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Lake Pontchartrain News

31 Mar 2021

NOAA Launches West Coast, Gulf of Mexico Coastal Models

© Alexandre / Adobe Stock

NOAA on Wednesday announced two new coastal condition forecast models intended to help enhance decision making for mariners along the West Coast and Northern Gulf of Mexico. The models provide continuous quality-controlled data on water levels, currents, water temperature and salinity out to 72 hours.Forecasts from both models are used by commercial and recreational mariners, fisherman, emergency managers, search and rescue responders, and National Weather Service marine weather…

19 Nov 2019

US Funds $30 million for Coastal Flood Protection

River dredging operations in the State of Louisiana (CREDIT: Port of New Orleans)

The U.S. government's oceans and waterways agency will provide $30 million to improve coastal resilience, officials said, aiming to reduce the impacts of worsening storms, flooding and rising seas in nearly half of U.S. states.Grants through the program are designed to restore or expand coastal wetlands, dunes, reefs, mangroves and barrier islands that are key to coastal protection, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in an announcement.Coastlines worldwide are being damaged or threatened by more extreme and destructive weather…

08 May 2018

Op/Ed: The Mississippi River is Boiling!

(Photo: GLDD)

U.S.-Flag dredgers answer the call in the Mississippi River Basin.Major flooding this winter in the Mississippi River Basin has created significant increased shoaling in the Southwest Pass Channel of the Mississippi River. Shoaling is generally described as the river containing elevated levels of sand and sediment resulting in high water levels and river swelling. The Southwest Pass, spanning the lower end of the Mississippi River (Baton Rouge, La.) to the Gulf of Mexico, services…

09 Jan 2018

WWII Museum’s PT-305 Sails Again

(Photo: National World War II Museum)

Commercial workboat philanthropy on display on PT-305: WWII Museum’s PT-305 sails again after a far reaching donor-funded restoration. In March, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans launched its reconstructed PT-305, built locally by Higgins Industries in 1943. The museum acquired the boat known as the USS Sudden Jerk in 2007, restoration began in 2009, and it now sails Lake Pontchartrain as an interactive exhibit. PT-305, with a fifteen-man crew, belonged to a 12-ship squadron operating in the Mediterranean from 1944 until the war ended in 1945.

17 Oct 2017

Search Suspended for Worker Missing in US Oil Platform Blast

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a worker missing from an oil production platform in Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain that exploded and caught fire late on Sunday. Missing is Timothy Morrison, 44, of Katy, Texas, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Seven other workers were sent to hospital with injuries in the incident. "The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one," Commander Zac Ford said in the statement. Coast Guard rescue crews battled 4 foot to 5 foot (1.2 meter to 1.5 meter) waves during the search, and a helicopter joined them at daybreak after overnight efforts failed to locate Morrison, officials said at a briefing on Monday.

16 Oct 2017

Coast Guard Responds to Oil Platform Blast

The U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating search efforts for a missing man after an explosion on an oil platform in Lake Pontchartrain near Kenner, La., Sunday evening. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report from a witness at approximately 8 p.m. of an oil platform explosion. The cause of the incident is unknown. It was reported by one of the platform workers that eight people were aboard at the time of the explosion, and one person did not make it to shore. Of the seven people who made it to shore, six were taken to the hospital. The Coast Guard and partner agencies continue to search for the missing man. Following the initial report…

06 Oct 2017

T/S Nate Kills 22 in Central America, Bears Down on U.S. GoM

Tropical Storm Nate killed at least 22 people in Central America on Thursday as it pummeled the region with heavy rain while heading toward Mexico's Caribbean resorts and the U.S. Gulf Coast, where it could strike as a hurricane this weekend. In Nicaragua, at least 11 people died, seven others were reported missing and thousands had to evacuate homes because of flooding, said the country's vice president Rosario Murillo. Emergency officials in Costa Rica reported that at least eight people were killed due to the lashing rain, including two children. Another 17 people were missing, while more than 7,000 had to take refuge from Nate in shelters, authorities said.

12 Apr 2017

Newmar Battery Chargers for Restored PT Boat

Photo: Newmar

A U.S. Navy World War II PT boat, which was recently restored and rebuilt by volunteers at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, has been equipped with modern state-of-the-art battery chargers from Newmar. After more than a decade of volunteer-provided planning and restoration work, PT-305 motored to its new home in a custom-built boathouse on Lake Pontchartrain March 25, where visitors can tour and arrange rides on the fully functioning vessel. It was a homecoming of sorts…

31 Mar 2017

WWII PT Boat Fully Restored

Photo: Amphenol Industrial Operations

Amphenol Industrial Operations (AIO) sponsored The National WWII Museum during their endeavor to bring patrol torpedo boat PT-305 back to the water. The restoration began ten years ago, and AIO has been involved since 2014. It supplied a number of its 97 Series connectors to enable the PT-305 team to faithfully and accurately restore the boat's instrumentation and electrical systems to their former glory. Built in New Orleans by Higgins Industries, the patrol-torpedo (PT) boat PT-305 was a critical asset for the US Navy during World War II…

08 Mar 2016

Historic PT Boat to Return to Lake Pontchartrain

PT-305 in late 2015 (Photo: The National WWII Museum)

The National WWII Museum announced plans to return restored patrol-torpedo (PT) boat PT-305 to her home waters of Lake Pontchartrain, where she was originally tested by Higgins Industries more than 70 years ago. The Museum launched the first phase of the plan this morning: a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds necessary to move PT-305 to the water, test her for passenger use and, for the first time, offer civilians the chance to take a ride on a fully restored combat-veteran PT boat – the fastest U.S. naval ship in World War II.

07 Aug 2015

USCG Searches for Missing Person In Lake Pontchartrain

The Coast Guard, Causeway Police and the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office are searching for a person who jumped from the Causeway Bridge into Lake Pontchartrain, Thursday night. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report around 10:38 p.m. of a person who exited a reportedly stolen vehicle and jumped into the lake. The missing person was driving a red Ford F-150 Lariat. The missing person is believed to be a Caucasian male in his late twenties or early thirties. Sector New Orleans watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Station New Orleans small boat and a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew to search. Units from St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office and Causeway Police Department are also searching for the missing person.

06 Apr 2015

Port of New Orleans Leads Clean Water Effort

Photo: Port of New Orleans

U.S. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality presented an Environmental Leadership Award to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans at a ceremony held recently at DEQ’s headquarters in Baton Rouge, La. The award recognizes environmental achievement for voluntary pollution prevention efforts, community environmental outreach initiatives and environmental management systems that are above and beyond regulatory compliance. The port received its award March 25 for its Stormwater Management Program…

23 Feb 2015

WWII Museum’s PT Boat Readies for Passengers

Photo of PT305 officers at Bastia in 1944.  Image courtesy of the WWII Museum

A cadre of volunteers navigate the regulatory labyrinth and a host of safety requirements to bring back to life an enduring symbol the nation’s can-do spirit and resiliency. Early next year, a 78-foot Patrol Torpedo 305 boat, being restored at the National WWII Museum, should be U.S. Coast Guard compliant and ready for passengers. The fast-attack PT-305, equipped with cannons, torpedoes and machine guns, served in the Mediterranean in 1944 and 1945, operating from Bastia, Corsica.

12 May 2014

WISTA Meeting Emphasizes Infrastructure Investment

Col Hansen

At its Annual General Meeting in New Orleans last week, members of WISTA USA (Women’s International Shipping &Trading Association) were urged to support investment in infrastructure projects in order to maintain and grow the transportation of waterborne commerce in the United States. From U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) to Spencer Murphy of Canal Barge Company, Rick Calhoun of Cargill, Gary LaGrange of the Port of New Orleans, Joel Dupre of Southern Recycling and Colonel Richard Hansen of the U.S.

28 Apr 2014

New Logistics Facility Coming to Port of New Orleans

Photo courtesy TCI Plastics

Governor Bobby Jindal and CEO Jack Jensen of Jensen Companies announced the development of a new 500,000-square-foot logistics facility by TCI Plastics – a Jensen Companies division – at the Port of New Orleans. TCI will make a $36.5 million capital investment to build the facility at its France Road Wharf hub, and the project will create 160 new direct jobs with an average salary of more than $33,400, plus benefits. LED estimates the project will result in an additional 183 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 340 new jobs.

16 Apr 2014

Tug on the Rocks, Lake Pontchartrain, Three Rescued

Tugboat UTV Todd Michael: USCG photo

US Coast Guard 8th District says that it has rescued 3 crewmembers aboard the (uninspected) tugboat 'UTV Todd Michael' after it grounded on the rocks near the Lakefront Airport on Lake Pontchartrain. Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and a response boatcrew from Coast Guard Station New Orleans. The aircrew hoisted two crewmen from the ship, the boatcrew removed one member from the barge attached to the towing vessel. Both Coast Guard crews transported the three to emergency medical services.

02 Oct 2013

Sequestration? What Sequestration?

Smaller boatyards carve out a profitable niche in this challenging, yet target rich maritime environment. For Kvichak and USMI; so far, so good. The May edition of MarineNews brought analysis of possible downstream consequences of the U.S. federal government’s ongoing austerity measures, especially where it could impact U.S. boatbuilders with backlogs tied to government funding. Susan Buchanan’s “Budget Battles Bumping Backlogs” piece brought out the good, bad and potentially ugly realities of the new normal in Washington, DC, where lawmakers tussle over spending priorities, while also leaving various casualties in their messy wake. The August announcement that the U.S.

04 Jun 2013

USCG Welcomes Cutter Margaret Norvell

Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell is named after lighthouse keeper Margaret Norvell who served with the U.S. Lighthouse Service for more than 41 years. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

She was a leader. She was a trailblazer. She was a lifesaver. She’s the namesake of the Coast Guard’s newest cutter – Margaret “Madge” Norvell. The Coast Guard welcomed their newest fast response cutter to the fleet this weekend as Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell was commissioned in Miami. The cutter is the first in its class to be named after a Coast Guard heroine. Norvell, a member of the U.S. Lighthouse Service, first served at the Head of Passes Light as an assistant keeper from 1891 to 1896.

27 Sep 2012

Life, Times, Business & Future of John Dane III & his newly rebranded TY Offshore

In the more than two years since its founding, Mississippi-based TY Offshore, the former Trinity Offshore, has invested in a new yard in Gulfport and repaired its storm-damaged New Orleans holdings. The company has doubled its capacity and racked up new orders, president and CEO John Dane III said. TY Offshore designs and builds offshore barges, tugs, oilfield-support vessels and spill-response and patrol vessels. The company's new name, adopted in late June, should make business simpler. “We decided to rebrand for two reasons,” Dane said.

30 Aug 2012

John Dane III Leaves His Mark

“The 2008 financial crash slowed  the luxury business, and the new class warfare coming out of Washington has made owning a large yacht out of favor. In the more than two years since its founding, Mississippi-based TY Offshore, the former Trinity Offshore, has invested in a new yard in Gulfport and repaired its storm-damaged New Orleans holdings. The company has doubled its capacity and racked up new orders, president and CEO John Dane III said. TY Offshore designs and builds offshore barges, tugs, oilfield-support vessels and spill-response and patrol vessels. The company's new name, adopted in late June, should make business simpler. “We decided to rebrand for two reasons,” Dane said.

18 Feb 2010

MMS Grant for Lake Pontchartrain

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has approved a grant for $699,400 to Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) for the first phase of a proposed shoreline protection project on the northern edge of Lake Pontchartrain. Grant funding for the first phase of the project will provide for engineering and design service, coordination of land rights, and administration costs. The project is located along the northwestern rim of Lake Pontchartrain in Tangipahoa Parish, approximately fifteen miles southeast of Ponchatoula, Louisiana. The second phase of the project will include construction of a detached breakwater system to reduce wave energy along the highly erodible northern rim area of Lake Pontchartrain.

12 Oct 2001

Something Old, Something New ...

A small New Orleans boat design and manufacturing firm has combined proven materials and cutting-edge design technology to provide the ultimate in one-off efficiency, giving its customers custom boats at production prices. Dave Sintes of Sintes Fiberglass Designs has been tweaking his CADKEY-brand CAD-CAM software for over 10 years, customizing and augmenting the off-the-shelf 3-D program to produce scantlings, drawings, materials lists, and weight and balance calculations for his designs. When the boat's design is complete, the program produces computer-disk instructions to guide the yard's flat-bed router. Even on Sintes' 700 mHz computer, the CADKEY program is fast and versatile. With a few mouse-clicks, Sintes can fine-tune a vessel's lines by altering its 3-D on-screen rendering.

14 Jan 2004

Feature: The Jewel of the Industrial Canal

The Industrial Canal in New Orleans is aptly named. Connecting a tributary of Mississippi River with Lake Pontchartrain, it is much like a boulevard of broken dreams. Remnants of old shipyards, coffee-roasting facilities operating at half capacity and areas where the oil boom flourished and died dot the banks of the canal. Trinity Yachts, that has suddenly become the 800 lb. Gorilla of the megayacht business. Trinity Yachts was once a part Friede Goldman Halter Company, that corporate experiment that proved you couldn't put an oilrig builder and a boat builder together and get a company that meshes together. Trinity Yachts and was one of the first pieces of the company to be sold off.