On The Waterfront

Rusty and I were limin' on the waterfront together...

 I'm not sure about this historical definition for limin' but it will do as well as anything:

1) The word is associated with sitting under a lime tree, or having nothing more demanding to do than squeezing limes. It is also thought to originate from "limey", a slang term meaning a British serviceman during World War II (noted for hanging around bars and drinking).

2) During long voyages at sea, sailors would suffer from a disease known as Scurvy which was caused from a lack of Vitamin C. British soldiers would counteract this by taking limes on board and sucking them periodically. For this, they came to be known as "limeys". During WW2 when many limeys were stationed in Trinidad and Tobago, they would seek amusement from the local prostitutes (Green-Corner, Port-of-Spain was famous for this and there is more than one calypso sung about it eg. Jean and Dinah - Sparrow). The locals would see the limeys hanging out and say that they were "liming", hence, liming became a verb which means to hang out (source: English teacher in Hillview College, Trinidad-and_Tobago early 90's).

The hanging out came to an abrupt halt when this dude and his dog came into view. Rusty suddenly straightened up and started staring, a posture I have come to associate with the potential for danger, in his view, danger to the stray dog he used to be.

There was of course no danger for my formerly stray dog, now respectably owned and oh-so-adorable (there are lots of adorable dogs ready to be adopted and trained for real life) and he managed to do a respectable job of playing with a dog larger than himself. That's a mark of progress for a dog that four months ago was afraid of his own shadow.

 Some people have the art of limin' down to a science:

Others don't get it at all as they improve themselves through exercise and copious draughts of fresh sea air:

 Rusty followed my cue and took to limin' like a champ:

No Outlet, Truman Waterfront

I feel a little absorb but I cannot deny I feel an almost daily need to come down to the Inner Mole at Truman Waterfront and see what's going on. 

And and every day the city promises to start digging and transforming this open space.  Into what it shall be changed is not yet clear and the subject is supposedly up for discussion even though development is planned.

There are rumors of a 60-foot tall hotel being built on Truman Waterfront but these buildings at the opposite end of the open space were built decades ago to house Navy officers. This land was once a Navy Base.

These "No Outlet" signs look rather absurd especially as this dock is only open to bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

The city has been pleading for years with the owners of the Westin Hotel and Marina to open up this section of the waterfront and allow the city to put a foot bridge over what is known as "Admiral's Cut." That would allow pedestrians and cyclists to pollute the stately waterfront of the Westin, currently traversed by cruise ship passengers from time to time and a few hotel guests. The idea would be to open a path all the way from Fort Zachary Taylor to Trumbo Road following the city's waterfront. But the Westin says no, and the city caves.

Thanks to the Westin who bought all this land and Sunset Key (formerly Tank Island) from the city for a mere eleven million dollars, Key West selling itself short as usual, this really is a no outlet waterfront. A pity.

USCG Cutter Ingham

I got to board this floating museum at the Inner Mole at Truman Waterfront one hot day in late July.

Built in 1936 and taken out of service in 1988 with a crew of 300 and service all over the globe Key West is lucky to have this ship and for anyone with ten bucks in their pocket, they get to pay a visit.

All you need to know about the Ingham is here:

And this man, former city commissioner Bill Verge now owns this ship, purchased exactly as abandoned by the last crew to serve on board. He says it costs $250,000 a year to keep the ship docked in the city and this is a town which doesn't yield much money for projects like this. So I'm doubly glad I got to see this museum. The other ship USCG Mohawk has been sunk off Sanibel Island because they say it cost too much to keep afloat.

The Ingham is a self guided tour and you an easily spend more than an hour poking around seeing everything everywhere.

I took a ton of pictures of which I have published the most representative here. Words for the most part seem superfluous. Sick bay:

Laundry:

Tailor's shop:

Barber shop:

All these facilities were on the ship which was capable of staying at sea for months and steaming 8,000 miles on one load of fuel. With 300 men on board one wonders how they didn't all go crazy.

I found the interior surprisingly spartan and very functional. It seemed as though the crew had to live in a steam punk distopian interior filled with pipes and metal corners and ghastly paint colors with tiny port holes and not enough light and air to keep a body sane.

The entertainment facilities seemed spare at best.

Ah, the joys of well worn linoleum.

This man was the first U.S. sailor to board an enemy vessel in combat since the war of 1812. He boarded a German submarine in World War Two after it surrendered and before the Ingham sank it. He was photographed holding the Ingham's mascot.

The Ingham tour is not for the faint of heart, those susceptible to heat or those with a fear of vertical ladders or enclosed spaces.

The Captain's cabin, once used by General MacArthur.

Looking west, across the Key West harbor across the Outer Mole.

Modern ships are ugly and vast. I've heard it said ghosts inhabit the Ingham. I doubt any ghosts would bother to inhabit the fugly forms enjoyed by modern cruise ships.

The bridge, the command center of the ship underway, cramped and airless as usual.

The combat information center, where the top officers went during battle as the bridge was too exposed. Even darker and more airless.

Remember I did mention steep ladders? There is a delightful freedom to touring the Ingham. Personal responsibility is old fashioned and required here.

There is a big gun, a 4.5 incher if that means anything to you. But I couldn't get a decent picture of it inside the turret so here is a machine gun to sustain an appearance of my non existent interest in guns.

Looking out at the waterfront where I am usually standing looking in.

The Ingham is a worthwhile tour and with the constant fear it could be towed away to serve as an undignified artificial reef make time to visit when you can. The history on board is astonishing and barely touched in this essay.

 

Posted with Blogsy