November 7, 2006
STUCK IN THE MUD
Some NYC landmarks you just can't get rid of. Anyone who's ever traveled down the West Side Highway must be familiar with the Intrepid, the WWII-era aircraft carrier berthed just south of the cruise line terminals. Recently, it was joined by one of the retired Concord supersonic airliners. The Intrepid is a sturdy gal, surviving multiple kamikaze attacks during the war before settling in NY's harbor. Perhaps she made herself too comfortable. At the coincidence of a very high tide and other factors, the carrier was going to be pushed and pulled downstream to Bayonne, NJ for refurbishment yesterday. Despite best efforts, however, the ship is not so much floating at Manhattan's Pier 86, but just resting in a bed of accumulated silt--its screws (propellers) completely embedded in muck.
"There is a wedge of mud underneath this vessel, and she is completely stuck to it," said Capt. Jeff McAllister, who directed the fleet of tugboats hired to move the ship. "It is absolutely not moving in this current state."
Officials at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum had spent months and $250,000 planning the move to Bayonne.
But 90 minutes after they started the tug out of Pier 86, it became clear the big boat wasn't going anywhere.
With the combined 30,000 horsepower of six tugboats pulling, the Intrepid only moved 15feet, or $16,660 per foot, before the mission was scrubbed.
It was determined that the carrier's four giant propellers on its stern were anchored too deep in the silt to move it out.
"We had the sun, the moon and stars in alignment. It is a disheartening day, and a disappointing day," said Bill White, president of the Intrepid museum.
From the reports I saw on TV, it would be optimistic to say that the Intrepid will be moved before next year's Fleet Week.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at November 7, 2006 1:13 PM
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