Us National Park Service News

A new utility/passenger vessel has been delivered and will soon go to work for the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) to serve Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.The all-steel newbuild, designed by New Orleans-based TAI Engineers, LLC, has been named Annie Moore after the first immigrant, a 15-year-old Irish girl, who signed the Ellis Island register."TAI has designed and built many boats and ships, but this project is particularly special to me," said Anil Raj, President of TAI. "My very first arrival to the United States was via New York in 1969.

Four people were killed and more than two dozen injured on Sunday when a boat suspected of attempting to smuggle migrants into California broke apart off Cabrillo National Monument at San Diego's rugged Point Loma, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The initial call arrived just before 10 a.m. (1700 GMT) and prompted a large emergency response, including the U.S. Coast Guard and state and local agencies, as the magnitude of the incident became clear.The 40-foot (12-m) cabin cruiser had been pummeled to pieces by the surf by the time rescue boats arrived…

New system allows for contingency ballast water treatment in a variety of ecologically-sensitive and emergency conditions. Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. recently led a demonstration of the mobile ballast water treatment system, Ballast Responder, on board the 730-foot bulk carrier Tim S. Dool on the Great Lakes. “Equipment was operational within eight hours of arrival and the first set of tanks were fully treated, neutralized, and ready to discharge only 20 hours later,” said Glosten Principal and ballast water treatment expert Kevin Reynolds, PE. The mobile ballast water treatment system was developed by Glosten in cooperation with Global, the US Geological Survey, and US National Park Service.

When Barack Obama became the first president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge, his visit highlighted not only a new course in international relations, but showcased on-going scientific collaborations with the country only 90 miles off the Florida coast. "Ocean currents know no boundaries,” said Billy Causey, regional director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries' Southeast Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region. “They’re a conveyor belt, moving important marine life between our countries. Late last year, NOAA, the U.S. National Park Service and Cuba’s National Center for Protected Areas agreed to share research to help the countries work together on some of the Caribbean’s most ecologically significant resources.

On Thursday, April 30, 2015, U.S. National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis and U.S. Maritime Administrator Paul N. Jaenichen will host a media conference call to highlight projects receiving grants through the Maritime Heritage Program. In all, the 35 projects in 21 states will receive more than $2.6 million in funds to support a broad range of maritime education and preservation projects nationwide. The National Maritime Heritage Grant Program is administered by the National Park Service in partnership with the Maritime Administration. The grants are supported by revenue from the scrapping of vessels from the Maritime Administration’s National Defense Reserve Fleet.

The Greenstone II, a U.S. Department of Interior fuel barge, was relaunched at Port Calcite upon completion of drydocking, repair work and inspections. The barge was hauled out at the Port Calcite facility in late May by Port Calcite Collaborative’s 440-ton Manitowoc 16000 crane. Schwartz Boiler of Cheboygan, Mich. performed the blasting, painting and repair work. Upon inspection and approval by the U.S. Coast Guard, the barge was returned to the water in late June. It has departed for the transit back to its homeport of Houghton, Michigan.

Underwater metal detector is successfully used for the African Slave Wrecks Project. In October 1619 the naval warship Warwick sailed into the King’s Castle Harbour in Bermuda with an important cargo from England; the colony’s new governor, Captain Nathaniel Butler. After taking on provisions the Warwick was to travel onto the struggling colony at Jamestown, Virginia, but it never made the voyage. Before the ship could sail, Bermuda was hit by a fierce hurricane. Battered by strong winds the Warwick broke free from her anchors…

Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio, will perform deck repairs to the Nautica Queen. The 124 ft long Nautica Queen was built in 1981 and is home-ported in Cleveland, Ohio on the west bank of the flats. The Nautica Queen can accommodate up to 400 passengers in the two enclosed decks and spacious observation deck on the top of the ship. The vessel hosts lunch and dinner cruises as well as Sunday brunch and also hosts corporate and birthday parties as well as wedding receptions.

Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio, will perform repairs, haul out and drydocking, as necessary, to the U.S. Geological Survey Research Vessel Sturgeon under a fleet maintenance contract with the Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, Mich. of the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior. The 105 ft. long Sturgeon was built in 1974 and is home-ported in Cheboygan, Mich. The Sturgeon is the Center's second largest vessel with great geographic range and advanced scientific abilities.

Donjon Marine, Co., Inc. has been awarded two separate contracts for salvage work on archaeological sites in Texas and N.Y. On October 6, the U.S. Navy awarded an archeological site removal contract to Donjon to perform diving, clam-shell dredging and wreck removal services to a Civil War gunboat – the USS Westfield – that was sunk by Southern fire during the Battle of Galveston in 1863. The sunken vessel lies in 40 feet of water in Galveston Bay in Texas. The site has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Planning for the project began in mid-October. The site work, which is scheduled to begin in early November…

The beacon atop the Cape Hatteras lighthouse was extinguished, as crews prepare to move the North Carolina landmark that has stood guard over the "graveyard of the Atlantic" for more than a century. But even as sections of a granite foundation supporting the nation's tallest brick lighthouse were being cut away last week, local residents battled to block the $9.8 million move. Opponents fear when the lighthouse goes, the island's only highway will be threatened because the U.S. National Park Service has said it will no longer maintain critical groins that prevent beach erosion near the lighthouse. "They certainly aren't true to their word.

The beacon atop the Cape Hatteras lighthouse was extinguished, as crews prepare to move the North Carolina landmark that has stood guard over the "graveyard of the Atlantic" for more than a century. But even as sections of a granite foundation supporting the nation's tallest brick lighthouse were being cut away last week, local residents battled to block the $9.8 million move. Opponents fear when the lighthouse goes, the island's only highway will be threatened because the U.S. National Park Service has said it will no longer maintain critical groins that prevent beach erosion near the lighthouse. "They certainly aren't true to their word.

With the demand for aluminum boats hitting an all-time high within recent months, Silver Ships/AMBAR Marine has risen to the occasion to meet the stringent requirements of its customers, most of whom are government and/or security agencies on some level. With customers ranging from the U.S. Navy to the Jamaica Coast Guard, the U.S. National Park Service, and various City and State Police, Fire and Rescue departments, Silver Ships - with 18 years experience - is no stranger to the aluminum boat industry. Most recently, the organization, based in Theodore, La., delivered a trio of 44-ft. (13.4-m) twin engine, water jet propelled Fast Patrol Boats to the Jamaican Coast Guard. Equipped with Caterpillar marine diesels driven by Twin Disc water jets, the boats can move at speeds up to 40 knots.