May 2004 Snohomish Update Ed Anderson and John Hendon and their wives Sandie and Mary took a trip to Charleston SC to visit the Snohomish and evaluate her current condition. While their wives had a grand time in Historic Charleston, Ed and John reported the following.
Report by Ed Anderson: John Hendon reports that the generator systems looked in good shape. They decided not to try and crank anything because there was no oil showing in the sight glasses and they were not sure of the charge on the fire extinguishers in case of fire. The start up and shut down manuals were found for both the mains and the generators, posted on the bulkheads. They suspect a water leak somewhere topside from water running below and in front of the control panel. (the carpet was wet). The bilge looked ok except for the area aft of the generator room. It has had a rat problem. Didn't see any but the evidence was everywhere. They got into some of the insulation overhead. There is a box full of blueprints in the CO's cabin, apparently showing all of the modifications made through the years, and will be very useful in the future for the restoration. I would say it would take 3 or 4 days for 4 or 5 people to clean up the inside. It would be advisable to start with the upper decks and work down, using disinfectant and degreaser. The bridge was in reasonably good shape. The previous owners welded up many port hole and welded angle iron vertically all across the forward head outside bulkhead. It will be a lot of work to remove but I believe that the end product will be worth it. Glad you were able to save her. We couldn't find the flywheel bar to turn the mains over manually prior to startup. John also advised that the propulsion shaft needed to be greased before moving her under her own power. Ed Anderson Report by John Hendon: Ed's account of our visit to the Snohomish is right on target. I have nothing to add other than that it will take a general check list approach to satisfy that the oil quality and levels in the main engines and the two aft power generators are OK prior to startup. It is possible to turn over the mains with short one or two hits on the start buttons (racks open) when one of the power generators is put on line. This is, however, more aggressive than using the flywheel bar and not the best way to pre turn the engines over. The battery bank will need to be charged up, or batteries replaced if necessary to have a successful startup. John Hendon
Photos taken of the Sno during trip - by Ed Anderson

Our thanks to John and Ed for their trip to the Snohomish and evaluation of her condition. 

Current Snohomish