`Quincy Shipyard barge cracking failure`

Aluminum-cleaning rinse tank maintenance failure. Rinse water pH had drifted to 2.3 (Coca-Cola acidity). Used as cautionary example that chemical-bath cleaning requires maintenance discipline. Barges were destined to carry number six bunker oil.

Now the problem with cleaning tanks is maintaining them. I had a problem down at Quincy Shipyard, probably the late 1970s, maybe early 80s. They were making some barges that were going to carry number six bunker oil. The rinse tank had a pH of 2.3 — the rinse water had a pH of 2.3. That's as strong as Coca-Cola in terms of acidity. And so they had cracking problems.