61st Ship to Leave James River

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced today that All Star Metals of Brownsville, Texas, has won a $454,690 fee-for-service contract to recycle the ship Lake. When the Lake leaves the James River site, it will be the 61st ship to depart since January 2001. The Lake was originally built as a combination freighter and passenger ship in 1961, and was christened the Mormaclake. The Lake served as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet sealift during the Gulf War in 1991. When returning with military gear from the Persian Gulf, it stopped to rescue four people who had spent four days aboard a life raft after their 19th century 75-foot wooden schooner took on water and sank.