True, she sailed in condition Yankee and access to compartments below the waterline were controlled from the SCR on a tally basis, so that only a certain number fore and aft were ever open at once.
Yes I heard similar stores, although I think many were "slightly inflated". She did carry more than her fair share of concrete on board towards the end. As much as I would have liked to have seen her life extended, I think she really was past it by 1978 and a SLEP rather than a refit would have been required to keep her going.