Author Topic: SS American Racer & American Reliance headed for Brownsville, Tx  (Read 23067 times)

Offline William C. Daugherty

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Re: SS American Racer & American Reliance headed for Brownsville, Tx
« Reply #15 on: January 18, 2011, 08:09:05 PM »
I'm Overwhelmed at the response to the thread! Thanks everybody. Anybody want to guess how long it'll take the American Racer to get from the Panama Canal to Brownsville?

In case you don't know, the U.S. Government found the American Racer eligible for the National Register (landmark status) before they nonetheless decided to pay to have her scrapped.

In addition to being one of the first class of substantially automated steamships, she was also the first containership to cross the North Atlantic, and was also involved in "Operation Frequent Wind", the final evacuation of Vietnam. I have been fighting to preserve her, and set up a couple of websites for this purpose, one of which is here: http://www.myspace.com/ssamericanracer

Lest anyone doubt whether this country is being mismanaged in a way consistent with a future third world status, look at the example of the SS Bay, which is being towed from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in CALIFORNIA to Chesapeake, Virginia so that Bay Bridge Enterprises can then be paid to scrap her. Since the Gov't is paying to have the scrapping done, I think it's a safe assumption that they're paying for that really long tow as well.

Not long ago I found an internet article from a newspaper in that area, explaining how since the Gov't has stopped scrapping ships in the Virginia Reserve Fleet (JRRF), near by Bay Bridge Enterprises, the business has barely survived, and that this deal with the SS Bay (as above) was really going to be a Godsend for them. It must be nice to have the government decide to make such an extremely expensive effort, at our expense, to keep one particular business going. I would like to be able to understand what the criteria for this special treatment is, however.

And to clarify the "third world" aspect of my comments, they are spending massive amounts of taxpayer money to keep scrapyard employers and employees going, and this will prepare our industry for what? Future competition with (Alang) India's untouchables? God forbid, they spend some stimulus money fixing up some historic landmark ships (SS United States, American Racer, Mission Santa Ynez, and others) and the employees and industry would get skills & experience that could be used to create economic value, rather than destroy it. There is no question as to the difference in skill required between ship construction & repair vs. ship scrapping. And anyone who is aware of our recent problems with ships delivered to the Navy ( see here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=active&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us%3AIE-SearchBox&q=san+antonio+class+problems&aq=1sx&aqi=g-sx6g-msx1&aql=&oq=san+antoino+class+ ), knows why our folks could use the practice. And fixing up just parts of a few old, historic ships, would be a lot cheaper than building new ones that no one needs & trying to sell them (1950's Mariner program; won't work now) let alone this LPD 17 fiasco.

Here's some links to why the American Racer is so historic:

http://books.google.com/books?id=_NMDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA86&dq=american%20racer%20popular%20mechanics%20august%201966&pg=PA92#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/76162/Automated_Ship_American_Racer/

http://books.google.com/books?id=42zZ6NrwMjEC&lpg=PA86&dq=box%20boats%20american%20racer&pg=PA86#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.history.navy.mil/seairland/chap5.htm

http://www.usmm.org/vietnam.html

http://www.ussvega.com/page-16/htms/SS%20American%20Racer.htm

http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/U.S.%20Marines%20in%20Vietnam_The%20Bitter%20End%201973-1975%20%20PCN%201900310900_10.pdf (see pages 219 & 221)


« Last Edit: January 18, 2011, 08:30:48 PM by William C. Daugherty »
William C. Daugherty

Offline chaaur

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Re: SS American Racer & American Reliance headed for Brownsville, Tx
« Reply #16 on: January 22, 2011, 05:45:16 PM »
The American Reliance just entered the channel from the Gulf under tow and within 5 miles of the Port of Brownsville, viewed by myself from South Padre Island TX

Offline Trucker001

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Re: SS American Racer & American Reliance headed for Brownsville, Tx
« Reply #17 on: January 25, 2011, 11:28:45 PM »
  is it 2 ships made the trip both the reliance or the racer?
:lol:  :-D  :-D

Offline William C. Daugherty

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Re: SS American Racer & American Reliance headed for Brownsville, Tx
« Reply #18 on: January 26, 2011, 09:59:52 PM »
  is it 2 ships made the trip both the reliance or the racer?

Yes, both the American Racer and the American Reliance have been seperately towed from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet to the Brownsville, Tx area within days of each other.
William C. Daugherty

Offline Timsen

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Re: SS American Racer & American Reliance headed for Brownsville, Tx
« Reply #19 on: January 27, 2011, 08:24:40 AM »
Just have a look at this photo of a heavily tilting American Reliance on Jan 5:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1244160

Offline PeterWestd

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Re: SS American Racer & American Reliance headed for Brownsville, Tx
« Reply #20 on: January 27, 2011, 11:31:07 AM »
Hi,

Does anyone know if the ss Bay left the SuisunBay reserve fleet yet?
She should be leaving at december 28th.
Ifso does someone have a photo of her on her last voyage to Brownsville?
Did she passed the Panama-locks yet?

Hope to hear

Greetings

Peter ???

Offline William C. Daugherty

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Re: SS American Racer & American Reliance headed for Brownsville, Tx
« Reply #21 on: January 28, 2011, 01:37:10 PM »
Hi,

Does anyone know if the ss Bay left the SuisunBay reserve fleet yet?
She should be leaving at december 28th.
Ifso does someone have a photo of her on her last voyage to Brownsville?
Did she passed the Panama-locks yet?

Hope to hear

Greetings

Peter ???

I'm guessing that you read about her in my post above. According to an article I found on the internet, she has already left. The picture in the article seems to show her out of her mooring row with a tug alongside, which would seem to confirm that.

It's nice to see someone interested in her, due to their smaller crews, these ships don't have the same representation as many navy ships, causing them to be forgotten even when they've made more of a mark.

I don't know when she'll pass through the canal, or whether she has yet. It should be some time before she makes it all the way to Virginia though.

Do you have a personal connection to her?

The article on her departure: http://benicia.patch.com/articles/a-ship-on-the-strait-6

And I'm not sure she had space for 12 additional passengers, like the article said. I can't get to the reference book that would tell me. At the end of the second paragraph here: http://drawings.usmaritimecommission.de/drawing_ma/drawings_c3_s_46a_des.htm it says she didn't.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2011, 01:45:40 PM by William C. Daugherty »
William C. Daugherty

Offline PeterWestd

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Re: SS American Racer & American Reliance headed for Brownsville, Tx
« Reply #22 on: January 28, 2011, 02:03:28 PM »
Hi William,

Thanks for the link to the article.
No I haven't any personalconnection to the ship.
I'm just intrested in ships that are and were serving in the Military Sealift Command/Ready Reserve Force and the merchant ships in the Reserve Fleets.
Still looking for a couple of ships from the Ready Reserve Fleet which have already been dismatled and a few which are still in the Reserve Fleets, waiting for dismantling also.
Hard to find photos, you only see bow and stern shots, but there are little photos of the ships with
full port or starboard shots.

Thanks again.

Peter :)


Offline Walldog

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Re: SS American Racer & American Reliance headed for Brownsville, Tx
« Reply #23 on: February 20, 2011, 09:18:25 AM »
I just posted a picture of American Racer as she was entering the Brownsville Ship Channel at the Jetties at South Padre Island on January 20, 2011.

 

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