Retro Sixth Boro 25 a

On this glum April 1 and  the 25th month in a row, the blog looks back 10 years on day 1 of a new month . . .  and sometimes day 2 as well, with a selection of photos from exactly a decade back, 120 months ago.  What’s particularly interesting for me about this look back is the degree of change in the boro, replacement and realignment otherwise going almost unnoted, like movement only visible in slow motion.

Allied Transportation and their tug Socrates were still around; the company got absorbed into Kirby, and the tug was sold and transported to Nigeria almost eight years ago already.  Here she passed the statue on her way to Florida with the barge Sugar Express.

On this Easter morning, Patapsco hurried eastbound in the KVK.  Patapsco has been sold out of Vane and now carries Steven Wayne nameboards.

I recall that same Easter morning;  Ivory Coast appeared to float in the air as she headed into the Kills. She still carries the same name and livery.

A bit later that morning, the 3800-teu Al-Mutanabbi, launched 1998, headed out with her containers;  since then, the ship has been broken up on the south bank of the Yangtze in Jiangyin, upstream from Shanghai. Since then, UASC has merged with Hapag-Lloyd.  And Al-Mutannabi, he was a poet who lived well but died young because of the power of his poetry.

Al-Sabahia was the same class/size container ship;  she too has been broken up in Jiangyin, just two years ago.  Count the number of containers across to understand the dramatic difference in size of some container ships;  also, note the top of the wheelhouse is nearly at the deck level of the ship, compared with here or here. If you count carefully, that’s 20 across, rather than 13.  Laura K Moran, escorting her in, has been reassigned to another port.

A unique flat-fronted tug,  locally-built tug called Houma, 1970, was still around. She’s been scrapped.  Beyond her is an interesting and eclectic cluster of lower Manhattan architecture, with one of my favorites, the former Standard Oil Building, just to the right of the black pyramid.

We’ll pick up on more April 2010 photos tomorrow.  With increasing restrictions on movement around the boro, I might be digging into my archives a lot for a while.  If you want to help by dipping into your own archives for photos and stories, I would greatly appreciate that.  Maybe it’s time for new permutations of truckster, teamster, bikester, autoster, planester, hutster, hikester, storyster,  . . .  let’s help each other out.

All photos taken by and stories researched by . .  . WVD, who wishes you all health.  Hat tip to you performing essential services out there.