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This month I’ve done one retro October 2012 post on the Chesapeake schooner race . . . and am doing this one at the end of the month rather than the beginning, for reasons that will soon be apparent.
On the 31st a decade ago, I made my way down to Front Street Staten Island to see what the big storm had wrought. It was too shocked to take more photos.
John B. Caddell, waiting to make her way to new owners in Africa, had been surged ashore, to her stormy aftermath, and then to her demise.
The Upper Bay had an eerie emptiness that
looked like this on AIS.
Barbara, a friend on Rockaway took this aftermath photo of what had looked like
this only hours before. Note the boardwalk supports above with what they had supported below.
I’d been on the highway getting home hours before Sandy hit. I documented months of aftermath of stormy Sandy in various areas around the sixth boro, but the post that follows up on John B. Caddell a week later can be seen here.
And since this retrospective post has focused on a weather event, October 20, 2012 saw fog as dense as anything we saw last week here. Somewhere in that water vapor is a small-town-sized population aboard Celebrity Summit; click on the latter link for more photos of Summit‘s passage.
All photos, WVD, taken in October 2012.
This is not a great photo, but given the temperatures out, it is the only one I was going to get. It’s hard to believe today how icy it was just yesterday.
How could I not want to get photos of a Dutch general cargo vessel named for one of my favorite venues in the “dry” boros? If you’ve never listened to “selected shorts,” it’s story telling at its best. But I digress.
My regret is that I didn’t get to see the bow of Symphony Space, a Schuilte & Bruns ship launched in 2016. She appears to have been in port for bunkers. As is often true, had I stayed out there in the cold another few hours . . . brrr! . . . I could have seen that bow as she headed out to sea, bound for Quebec’s Saguenay River.
Since I’m posting mediocre photos today, here’s one of two vessels with the same name–incoming and outgoing–Pilot No. 1. Technically, only the nearer mother ship can claim that name now, I suppose.
All photos, Sunday, WVD.
The “4” here refers to the dry dock, not the fourth post in this series. The last post on Caddell was Something Different 57. And in the “high and dry” series, this would be number 11. I’m just trying to anchor this post in the previous body of work. Also, I believe this dry dock was originally built as an auxilliary floating dry dock (ARD) by the USN to lift submarines out of their watery habitat, but I can’t corroborate that.
In Dry Dock 4 a half dozen years ago was the pilot boat New York. I put this first so that the vessels in the rest of the photos can be compared against a standard, the dimensions of the same dry dock.
See above for scale. On this date, winter 2014, Dry Dock 4 was shared by W. O. Decker and schooner Pioneer, currently both in Albany getting refurbished and improved.
This boat’s a mystery to me; the livery on upper pilothouse says it’s a Reinauer boat, but I took this photo over 10 years ago and have lost track of its identity. You may know?
McAllisters Brothers was originally called Dalzelleagle. I believe it’s currently in the sixth boro but mothballed.
The Fireboat John J. Harvey had some work done in Dry Dock 4 . She has a long and storied career.
Doris Moran is a 4610 hp tugboat that does some sixth boro work, although she’s currently in Louisiana.
East Coast has not appeared on this blog very often. She used to tow the sugar barge, and she may well still do so.
Let’s get to the end of this post with Clipper City, having some bottom work done on a cold winter’s day eight years ago already.
All photos, WVD, who’d love to know more about the history of Dry Dock 4.
The NY Media Boat has a pick up point in Manhattan, but I chose to board the boat at Liberty Landing in Jersey City, where this view of lower Manhattan awaits. From here, our goal was almost 20 nm away, even though we’d not take the shortest route. Some tasks call for efficient and direct routes, and other tasks crave scenic, gunk-hole exploration routes.
This was the goal, the station boat, in this case Pilot No. 1 New York. Of course, “on station” may not be at anchor, rather it might be steaming slow circles or figure eights in the vicinity of the entrance to Ambrose Channel, with an America class boat ready to deliver pilots between ships and the station boat. This is entirely stating the obvious, but standing on shore, you may not be able to see the station boat; however, from the station boat, you can clearly see a large city spread out before you. Obviously, you can’t see the tidal zone of the beach . . and more . . . because of the curvature of the earth. At one point, an Ambrose lightship was in this vicinity.
Our actual goal was the “A” buoy, aka the “sea buoy,” which marks the “sea” end of Ambrose Channel. Note the green patina “whistle” in the lower half of the buoy; it makes a sighing tone as water motion pressures air through it. Click here to hear a variety of buoy noises. Here‘s another view of the type. By the way, in the image below, that’s the station boat in the distance, the white speck to the right of the buoy.
But all that is not the story. See the bird “swimming” to the right of the A buoy? Well, it was trapped, tangled in discarded fishing line.
This turned into the adventure. Click on the image . . . and you’ll see the rescue and hear the sounds, including the buoy whistle and VHF crackle. That’s Bjoern at the helm and then carrying the bird after I cut the main line. I’m the guy with the white hat and knife.
The gull’s body and right leg had been entangled in the line. What this photo doesn’t show is the blood on Bjoern’s foot and my hand. Gulls have a reputation for biting the hands that disentangle it . . . as reward for saving them from certain death by starvation. Oh well, you’ve seen blood before, and salt water heals everything.
Here’s closeup of some of that line.
Click on the clip below for the context of the video. By the way, the footage comes from the in-cabin CCTV camera.
Today will be a two-post day. Here’s the first one, and it follows on this May update. These photos come thanks to Kevin Oldenburg. The next post will come in an hour.
She was headed up to Feeney’s Shipyard in the Rondout for a continuation of the conversion from oil spill response vessel to pilot boat mother ship. Atone point, she was identical to New Jersey Responder or Deep Blue Responder.
Unlike her move back in May, only a few miles, this time she traveled under her own power. And travel she did . . . . 13 knots worth.
Hat tip to Kevin. Previous photos attributed to Kevin can be found here.
On the 2020 calendar, the top right photo shows a shore fisherman, a small fishing boat, a tug, and a tanker. The 2013 and 49,999 dwt tanker, Elandra Sea, as of this morning is in the Java Sea, likely almost as far from the sixth boro as you can get. The tug escorting her in is Capt. Brian A. McAllister. It turns out that was the only photo I took of that vessel, because of the fisherman, small boat, and industrial vessels and setting.
What I was really there for that morning was the mothership of Sandy Hook Pilots, New York No. 1, the current one as the new one is being created. It seemed to be an event happening on the after deck. Surprisingly, I believe I’ve never posted this shot until now.
Upper left on the June 2020 page is Helen Laraway; seconds before I took the photo chosen for the calendar, she passed this this container ship E. R. Montecito, escorted in by James D.
The 2004 and 7544teu container ship is currently in the Malacca Strait, heading for Durban SA, and carries a new name. . . GSL Grania. I cherish info like this, reinforcing the fact that the sixth boro is but a tiny place on a planet of countless coastlines.
Assisting her in were James D, JRT, and Margaret.
The lower photo on the calendar was taken in the Mohawk Valley, lock E-13, easily accessed via the westbound lanes of the NYS Thruway. Grande Caribe was Chicago bound. For more info on E-13, click here.
As she departed the lock, she passed one of the newest tugboats on the Erie Canal, Port Jackson, named for the part of Amsterdam NY on the south side of the river. It turns out that the family of the namesake of Port Jackson moved west and distinguished himself. The barge attached to Port Jackson no doubt has an identified; I wish I knew it and its history, given the riveted hull.
The next shot after the one on the calendar shows the 183′ x 40′ Grande Caribe shrinking as it juxtaposes with the ridge that makes up the Noses. Grande Caribe is currently in Warren RI, as Blount Small Ships Adventures has decided that in the wake of COVID, it’s better to use 2020 to plan for 2021. So, neither of the Grande vessels will be transiting the canal this year. Given the virus, I’ve planed some gallivants, but as is true for everyone, much of that is on hold. I’m free to gallivant now, but my sense of responsibility says I stay put and see this all as opportunity to craft a different path.
All photos, WVD, who is working his way through his library again. Last week it was Pieces of the Frame and Uncommon Carriers. I’m currently re-reading The Night Inspector, historical novel by Frederick Busch, on the exploits in post-Civil War New York featuring a mask-wearing disfigured wounded vet who worked as a sniper in the Civil War, and his friend M, who is none other than Herman Melville, the washed up writer who currently works in the harbor as a night inspector, aka a deputy inspector of Customs who would row out to any ships arriving inport in the dark hours and waiting until morning to clear customs. Here‘s another review.
I’ve also discovered the many videos of Tim B at Sea on youtube. Interesting stuff . . . answers to questions you’ve not even considered yet in some cases.
See the exciting announcement at the end of this post.
Sunday I got word thanks to Shipshooter–Jonathan Atkin–that the pilot boat-to-be would be moving from Caddell’s back to the Sandy Hook Pilots (SHP) base on Monday morning right around sunrise. Pilot boat-to-be? There’s still much work to do before she enters service. And at 0626, I saw the shift begin, as Dorothy J pulled her away from the floating drydock that has been her home the past few months. I visited her here back in December 2019 after she’d appeared at the SHP base about a year ago. The current SHP No. 1 New York is at sea at the sea buoy end of the Ambrose Channel.
Once clear of the dry docks, the several-mile tow got underway.
Dorothy J kept the bow pointed while Robert IV had the stern.
Just east of the salt pile, the tow was reconfigured so that Robert IV got the Pilot No. 1 on the nose.
Robert IV continued the push toward the Narrows, after Dorothy J had gone ahead.
Just off the pilot station, Dorothy J came back alongside . . .
and Pilot No. 1 slides in opposite side of the dock from Pilot No. 2 New Jersey.
All photos, WVD, who will update the continuing transformation as available.
Here‘s a NY Media Boat report on a day at sea on the current Pilot Boat No. 1.
The big announcement, click on the image below. A week from today you can join me for a different type of virtual canal tour.
tugster: a waterblog 
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