Random Ships 26

The insides of your computer?

Clearly not.  That Ellen McAllister on the right and

assisting Siteam Explorer around Bergen Point.

Floating legos with USACE theme?

Again . . . no.  It’s Mare Atlanticum with Gelberman to port and McAllister Sisters assisting to starboard.   Click here (and scroll) for Sisters before getting the upper wheelhouse.  See after and before here on Birk and Harold’s site.

And what yacht pokes her bow from beneath the Bridge here?

It’s the certainly yachtly North River.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Government Boats 21

Here was 20.  And below is Wire, Saugerties-based “boat of the year” at the 2012 Waterford Tugboat Roundup.  In less than a year, the New Bern NC Barbour WYTL will be a half-century old, although to me she looked brand spanking new.

Note the crane on Gelberman‘s stern:  she’s one of several debris-collectors operated by the Corps of Engineers.

Like the “bear boats” I wrote about yesterday, seeing 32-year-old Morro Bay in the sixth boro is another uncommon seasonal indicator;  it’s going to get cold soon (maybe) and ice will need breaking.

Hugo started life as an oilfield support vessel, but now, painted gray, works as a weapons-training Naval auxiliary vessel.    Homeported near Hugo is Apache, subject of several posts including this one.  Recently, Apache has been tasked with a diver-training mission as reported here.

Continuing outside New York, Cheryl B sent this foto along from Grand Haven MI.  Vessel 105 is a WTGB that no doubt lay side-by-side in the shipyard with Morro Bay as they were constructed in Tacoma several decades back.  Neah Bay is Lake Erie-based  . .  but from there, the sixth boro is only a voyage away.  Any guesses on the red vessel off 105′ stern?

It’s Griffon, which appeared here on this blog four years ago.

The 42-year-old vessel is based on the St. Lawrence, just northeast of the top right corner of Lake Ontario. The “F-word” on her stern has no place on USCG vessels, although no doubt US and Canadian vessels found themselves on opposite sides of these wars of the late 20th century.

HMCS Moncton, last month, was paying a friendly visit to Port Huron MI.

And finally, thanks to JED, HMS Vigilant, a sub that resembles a whale.  Read about it here on JED’s site.

Any finally . . .  I mentioned earlier that Wire was “vessel of the year” at the Waterford Roundup.  Here, with thanks to Brian Gauvin, is a frozen nanosecond of the fireworks show that brought the roundup to a close.

Thanks again to Cheryl, Jed, and Brian.  Thanks also to Rick Old Salt for  a reality check on piracy.

Random Tugs 95

First foto comes thanks to William Hyman, who took it eight days ago.  Resolute waits along the dock in MOTBY for its next assist.  In the background is a lesser-known 9/11 monument, a Tsereteli statue given to the US as an official gift of the Russian government only six years ago. Putin himself came here for the dedication.   Resolute is six times older than the monument, and when it was launched, no doubt no one would have imagined a Russian-donated statue would stand anywhere in NYC.

Ireland dates from 1940;  she first appeared on this blog only five months ago here.

No vessel makes more noise as it passes as OSG Vision.  And if you don’t know her power in “equines,” check here.  I guess that partially explains the throbbing, only partly since President Polk is rated at 57,000! 

Amy Moran (1973, 3000 hp) assists OSG Vision and OSG 350 through the Kills.

Amy C McAllister (1975) follows McAllister Sisters (1977) to the next assist.

Bruce A. McAllister (1974) here assists Baltic Sea I (2003) rotate and then head outbound.

A few seconds earlier, McAllister Sisters used noticeable force to push Baltic‘s stern around.

There was once a Baltic Sea that belonged to the same fleet as Beaufort Sea (1971), but that other Baltic now works out of Lagos, Nigeria.  I’ve written the new owners to ask for fotos, but  . . . so far, in vain.

Bering Sea (1975) and Jane A. Bouchard (2003) spend some time at the fuel dock.

No tug appears on this foto, but some of you just know which tug is mated to RTC 135.  Cruise ship, I believe, is Explorer of the Seas.   Answer about the tug follows.

Gelberman (1980)  may look like a tug, but USACE call it a “debris collecting vessel.”  More info on her can be found in this post from three and a half years ago.

Thanks to William Hyman for that first foto;  all others by Will Van Dorp.   And the tug mated to RTC 135 is Nicole Leigh Reinauer.

June Fishing in the Sixth Boro

In previous posts we pondered winter fishing and puzzled about East River fishing.  Yesterday I caught wind of a fishing competition between Gelberman and Hayward, two vessels operated in the New York District of the US Corps of Engineers.

The fishing began the very instant the echo of the starter’s signal boomed across the boro.  Gelberman was first out the KVK with

Hayward right behind.  But the first rod to tilt upward belonged to Hayward . . . aware of what all drifts beneath the surface.

After what seemed an epic  struggle worthy of Santiago’s, Hayward gained the upper hand, raising the crane skyward although

the prey twisted and turned, prolonging the fight, clawing back to remain in the murky fluff.

The quarry now secured, two helmeted Junetime fisherfolk posed with their trophy, which gets classified

by a dear fellowblogger as Junk.  I sincerely hope bowsprite has kept her eye open for other junk, infiltrating the boro and threatening our way of life.  Junk is junk after all, whether it be Detritus rectangulus furnitureus or Detritus rectangulus aluminumensis.

Thanks to the Corps of Engineers for their efforts in many domains.

Unrelated:  I’m happy but shocked to read about Coast Guard plans for Deepwater oil washing towards . . . . Long Island!    Plans are good, but . . .