USS Orleck, Lake Charles, Louisiana

 

                                           

Today I toured the USS Orleck, a Navy destroyer that was built for World War II - but it was completed and put into service about two weeks after the end of the war.  It did see service during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.  After that, she was sold to the Turkish Navy in the 1980s.  There are still labels inside the ship in Turkish.  She came back to the states in 2000 and ended up in Lake Charles, Louisiana where she is today. 

As with all boats, the project list is never completed.  She has a steel hull, which means there is continuous maintenance needed to keep the rust at bay.  At almost 400' in length, she needs to be towed if she is to be moved.  Her engines are no longer working and her props had been damaged in hurricanes after she was returned to the states.

On the forward deck, as well as the aft deck, she has massive fire power known as 5/38 gun mounts, that required multiple personnel to handle the gunpowder, the projectile, and to fire them.   The barrels are 5" wide, and over 15' in length.  There had been other weapons on board, which have been removed.

On the back deck there is a small helicopter, as shown below.  I was told that this is one of the first drones.  It was operated remotely, with no personnel aboard.  It's from the 1960s and was not original equipment.  Originally, that deck had multiple weaponry installed, but has since been removed.

                                    

 

The bridge was filled with original equipment.  Having lived on a boat, I marveled at the size of the depth sounder, compass and other equipment - extremely massive compared to today's equipment.  The radio room had an unbelievable amount of equipment.

  







 

 

                                  

 

There are plans to have it brought to the Lake Charles waterfront, which will be located close to town, which will make it more convenient to tour.  If you're in the neighborhood, it's worth a visit.

 

Pretty Rocks

            

        

I visited the Lafayette Science Museum in Louisiana the other day. There were various exhibits including space travel, fossils and dinosaurs. They also had a display of framed photographs of penguins, very well done.

What caught my attention probably more than anything, except maybe the penguins, was the display on rocks. Well, they weren't just rocks, they were crystal formations, quartz, calcites, some gemstones and geodes. Geodes are round rocks that had a void space inside that allowed the formation of crystals that cover the inside of the rock. If they had been allowed to keep growing, the crystals would consume the entire interior of the rock. They could be different colors, as seen below.
         

 

      

Also on display was a piece of tree trunk that was petrified, as well as a slice of a tree trunk that showed the interior. Surprisingly, you can see that it looks more like a rock than part of a tree. Throughout the time it petrifies, water flows through it and minerals replace the organic matter of the tree. Different colors are formed by different minerals.

　

One of the prettiest was a piece of opal, in rough form, but you can recognize the gemstone that is used in jewelry.

　

This was a small museum, and I found myself wishing it had more minerals, quartz and other pretty rocks to display. I'm sure in my travels, I'll find another museum with rock displays.

　

New Orleans Cemeteries

Louisiana cemeteries contain mostly above-ground tombs, especially the southern part, since the water level is very high. Some of the monuments are from the early 1800s, such as the one pictured above. Quite a few of these are very elaborate and probably cost more than some houses. Some of the larger ones have spaces for multiple family members, or they could be for just one person.

There are multiple cemeteries in the New Orleans area and there are guided tours for them, which are popular with the tourists. I didn't go on a tour, just wandered about by myself. I was surprised at the number of these elaborate tombs that had stained glass panels, mostly on the back side, as shown below.

 

 

    

 

 

There were a couple that looked like small houses, complete with a granite "fence" and landscaping such as small shrubs and flowers or plants.

                              

 

 

One was in the shape of a pyramid.....

 

 

 

And this area reminded me of a row of houses in a neighborhood.....



 

 

 

In any case, it was an interesting afternoon, and a very quiet one after exploring the French Quarter and other areas of New Orleans the past few days.  For a slide show of more of my photos - follow this link - http://youtu.be/GwAbBy0aN58