Thank you all for reading and commenting. Let me pass along some of what I’ve learned. Also, check out frogma’s latest.
Below, from Jeff S: “The passenger vessel with the lifeboat on deck is the famous New Bedford built at Bethlehem-Quincy in 1928. See hull # 1417. She was loaned to Britain in WW 2 and served as a hospital ship at Normandy landings.”
Guess the total number of ships/boats of all kinds involved in Operation Neptune, the Channel-crossing component of Operation Overlord.
According to the link above, Op Neptune involved more than 6000 vessels. It’s interesting to imagine the fate of all those 6000. Here’s a Normandy crossing tug I wrote about in 2007. I wonder if any Brooklyn-built boats have remained in France? Jeff goes on to say, “Earlier in the war New Bedford participated in ”decoy” convoy RB-1. I think she has been at Wittes since about 1967. ”
Here’s another fabulous story: YOG-64 was delivered to the US Navy in May 1945, arrived in the Pacific just after the end of the “9th inning,” served in various capacities at Bikini Atoll during Operation Sandstone, judged decontaminated and decommissioned, spent two decades hauling fuel as M/T Francis Reinauer, and has rested here since the mid-1980’s. Anyone know of a foto of Francis Reinauer?
An as-yet unidentified tug whose upper portion of the house has now slumped back into eternal oblivion.
A very strange comment I got by email asked why I had sunk the red tugboat in yesterday’s post. I’m innocent. Nor did I have anything to do with with sinking.
A mile or so south of Witte’s yard is another graveyard aka tidal reef. Most prominent there is this ferry: Astoria, sister of Ferry Maj. General Wm. H. Hart, formerly docked at South Street Seaport. Here’s a foto of Astoria I took last summer.
Here frogma documents entropy.
Here’s a favorite quote from a Rebecca Solnit essay: “To erase decay …and ruin is to erase the understanding of the unfolding relation between all things. To imagine [creation and destruction] together is to see their kinship in the common ground of change, abrupt and gradual, beautiful and disastrous, to see the generative richness of ruins and the ruinous nature of all change. … Ruins stand as reminders. Memory is always incomplete, always imperfect, always falling into ruin; but the ruins themselves, like other traces, are treasures; our links to what came before. … A city without ruins or traces of age is like a mind without memories.”
Serendipitous during our paddle “north” was a glimpse of W. O. Decker headed “south.” We debated calling them but decided that we would cross paths if that was intended. By the way, if the identification of Ned Moran in Graveyard 1 is correct, then Decker and Ned Moran date from the same year! Maintenance IS everything.
On our return, we saw Decker waiting (haulout?) at the yard in Tottenville. Decker is older than Bloxom and Hila and fortunate to have staved off ruin, traces of aging, and entropy as well as it has. May she bob and pitch for many more years.
I wish I’d taken the profile of this vessel . . . . From this frontal shot, it looks a lot like Day Peckinpaugh. Jeff identified it as “canal tanker Michigan. Built by McDougal Duluth S B in 1921 as Interwaterways Line Incorporated 105, shortened to ILI-105 in 1935 before becoming Michigan. She carried caustic soda, vegetable oil , liquid sugar and such on the Erie and Welland canals. Twin screw.” For the record, Day-Peckinpaugh was ILI-101–the prototype–built in the same year. Thanks much, Jeff. See an image of ILI-105 in her prime here.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
Some links to check: ForgottenNY and Undercity and somehow I missed –if traces of it are still there–Fireboat Abram Hewitt thanks to Opacity.
Rossville itself has an interesting history spanning Raritan Indians, Ross Castle, Blazing Star tavern, and the Underground Railroad.
11 comments
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May 4, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Buck
An incredible, wonderful excursion. You and Frogma are to be commended for sharing so freely with us.
May 4, 2010 at 1:56 pm
O Docker
“…… A city without ruins or traces of age is like a mind without memories.”
I think the author has found what is so troubling about much of California’s modern urban landscape. Of course, at my age, my mind is largely without memories, too.
The scenes in your posts and in Bonnie’s remind us to get on with life while we can.
May 4, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Fairlane
They’re a little less distinct than the derelicts of Staten Island, but interestingly I’ve spent a couple days recently documenting another ship graveyard a little farther east, here in Connecticut, by kayak. Unfortunately, nothing nearly as amazing to photograph there.
May 5, 2010 at 5:34 am
jeff s
IF Your ”DAY PECKINPAUGH look-alike”” is at the far North end, North of BLOXOM , she is the canal tanker MICHIGAN.
Built by McDougal Duluth S B in 1921 as INTERWATERWAYS LINE INCORPORATED 105, shortened to ILI-105 in 1935 before becoming MICHIGAN. she carried caustic soda, vegtable oil , liquid sugar and such on the Erie and Welland canals. twin screw.
in 1996 someone started scrapping her but halted after removing the stern.
don’t know when she came to Rossville, but she was there in November of 1976. JEFF S
May 5, 2010 at 5:44 am
tugster
jeff– that’s exactly the one, and the stern was missing. thanks so much. i’ll add this info to the post. again, many thanks.
May 9, 2010 at 7:37 pm
CDR Ed Westfall
As always, great work. Reminds me of some of John A. Noble’s work (http://www.noblemaritime.org). Please keep up the great work.
May 9, 2010 at 9:48 pm
Maritime Monday 213
[…] Graveyard 1 » & Graveyard 2 » […]
May 5, 2011 at 9:20 am
Anonymous
Hi Tugster,
I like your photos very much. I specifically searched for current pictures because I’m planning to go and take a look around. I was relieved to see people. Most of the photos that are posted are very desolate and eerie. Were you on a boat tour of the ship yard?
May 5, 2011 at 10:19 am
tugster
hi anon– glad you liked the pics. that place IS eerie. i cruised through with a group of friends in kayaks. remember that hidden sharp objects in the water and decrepit boat structures make the place dangerous.
May 5, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Anonymous
I’ll be careful and I’ll continue to do my homework before I leave.
Thank you for the caution.
I’ll also share a link. I’m working on my site which is why I’m anon – for now.
May 5, 2011 at 12:30 pm
tugster
great . . . i’m eager to see your site . ..