aboard Museum Ship USS North Carolina, BB-55

[Mike Everette]

Re the radio gear on USS NC:

The team from Azalea Coast ARC has restored some of
the RBB/RBC receivers, and a couple of transmitters
which I think are a TBK and TBL.  They are working on
a TDE, but need some parts for the starting controller
for the motor-generator power supply.

The Halli S-27 etc is not, to my knowledge, restored
yet.  Hmm, if I lived closer than 2 hours away, and
they worked on weekends, I'd offer to join in; but
some of us gotta work (four letter word) for real
(rrrr).  The restoration work is done during the week,
and there is neither heat nor air conditioning aboard
ship, so I am told that summer and winter get real
interesting.

Most of their operating has been on 40 and 20 meters,
I believe, because these rigs only go up to 18 or 20
MHz.

The restoration team is very meticulous about
maintaining authenticity.  They are dealing with
really historic equipment.  The Battleship North
Carolina was in every major Pacific engagement from
Guadalcanal to the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.

Go to the club web site, www.ac4rc.org and click on
"Battleship." You will find a picture of their unique
QSL for NI4BK, as well as numerous pictures of
restoration work in progress.  In addition to the
radio gear, the team has been asked to restore the
ship-wide sound powered telephone system and the
battle announcing system.

There has also been some restoration work done on the
radar gear in the ship's Combat Information Center.  I
believe another group is responsible for this.

This work is done under the auspices and watchful eyes
of the North Carolina state agency which owns the ship
and administers the state historic site.

The USS NC is somewhat unique among museum ships, in
that she has most of her WW2-vintage electronics
intact.  The North Carolina was decommissioned in
1947, and given to the State in 1960.

The web site for the battleship itself is very fine;
go to www.battleshipnc.com and enjoy.  But better yet,
come to Wilmington NC and tour the ship.  They sponsor
an event called "Battleship Alive" in April and
October each year, when a crew of WW2 re-enactors are
aboard to present all sorts of programs for the
public.  Usually the ACARC group is also aboard,
operating from Radio One.

I was there about 5 years ago for this event, and
stayed to watch the evening muster ceremony on the
fantail as the Marines lowered the flag.  About the
time the bugler sounded "Retreat," I recognized the
sound of radial aircraft engines -- a rarity today --
and looked up; a restored Douglas DC-3, owned by US
Air and in Piedmont Airlines markings, made a low
bow-to-stern pass over the ship, as the plane made its
landing approach to the Wilmington airport.  Looked,
and sounded, almost exactly right!  Only thing that
would have made it better, would've been World War II
markings on the Gooney Bird.

The ship is tentatively scheduled to be removed from
her berth in Wilmington in 2007, and towed to the
Norfolk Navy Yard for maintenance to her hull after
being in the Cape Fear River for over 45 years. 
Norfolk has the only dry dock on the east coast
capable of taking something the size of a battleship. 
The ship will return to Wilmington after however long
this takes, probably 3 or 4 months. 

73

Mike
WA4DLF



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