Mixed Sixth Boro 1

The sixth boro and other harbors have those vessels that seem to hide in plain sight.  Maybe it’s more accurate to say these craft, like the one below,  are visible but their usage might not be so clear.   

Here’s how Annie Moore gets described:  “a utility vessel for the National Park Service designed to transport national and international VIPs to the Statue of Liberty.”   That’s vague and not vague at the same time.  Who are these national and international VIPs, I wonder. 

Here’s more:  “to transport VIPs, official passengers, supplies and equipment to Ellis Island from Battery Park, New York, NY.”    Only Battery Park?  Some contradictions exist in these two pubs.

As many questions as I have with Annie Moore, when HOS Browning came back into port after some days offshore, I have even more.

 I know what the boat does, but I crave specifics.  For HOS Browning, I’d like to know where they went, why that location, what specifically was accomplished with which tools and to what end . . . .

In port, what and who leaves the ship and what and who comes aboard?  Maybe that makes me a landlubber with too much time on my hands . . . .  Who are the crew?

See the name on the bow of the high speed vessel below?  Clearly, it’s not THIS Sea Vixen,  but somewhere in the weapons “kit” carried on Ro8 HMS QE is an enterprise called Project Vixen, involving aerial drones, and named for the de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen carrier-based fleet air-defense fighter.  

Technically, the vessel above and below is a 43′ PTB, a personnel transport boat, and  “the HMS Queen Elizabeth class will each carry four PTBs made by Blyth-based company Alnmaritec. Each 13.1 m (43 ft) long PTB carries 36 passengers and two crew to operate the vessel.”  Find more photos here.

The PTB seemed to be flitting all around the boro, checking out the sights.  Who gets to ride the Sea Vixen and who the larger sixth boro-based PTB, whose name I didn’t catch.

Why those sights?  Had HMS Prince of Wales come to town as planned, it would have had evolved PTBs, such as the one here. 

All photos, any errors, WVD, who’s always looking for novelty.

Sixth Boro Sampler 4

Quick . . .  what do you know about this white lionine tugboat?  Answer follows.

We’re still being quick here?  What can you tell me about this model of Dianne E. in a display case on the lower level of a barge of Pier 66?  I know nothing about the model, but I stopped by at Pier 66 Wednesday for the first time in way too long.  Any interest in meeting gathering there one of these warm days?

And speaking of piers, I made my first stop at Pier 76 ever Wednesday as well.  It seems I’ve not been out here in a really long time. 

Harvey looked resplendent alongside the seating  . . ..

The NYS Canal system opens officially today, and that means Sparky might be a looper headed up there traveling north and then west to get back to Florida.  I’m just speculating. 

Anne Moore is busy.  Hey, NPS, I’d like to talk with you about this vessel.

Media Boat 5 is always out, always doing and seeing interesting sights.

RCC Africa is a RORO I’ve not seen before.   Here are Autoliner routes. 

Pacific Basin‘s Sharp Island left town light. 

Rolf Williams was returning to base after delivering lube solutions. 

And that brings us back to this tugboat . . .  the former J. George Betz.

All photos, WVD, who suggests you too gallivant around the original boro, the sixth boro, some warm day soon. 

New Hulls, New Names

ACV Enviro provides boom service at IMTT;  this means they use a small boat to deploy and retrieve oil containment precautionary booms around vessels  transferring petroleum products there.  Here and here are examples appearing here previously. I don’t know how long booming has been required– years, I suppose;  it’s not new.

Miss Beth, however, is a new boat.  At least, this is my first time to see her.  My question is . . . what was her previous life?  She looks military.

 

The photo quality below is not the best, but I hope you find it as interesting as I do:  Left to right, most prominently that’s Martin Explorer and Douglas J., whose livery says Donjon and whose lines are unmistakably those of the former Mediterranean Sea.  Before that, she was Donald C.  Interestingly, I believe I see the stack of Lilac there too, just forward and above the stack of Douglas J.

Also, this is not a great photo of Annie Moore, a relatively new hull in the boro, given that this Bristol Harbor Group-designed (Or was it designed by TAI Engineers??) workboat was delivered at most a half year ago to work the Statue of Liberty for the National Park Service.   This is my first sighting for this boat. Her namesake is a 17-year-old Irish immigrant, the first person to pass through Ellis Island in early 1892 from steamer Nevada. Click here for more of the Annie Moore immigrant story.

Many thanks to Tony A for catching the Douglas J photo;  all others, WVD.

 

Ice 4

Storm Juno was all hyperbole in the five boros . . . not as  harsh as  in eastern Long Island and southern New England, but it was cold the day after.  Nevertheless, Mary Alice and Cheyenne were hard at work,

as was Mister Jim.

The same is true for Barbara McAllister and 

Charles D.

Buchanan 1 was at work.

The government boats were out like Liberty V and

Driftmaster.

Of course, cold means demand for fuel . .  and Matthew Tibbetts was moving it , as

was Crystal Cutler.

Joyce D. Brown was moving the railroad and

Treasure Coast had a barge astern headed south. Anyone know what cargo was/will be in the barge?

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who went out to see the sights after the storm.