ShipSpotting.com Forum
Shipspotters all over the world => Shipping News and information => Topic started by: William C. Daugherty on January 01, 2011, 02:48:55 AM
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Does anyone know whether the SS American Racer, IMO: 6414069, Callsign: KNDF and/or the American Reliance have reached Brownsville, tx for scrapping? They left the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in the San Francisco bay in Early December. They were supposed to be headed to esco marine for scrapping. The American Racer was being towed by the tug Thomas Dann.
I checked the Brownsville Hearld, and the Port of Brownsville, the latter's website only lists arrivals from the 7th to the 11th, and there's nothing there.
If no one knows, does anybody know how I could find out? I'm not confident calling Esco Marine would be the best idea.
For more background info:
http://amveruscg.blogspot.com/2010/12/final-voyage-of-ss-american-racer.html
http://www.myspace.com/ssamericanracer
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/showthread.php?t=11923
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daver6/sets/72157625518319728/with/5250925438/
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I just got off the phone with Dann Ocean Towing, and whoever answered said the Tug & the American Racer hadn't gotten there yet, but since it's new year's eve, and the port of Brownsville still doesn't have any arrivals listed beyond the 11th of December, I'm still wondering how I can find out when she arrives, not weeks later.
And, if anybody has any other info related to the ship, please, feel free.
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AMERICAN RELIANCE just reached the Panama Canal Zone this morning and currently in a 'holding pattern' until cleared to transit.
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As of right now (9:15am EST January 5, 2011) both the AMERICAN RACER *AND* the AMERICAN RELIANCE are now in a holding pattern off of the Panama Canal Zone (Pacific side) awaiting clearance for transit.
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Hi,
this is the present positon:
http://i51.tinypic.com/30lctc3.jpg
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THANKS! I have been monitoring both ships positions all morning and see that THOMAS DANN with AMERICAN RACER in tow is now inbound towards the Bridge of the Americas. ALEXANDRA is still off doing circles.
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Screenshot 1:15pm EST Jan 5 2010
(http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3535_14.jpg)
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Photo set of the SS American Racer as she was towed into the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal this morning January 7, 2011
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=005168
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UPDATED the above link with more webcam grabs as the AMERICAN RACER completes her Panama Canal transit through the Gatun Locks today Jan 8 2010, a full day after she entered the Miraflores Locks on the Pacific side.
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P.S. The tug Alexandra with the AMERICAN RELIANCE in tow is still doing loops and laps outside of the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, FIVE days after arriving!!!
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Today January 10, 2010 the Tug ALEXANDRA with the AMERICAN RELIANCE in tow is finally heading inbound to the Bridge of the Americas and should pass under approx 10:25am. She arrived at the Panama Canal Zone on the morning of January 3rd as has since been doing zig zags, circles, and giant loops awaiting her turn.
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ALEXANDRA is now pierside across from Balboa. This seems to be typical of a tug and tow so that either the tow can be inspected before transit and/or the crew/tug can be replenished. If I use previous tows as a comparison I would expect her to be here for about 2-3 days.
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SS American Reliance transiting the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal this morning Jan 11, 2011 enroute Brownsville TX for dismantling
http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=005171
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with all the delay waiting for the panama gov to allow they ti proceed with the tow trough the locks wouldnt it have been just as fast and cheaper to just go down around? rather than getting messed around like they had been?
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Normally the delay is one day, two max, and then they dock across from Balboa as the tow is inspected and the tug replenished. This is the first time I can ever recall it taking eight days after arrival for the tug and tow to circle around, clear, dock for one day, and then proceed to the locks. It would be interesting to hear exactly why it took so long?
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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)
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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
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is it 2 ships made the trip both the reliance or the racer?
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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.
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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
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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 ???
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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.
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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 :)
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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.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_SbgYaoLPJzo/TTnNkqMwizI/AAAAAAAAofU/RbY67giOm58/s800/American%20Racer%20Dead%20Ship.JPG)