Christmas Eve 2020

Having seen the forecast for December 25, I did my watch on Christmas eve.    These are the latest sunrises of the entire cycle . . . photo taken around 0745, and the sky was still reddish and offering very little light.   Fort McHenry and survey boat Christina cross. Yes, Christina . . . namesake you know who. 

Diane B was pushing John Blanche deep in the water with heating fuel.

Fort McHenry passes my station.

Ocean Endeavour was heading in ahead of the strong winds . . . or maybe just to be at the dock for Christmas.   Note the Staten Island ferry off her starboard and a tip of Twin Tube off port stern.

 

By now, it’s a little after 0800.

Twin Tube is the ultimate sixth boro Christmas boat;  there’s no Santa or reindeer, just a competent captain and enough horsepower to get alongside ships.

The reindeer . . . they’re atop the tarped salt pile.   Santa may have abandoned the sleigh, however.

All the above photos were taken before 0900.  The photo below. . .  it’s W. O. Decker, currently getting work done upriver, but ensconced between Wavertree and  work barge Progress a few years ago . .  .

All photos, WVD, who wishes you all Merry Christmas and gifts of life, health, and happiness however you find it.  And one more . .  . bravo to the Normandy crew for the decorations.

Exotics 21

Wind farm surveys have brought a number of unusual vessels to resupply periodically in areas of the sixth boro.  Ocean Endeavour is a science ship that fits into this set that I’m calling exotics.

Saturday I caught Ocean Endeavour taking her crew of scientists and technicians back out to sea, to their survey work.

Her sheer made me think she was once a whaling harpoon vessel;  the shape of bow and stern made me think she might have been a cable ship.

But in fact, she started life in the British navy as an auxilliary vessel specializing

in moorings and salvage, with such duties as laying and maintenance of underwater targets, navigation marks, moorings and raising sunken vessels.  Click on the next two photos for their sources.  USNS operates similarly tasked vessels, Grasp and Grapple.

From launch in 1986 until 2001, it was RMAS Salmaster (A186).

She’s been working in the New York Bight and as far east as the Vineyard Sound for at least the past six months.

Her sister Gardline vessel is Ocean Researcher.

All photos, WVD, who was happy to finally lay eyes on her.