Two More Head For Scrap Heap
Pair of vessels in 'ghost fleet' leave the area for good
by Dave Schleck, Daily Press
17 October 2003 (Newport News) – Two more pieces of Naval history left their sleepy berth in the James River and headed to an English scrap yard on Thursday morning - a submarine tender called the Canopus and a navigation instrument ship called the Compass Island.
The ships follow another pair that left last week from the James River Reserve Fleet to the Able UK Ltd. scrap yard in England. It's part of a 15-ship, $17.8 million deal between Able UK and the Maritime Administration, which manages the reserve fleet or ghost fleet.
The federal government established the reserve fleet in 1946 as an inactive group of merchant vessels to be used in times of national emergencies. But more than 70 of the ships have deteriorated into an obsolete ghost fleet.
Four tugboats named after members of the McAllister Towing family of Norfolk helped maneuver the Canopus and Compass Island out of Hampton Roads. The ships carry a total of more than 124,000 gallons of oil and other contaminants.
Two environmental groups have filed suit against the Maritime Administration, saying the Bush administration is skirting federal laws by allowing the ships to be scrapped overseas. The court case proceeds with another hearing in Washington, D.C., next week, although a federal judge already allowed four ships to leave as part of a pilot program.
The Canopus, built in 1965 at a length of 644 feet, serviced ballistic missile submarines during its 29 years of active service. It was based in Scotland, Spain, South Carolina, Georgia and Norfolk.
The Compass Island, built in 1953 at a length of 563 feet, helped the Navy develop a navigation system independent of land-based or celestial technology. The ship, which had a crew of 180 including 50 scientists, sailed up and down the East Coast and the Mediterranean, tracking satellites and ballistic missiles.
Al Frey, 61, a retired Navy chief who lives in Bremerton, Wash., served on the Compass Island from 1960 to 1965. He said he was sad to hear about his ship heading to its final resting place Thursday.
"It's sort of like seeing an old friend go," he said. "That's where I grew up. I came aboard at 17, a young, dumb snot-nosed kid who quit school. I had a lot of good teachers who taught me how to get by."
The ships will be making a three-week, 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic. Another vessel, the Mormac Dawn, is scheduled to leave the ghost fleet today, heading for a scrap yard in Brownsville, Texas.
FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Basel Action Network is making this article available in our efforts to advance understanding of ecological sustainability and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
More News
|
