Retro Sixth Boro 55

As remnants of  Hurricane Nicole pass through the sixth boro, we might have a look back to details of aftermath of Sandy exactly 10 years ago, like this undecked pier over on the NJ side of the Arthur Kill, across from Howland Hook. 

USCGC Spencer came up for the cleanup, as did

then-USCGC Gallatin, now NNS Okpabana. 

NASA’s Enterprise saw some damage as well, leading to installation of a more robust pavilion. 

McAllister Sisters assisted ACL Atlantic Concert past the damage to the park shoreline just west of St. George while  

National Guard units staged in the then parking lot area. 

And I have to digress here to rant about a shoreside issue:  hundreds of millions have been spent in preparing this area for the ill-fated “NY Wheel,”  and in the process transformed what had been a simple but pleasant park into a wasteland behind an unsightly green wall and guarded chain link.  Hey mister mayor and mister SI boro president, clean it up and reopen it for the public.  The “wheeler-dealers” and the NYC EDC did more damage here–and allowed it to fester–than Sandy.  Is the small wheel next?

APL Cyprine, then flagged US and carrying USMC vehicles, has gone to Alang flying the flag of Comoros. Ditto ACL Atlantic Concert, shown up the column. 

Patrick Sky was still working back then, and Happy Delta brought in one of the first loads of NYC sanitation cranes. 

That year, by November 9–the date of this photo–we’d already had a dusting of cold, white stuff here. 

Cashman’s TSHD Atchafalaya was in the boro.  She’s still afloat in Florida. 

On black Friday 2012, the high point of my day was seeing Atlantic Salvor return to the boro with Witte 1407 carrying segments of what is visible today as

the antenna atop WTC 1. 

All photos, any opinions and all errors, WVD. 

 

Random Tugs 271

Mary Alice with Witte 1407

 

Brendan Turecamo with container barge New Jersey

Sarah Ann with SMM 105

 

A light Stephen B passing the Lady

Caitlin Ann with SMM 211 and a light Emily Ann

 

Galveston with Petrochem Producer and a surveillance bird

And–to repost a photo from April 2018–guess where Iron Salvor is today . . .

All photos by Will Van Dorp, whose curt post today are dictated by a tank low on verbiage today because my reserves are being used on other projects .  ..

Iron Salvor, the one above, is currently in Malta, that English-speaking island in the Med!!

Along the Canal E28A

Rebecca Ann, shown here just above E28A,  has served as Donjon’s Erie Canal tug recently. Nearby is Witte 1407, which she delivered, and [Daniel] Joncaire, formerly of the Niagara River.

 

My question was . . . what will this “reef run” on the Canal pick up for the reef?  Here’s the background on this reef business.

This question is especially acute since the dry dock is fairly empty.  Although the large rectangular openings make it clear that this barge in the foreground will go, currently between that barge and Rebecca Ann is the venerable [and vulnerable] Grouper.

While I was at the lock, these canoeists appeared from the direction of lock E28B, and when the lock master opened the gate, I concluded I might witness my first time seeing canoes lock through.

Without fanfare,

valves allow about two million gallons of water move downstream and lower the water level for these paddlers.

Happy trails!

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

Many thanks to Bob Stopper for the heads up.

 

Blue Friday Plus 21 Days

The sixth boro’s blue Friday this year is . . . of course  . . . the day after Thanksgiving, notable because that was the day DonJon blue Atlantic Salvor re-entered local waters from Montreal with a barge of Canadian-fabricated segments for the WTC1 antenna.    So . . . last night, three full weeks after that arrival, here’s what I stumbled upon over near Pier 25.  Around 9 pm, the huge Christmas tree-crane called Chesapeake 1000–same one that deposited John B. Caddell into the waters earlier this week–arrived, and splashed workboat Green Bay into the river.

Brian Nicholas assisted in positioning the 1000.

I shot this looking mostly south from Pier 25.   The multi-color tower is WTC-1 in holiday lights, soon to be crowned with the assembled portions of antenna.

From this angle, I might talk myself into thinking the 1000 could just land the segments atop the tower.

I shot this looking north from the area of Stuyvesant High School.  That’s Sarah Ann tending Witte 1407.  Here’s Sarah Ann when she was orange as a safety vest and operated as June K.   My anthropomorphizing brain sensed that last night this 10-year-old tug felt very honored.

And the crews . . . seemed intent, careful, and equally honored.  At least four crews were there:  Donjon, Supor, safety folks, and then the bloggers and scribes and documentarists.   Greetings, Marcus.

Again, I’m shooting south from Pier 25.  Borough of Manhattan CC is to the left.

I’m wonder the weight of the hook and block . . . 15 tons maybe?

I’m guessing mostly Supor crew here begin to secure the segment for the lift.

At this point, I had to leave for a few minutes.  By the time I returned, the safety crew had blocked access to my former locations and the lift had already occurred.

The 230′ boom of the 1000 landed the antenna segment onto the trailer waiting in the southbound lane of 9A, West Street.   Click on that link to see the 1000 lift a retired sunken Staten Island ferryboat.

This foto is taken with my back to BMCC, looking across West Street and toward the river.

Here the Supor trailer–with at least 64 tires NOT counting those on the tractor–prepares to turn east onto Harrison Street . . .

and then south onto Greenwich Street.

The tower to the right side of the foto–colors now dimmed–will receive this segment.

As the train proceeds south down Greenwich . . . notice the WTC1 again, above that green reflection.

Once the construction is complete and –say–10 years from tonight, I hope that we remember the crews who worked this night–and have been working for weeks– to position these materials.

Indulge me . . . I have a bit of unfinished doggerel:

‘Twas 10 days before Christmas

And all lower Manhattan

Seemed gathered the the business

Of drinkin’ and eatin’ and chattin,’

But down at the docks

Near Pier 25

A company of workmen

Was making some barges come alive.

Bowsprite in boots . . . I in my cap,

And artist, riggers, and an engineer

Delighted to watch, had fotos to snap

It brought us good cheer . . . .

All fotos by Will Van Dorp. Apologies to Clement Clarke Moore for my partial parody.

It’s noteworthy that Chesapeake 1000 and this lift is happening about 200 yards from where where the Weeks crews almost four years ago fished US Airway Flight 1549 out of the river, then again delivering the plane ultimately to J Supor crews as well.   Click on that link for that long-night tugster report.

Blue Friday

See that empty space way up there?

It’s about to change.    Ten million dollars worth of structure is about to rise.  Nine of the 18 pieces have arrived in the sixth boro aka the harbor of NYC.

Just before noon today,

the cargo turned into the Kill Van Kull, squired in

by DonJon Marine’s

Atlantic Salvor, passing directly in front of the building the antenna soon will adorn.

As I said, watch that open space and when the antenna is planted there,

remember Atlantic Salvor and Witte barge 1407.

All fotos this morning by Will Van Dorp, who wonders how these segments will be transported to lower Manhattan.