Boat Deck
The boat deck contained emergency equipment and was the launching station for the lifeboats.
The two lifeboats carried 25 people each, enough space for the crew and guests.
Safety and auxiliary equipment installed here include:
boarding ladder
2 grocery hoists (port and starboard)
spare propeller blades
emergency steering wheel
life preserver storage
fuel and water tanks
stack
engine room skylights
CO2 fire suppression system for the engine roomSituated above the after cabins is the Mather's Boat Deck, the top aft end exterior deck. Named the Boat Deck because of the location of the lifeboats, this area wastes no space. Starting at the forward rail and heading aft, there are many necessary items located on the Boat Deck. Ventilation stacks are very numerous and have fans to ventilate the accommodations below. The four large ones ventilate the engine room. The two small skylights supply ventilation and illumination to the Crew's Hall Aft.
The mast rises to the height of the stack. It carries the boarding ladder, its winch and, on top, the required FAA clearance lights due to the Mather's proximity to Burke Lakefront Airport. Also located on the mast, are the load trim lights. These are used by the First Mate when he loads the boat to balance the weight of the cargo in the holds. The colors of the load trim lights have different meanings. White light in the middle means the boat is trim. Red or green lights indicate a list to port or starboard, respectively. There are also trim lights on the forward mast. Forward, the trim lights measure the ship's rolling in heavy weather.
Aft of the mast, and to each side of the forward edge of the stack, one can see a large plate welded into the deck. The plate's purpose was to cover the opening of the original coal bunker. The stack with its large red "C" is actually a shell to cover exhaust pipes, boiler equipment and storage. The ship's whistles, or in our case steam horns, are protruding from the forward surface of the stack. These horns are now operated on compressed air. The whistles (horns) are communication devices between vessels. Meeting, overtaking, fog, danger signals, fire and boat drills, etc. are blown with these whistles.
Attached to the stack is a house that extends around the after ½ of the stack. In these spaces are the Emergency Generator room (stbd. side), lube oil storage tank (aft) and the CO2 fire fighting equipment room (port side). The emergency generator supplies limited lighting in case of total power failure. Located high in the ship (in case of foundering), it is a 45hp Nordberg diesel with a 30kw generator which is still operational.
The lube oil storage tank holds the oil that supplies a constant flow of the lubricant to the steam turbine propulsion engine, reduction gears and the generators. The oil is pumped to the tank from the lower engine room. Gravity then carries the oil back to the machinery. The oil is used, then cooled and cleaned, and again pumped up to the tank.
The CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) room contained the 72 75 pound bottles that stored the CO2. The purpose of the bottles was battling large fires that could occur in the engine room. If a fire could not be extinguished in the engine room, all personnel would leave the space and the CO2 system would be tripped. CO2 would displace the oxygen in the space and smother the fire. The Mather's system was disabled and the CO2 bottles sold. Presently, several CO2 bottles remain to illustrate the system.
Aft of the stack and amidships, is the Engine Room skylight. It allows light and ventilation of the engine room. Since skylights are a throwback to the days of poor lighting and ventilation, modern vessels do not have them.
The two large tanks on the boat deck contained diesel fuel (port) and fresh water (stbd.). The fuel and water were necessary supplies for the winter shipkeeper. The shipkeeper's function was to provide security and labor during the winter lay-up period. Behind the diesel and water tanks, there was a rack that contained the after life raft. The raft was probably six or eight 55 gallon drums welded together with boards on top.
Outboard of these tanks are the Mather's two lifeboats. The lifeboats could accommodate the entire crew and the guests. Equipped with oars, a sea anchor, storm oil, a compass, flares, flotation tanks, sail, a bailing bucket and a small stash of survival gear, the boats evacuated the crew in case of fire or foundering. To operate the lifeboat, crewmembers swung it over the side using the davits. The function of the davits was to lift and swing the lifeboats. Once the lifeboat was over the side, gravity allowed it to be dropped to the water. Knowledge of the lifeboats was absolutely necessary. Once a week, the crew participated in a lifeboat drill to practice the launching of the lifeboats. When the seas are rough, lifeboats are extremely difficult to launch. For this reason, crewmembers sometimes allowed lifeboats to float free from a sinking vessel. In modern times, inflatable life rafts and neoprene survival sits compliment the still standard lifeboat.
Just forward of the ship's flag pole, is the emergency steering station. Here the crew could steer the ship using a compass, telephone (connected to the Pilot House), and a large two-wheeled helm. The two-wheeled helm served as a back-up in case the steering engine in the Engine Room failed. The two-wheeled helm is a completely manual way to turn the rudder.
Located behind the lifeboats are the grocery hoists and the fueling hose hoist. When the ship required supplies, they would be delivered either dockside or by small boat. Supplies were brought on the ship by the grocery hoist and its basket.
The most interesting pieces of equipment on the boat deck are the 2 spare propeller blades. The propeller blades weigh 3,200 pounds and are made of manganese bronze. Most ships carry spare propeller blades because the original propeller could suffer damage from the bottom of the lake, ice, logs, etc. A shipyard installed the spare propeller blades. The slight damage done to the Mather's spare propeller blades is an indication that they have seen action.
