Knight Ridder News

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) says World War II-era ships are safe to move from Suisun Bay, Calif., to Texas scrap yards, a report said. The U.S. Department of Transportation six years ago found the 77 ghost ship at Walnut Creek, Calif., 'an immediate environmental threat.' However, acting Maritime Administration Director Julie Nelson last week insisted the ships are safe enough to move. Nelson`s visit was in response to a request by Knight Ridder reporters who were refused permission by the Maritime Administration to tour the Suisun Bay fleet, the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times reported. MarAd says ships in Virginia`s James River are a higher removal priority. Source: United Press International

Knight Ridder reports that even the U.S. Coast Guard boat throttles down and moves aside when the Susan M., Alameda County's new 85-ft. homeland security patrol boat, blasts past Jack London Square toward San Francisco Bay. The Coast Guard boat is said to be a key component of the East Bay's defense against a water-side terrorist attack. But the county's twin-engine cutter -- a sleek fiberglass vessel with a menacing pair of .50-caliber machine guns adorning its bow -- provides proof that there's a new player in town when it comes to guarding the Bay Area from offshore intruders. Alameda County, led by its sheriff, Charles Plummer, has…