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Topic: Sad news at Melville |
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29navy
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Aug 27, 2009 - 8:37am
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Hey All,
I was doing some more research on my book on MTBSTC and I just found this on the internet....New England Boatworks, which owns the Marina that used to be MTBSTC, had a fire on April 23.
It destroyed several of the waterfront warehouse buildings. These were few of the original buildings left. These particular buildings are extremely rare as only about 300 of them were built during WWII. These were the precurser to the 40x100 foot Quonset hut style warehouse buildings.
Here's a site that has some news coverage.
http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/local_wpri_three_alarm_portsmouth_fire_injures_2_firefighters_20090423
I'm totally bummed.
Charlie |
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Frank J Andruss Sr
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Aug 27, 2009 - 5:08pm
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Charlie
What a devestating thing to have happened. Those huts on the concrete pier were so reconized by many of us who love the history of the MTBSTC. I can remember going there for the first time and having lunch at the Melville Bar and Grill, the first hut in line, with so many artifacts on the walls. Its such a shame, I feel the same way about this as I did when Building 21 in Bayonne, New Jersey was finally destroyed. Another piece of PT Boat History gone up in flame. Thanks for sharing this Charlie, I feel sick about it..............
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TED WALTHER
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Aug 27, 2009 - 6:32pm
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Charlie;
What a terrible thing to have happened, that would have even been a nice place for Frank to eventually have his own little museum, if it was possible. how many do you think are rebuildable or can be saved?
TED
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29navy
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Aug 28, 2009 - 4:10am
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Based on the pictures, the three look totally gone. Even though they are metal buildings, with all the chemicals in there, it looks like it burned pretty well. Not sure if the Melville Grill building wsa damaged or not.
Charlie |
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Frank J Andruss Sr
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Sep 20, 2009 - 3:58pm
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I met a gentlemen on Thursday when I was doing my PT BOAT lecture at the Navy War College Museum. He informed me that only one of the original MTBSTC Quonset huts had been destroyed in the fire. That was wonderful News, because I was getting reports that several were destroyed..............
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29navy
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Sep 22, 2009 - 12:08pm
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Just got this info from Stan Pisczc, he is the Marina Manager at Melville, in regards to the fire:
The fire destroyed buildings 9 & 10. It damaged building 8 beyond repair. That building will be taken down and re-built as soon as the new building(s) is erected.
For reference (for those of you who have been there or have seen the pictures).
The Melville Grille is building 6. DePaul's Diesel at the opposite end of the row, is building 12.
Building 11 was replaced in 1999 and it was not damaged by the fire.
Charlie |
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Frank J Andruss Sr
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Sep 22, 2009 - 2:02pm
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Charlie
Thank You very much for the information. It seems I was misinformed by this gentlemen, who said he was there prior to coming to my Lecture. In any event, it is a shame. I would have loved to have one of those buildings to put my PT BOAT EXHIBIT into. What a dream that would be. To be right on the spot where all those PT Boaters came from all over the Country to train. If anyone could make that haoppen, GIVE ME A SHOUT..................
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29navy
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Sep 23, 2009 - 10:24am
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I've been thinking about this and this is probably the reason for the difference in reports. I know Building 9 was totally destroyed as seen in one of the pictures from the news story. Building 10 was probably seriously damaged from the inside and the "skin" of the building is still up, but unsafe to be in (from some of the news coverage, it looks like they are streaming water into Bldg 10 fro overhead). Probably the same for Building 8. So it may look, from the exterior, like only one building was lost. But in reality all three are "gone"
Just my thoughts.
Charlie |
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