The historic tanker Mary A. Whalen is in dire need of parts to restore its diesel engine. A powerplant in Missouri has a compatible diesel. All that needs to be done is to raise the money to move the engine cross-country before the power plant needs to dispose of the engine. Arrangements had been made and the plans were set to make the transfer, but then the pandemic hit. Things became more complicated and a lot more expensive. Now time is running out.
Mary A. Whalen is a coastal/harbor tanker built in 1938 and is one of the last of her type. The ship had a long and storied career and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The non-profit PortSide NewYork saved the tanker from the scrapper’s torch in 2005. Based on the Brooklyn waterfront, the ship has been the home of Portside’s nautical and community programming ever since.
Given her age and history, the hull and deckhouse of Mary A Whalen are in remarkably good shape. The same can not be said for the ship’s main engine, a Fairbanks Morse 37E12 direct-reversing medium-speed diesel. Over the years, it was scavenged for parts. Pistons, heads, rods, and fuel injectors, among other equipment, went missing. In addition to the missing parts, the crankshaft was damaged.
After a decade and a half of searching for parts to rebuild the engine, Portside’s director, Carolina Salguero, got a tip about a 1941 built stationary version of the Whalen‘s marine diesel in a powerplant in Kennett, Missouri. The powerplant’s engine can restore the 1938 Fairbanks Morse engine in the Mary A. Whalen. Because the powerplant was replacing the old engine it was available for the cost of scrap. Salguero referred to the engine as “26 tons of good news.”
Unfortunately, it was not all good news. Costs have climbed due to the pandemic. Portside needs to raise $15,000 to retrieve the engine. Time is running out to remove the engine from the powerplant.
The video below tells more of the story. Click here to give what you can.
Carolina you go girl. Don’t let a little thing such as the problems involved in moving 26 tons of metal slow you down! You can do it, and she’s worth the effort (no need to tell you that!).