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U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program. Photo: US Navy via Wikipedia
A pair of bottlenosed dolphins named Ten and Spetz have made an astounding discovery off the coast of San Diego – a late 19th century torpedo. Since the 1960s, the US Navy has worked with marine mammals, training them to locate undersea objects that even our most modern technology cannot detect. The 11 foot long, brass Howell torpedo, was the first of its kind, able to track and destroy its target without any wake.
Only one Howell torpedo was known to exist, on display at the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Wash., until now. Photo: US Navy via Softpedia
From the Los Angeles Times: The so-called Howell torpedo was discovered by bottlenose dolphins being trained by the Navy to find undersea objects, including mines, that not even billion-dollar technology can detect. “Dolphins naturally possess the most sophisticated sonar known to man,” Braden Duryee, an official at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific said after the surprising discovery.
A bottlenose dolphin surfs the wake of a research boat on the Banana River near the Kennedy Space Center. Photo: NASA via Wikipedia
To train the dolphins, Navy specialists sink objects of various shapes in rocky and sandy undersea areas where visibility is poor. The shapes mimic those of the mines used by U.S. adversaries. A dolphin is then ordered to dive and search. If it finds something, it is trained to surface and touch the front of the boat with its snout. If it has found nothing, it touches the back of the boat.
Mammal handler AM-3 Shawn McDonald feeds Ten, a U.S. Navy-trained bottlenose dolphin.Photo: Don Bartletti, Mct via Deseret News
When a dolphin named Ten surfaced from a shallow-water dive last month and touched the front of the boat, Navy specialists were nonplused. “It went positive in a place we didn’t expect,” said Mike Rothe, who heads the marine mammal program.
A week later, a dolphin named Spetz did the same thing in the same area. This time, the dolphin was ordered to take a marker to the object.
Navy divers and then explosive-ordnance technicians examined the object, which was in two pieces, and determined that the years had rendered it inert. On one piece was the stamp “USN No. 24.”
US Navy sailors with the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific Marine Mammal Team pose with a specially trained Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin Ten, who found the torpedo. Photo: US Navy via The Daily Mail
The torpedo pieces were lifted to the surface and taken to a Navy base for cleaning and to await shipment to the Naval History and Heritage Command, located at the Washington Navy Yard.
The dolphins have found unexpected things in the past, including a mine-shaped lobster trap during a mission off Canada with the Canadian navy. But a torpedo that was more than a century old and that the divers and trainers needed to consult explosives experts — and Google — to identify?
“We’ve never found anything like this,” said Rothe, his voice full of admiration for the marine mammals. “Never.” Read more here…
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
I’m always on the lookout for tidbits on the harbor for the blog and I came across this fascinating, historical educational video on youtube. From 1949, it talks about how the port of New York came to be the largest (at the time) port in the nation. Really great close-up footage of the working harbor.
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This Tuesday, May 21, glimpse into the future of our port. Join us on the inaugural voyage of WHC’s new series of tours – Beyond Sandy: Keeping the Conversation Alive.
Expert guest speakers will inform on the many challenges we face post-Sandy, and the different solutions on the table. Come be a part of the discussion. Click here for tickets.
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
Last October, Super storm Sandy swept through our neighborhoods flooding reaching far beyond the anticipated 100-year flood maps.
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman / NewtownPentacle.com
Post-Sandy, Working Harbor Committee has designed a new series of tours that focus on potential ideas and solutions from government agencies, private industry, think tanks and universities and experts from a variety of disciplines.
On Tuesday 21 May, we launch our inaugural Beyond Sandy Hidden Harbor Tour® that will cruise our harbor from Hoboken to the Verrazano Bridge and includes the Brooklyn waterfront, Staten Island’s Kill Van Kull, New Jersey, Liberty & Ellis Islands and more.
High Seas on the Inner Harbor: From Wall Street to Snug Harbor
*Click for Tickets*
Tuesday – 21 May: High Seas on the Inner Harbor:
From Wall Street to Snug Harbor
Our expert speakers will discuss proposals for massive sea gates and beach dunes to hold back surge waters. Wetlands restoration and oyster reefs could help to soften the hard edges of our shorelines to combat sea-level rise. Learn what zone modifications are being implemented for flood resistance and what methods are being devised for better clean-up of contaminants in a flood.
Special Guest Speakers:
Photo: Via Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance
Lucy Ambrosino
Manager of Outreach for the Port Commerce Department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Photo: Via PhilipOrton.com
Philip Orton
Research Scientist, Stevens Institute of Technology
Photo: Via CoroNY
Jill Eisenhard
Founder & Executive Director of the Red Hook Initiative
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
I’d like to wish all Mom’s everywhere a Happy Mother’s Day! Special shout-out to my mother – thank you for your love and support Mom!
Please enjoy this found historic footage from 1903 of the East River shoreline and the lower piers of Manhattan via gallopingalligator.
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by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
AP Photo via The Telegraph
Last October, we were hit hard by Super Storm Sandy, which affected many vulnerable spots all around the harbor. Working Harbor Committee ahas developed a new series of narrated Hidden Harbor Tours® that focus on climate change and protective measures from sea-level rise being discussed by government, private institutions and citizens.
Presenting Beyond Sandy, Keeping The Conversation Alive- a series of special Hidden Harbor Tours® exploring the many issues and plans arising from Super Storm Sandy, from the Working Harbor Committee. Select expert speakers from government agencies, private industry, think tanks and universities, will discuss ideas like massive sea gates, building beach dunes, wetlands restoration, modification of flood zones, re-imagining our infrastructure, updated flood mapping and much more.
Tour 1
- May 21, June 18 , July 16, August 6, September 3
Tour 1: High Seas on the Inner Harbor: From Wall Street to Snug Harbor
This tour is from the Verrazano Bridge to Hoboken, including Brooklyn, Staten Island, New Jersey, The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island. See where giant sea gates are proposed.
Tour 2
- May 28, June 25, July 23, August 20, September 17
Tour 2 – Fire, Floods and Floating Containers: East River – Hell Gate to Governors Island
This tour traverses the East River from Queens to Governors Island, including the East Side of Manhattan, Newtown Creek & Brooklyn Navy Yard. See the site of the giant electric sub-station explosion.
Tour 3: Tuesday – 4 June
- June 4, July 2, July 30, August 27, September 24
Tour 3 – Protecting Our Ports: From Red Hook to Newark Bay
How the working harbor fared & helped. This tour traverses Kill van Kull to Newark Bay, including container terminals, oil docks, tug yards, & rail yards. Learn how close we came to a goods delivery crisis.
From PRWEB: Starting May 21, 2013 through September, every Tuesday, tri-state area residents and visitors are in for a true adventure this summer as they embark and enjoy Hidden Harbor Tours® aboard the luxury yacht Zephyr, and are taken behind the scenes to see the inner workings of the bustling New York Harbor. New for the 2013 summer season is the tour series: “Beyond Sandy, Keeping The Conversation Alive” featuring three different areas of interest each week with noted speakers and charities onboard (see website for full list). The exciting and educational tours are presented by the Working Harbor Committee (non-profit) in partnership with the New York Water Taxi/Circle Line Downtown.Tuesday sailings depart at 6:30pm from Pier 16 South Street Seaport, New York, New York (Fulton Street and South Street).
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman / NewtownPentacle.com
“Beyond Sandy” tours provide three themed sailings as follows:
- Tour 1: High Seas on the Inner Harbor: From Wall Street to Snug Harbor;
- Tour 2: Fire, Floods and Floating Containers: East River – Hell Gate to Governors Island;
- Tour 3: Protecting Our Ports: From Red Hook to Newark Bay.
Additionally, Hidden Harbor Tours will feature its popular Newark Bay Tour and North River Tour on select Tuesday sailings as well. Pricing: Adults $39, Seniors $32, Children ages 3-12 $25, Under age 3 are free. Ticket information and full tour schedule visit: https://www.circlelinedowntown.com/tours/hidden-harbors, 212-742-1969 by phone or http://www.workingharbor.org. Zephyr, a luxury yacht, features two fully enclosed decks, plus an open-air roof deck – all decks boast panoramic views. A portion of the ticket price goes to the Working Harbor Committee to support its programming.
Featured Speakers: Captain John Doswell, Working Harbor Committee; Chris Ward, Executive Vice President, Dragados USA; formerly with The Port Authority New York & New Jersey; Helena Durst, President, New York Water Taxi; Lucy Ambrosino, Outreach Manager of Port Commerce, The Port Authority New York & New Jersey; Dr. Philip Orton, legendary research scientist, Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey; and Jill Eisenhard, Executive Director, Red Hook Initiative. Read more here…
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
Tour season is here! We have been working on a slew of new tours for you this season. On Sunday, 26th of May, Working Harbor Committee presents the Hidden Harbor Newtown Creek Tour with Mitch Waxman, WHC’s official photographer and Newtown Creek Alliance Historian. Mitch has written all about it in his blog post below. See incredible things, learn new facts, explore the heart of the industrial revolution. Join us on a comfortable NY Water Taxi for our 3-hour narrated tour of Newtown Creek. Come be amazed!
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman
On Sunday -the 26th of May- the Working Harbor Committee is producing and offering a boat tour of the Newtown Creek for any interested parties to attend. A special emphasis on the waterway’s storied history and maritime legacy will be made.
I’m going to be doing the history part, speaking in my capacity as the Newtown Creek Alliance Historian, and am tasked with highlighting the various points of interest encountered along the route. Anticipated to be some three hours in length, this boat tour will be delving some three miles inland, proceeding to the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge crossing English Kills in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman
The Maritime History of Newtown Creek is one largely forgotten in these decadent times, but even now an odd tugboat and barge might be spied making their way down the waterway on any given day. Property owners were considered to have been blessed by some of the finest industrial bulkheads in the world a mere century ago, yet many of the businesses based along the Creek today ignore this invaluable resource, allowing their waterfront property to decay and decline.
Nevertheless, a staggering amount of maritime traffic is still observed here, and towing companies such as Reinauer, K-Sea, DonJon, and Poling and Cutler are regular visitors.
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman
Vast operations will be witnessed by those onboard, many of which are involved in the scrap metal and recyclables trade. Responsible for an enormous amount of cross harbor shipping, companies such as SimsMetal are heavily reliant on the maritime trades for their economic success.
Not all that long ago, Newtown Creek carried a greater tonnage of cargo than the entire Mississippi River.
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman
An active and thriving industrial zone in the center of New York City, from the water one can truly grasp the sheer scale of Newtown Creek’s busy waterfront. Normally hidden by high fences and obscured by street facing structures, the intensity of the Newtown Creek is laid bare before the admiring gaze of first time visitor and veteran urban explorer alike.
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman
A tributary of the estuarine East River, Newtown Creek extends some 3.8 miles from its junction with the more familiar waterway, and provides demarcation for the currently undefended border of much of Brooklyn and Queens. Named to the Federal Superfund list, the Creek suffers from a history of environmental degradation and municipal neglect.
An era of great change is upon the Newtown Creek, and this trip will be one of your last chances to see it in its current form.
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman
We will see four moveable bridges, and this year will be your last chance to see the static Kosciuszko Bridge as the NYS DOT has indicated that construction on its replacement will begin as early as the Fall of 2013.
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman
Along it’s banks, great fortunes have risen.
Amongst others- Peter Cooper (BO Railroad, Canton Iron, and Cooper Union), Charles Pratt (Astral Oil, and Pratt University), and ultimately John D. Rockefeller (Standard Oil)- all grew richer than the dreams of avarice in this place. Alongside them, the darkest mills of the industrial revolution- rendering plants, yeast distilleries, bone blackers, and acid factories provided tens of thousands of jobs to the immigrant populations of Brooklyn and Queens. Today- National Grid, BP, Amoco, ExxonMobil, and a host of other multinational companies still maintain an enormous investment in this valuable industrial canal.
Upcoming tour: Hidden Harbor Tours: Newtown Creek tour with Mitch Waxman.
On May 26th, Mitch shares his unique point of view and deep understanding of the past, present and future conditions of the Newtown Creek as the narrator and expedition leader for this years’ Hidden Harbor Tours: Newtown Creek tour with Mitch Waxman.
Our NY Water Taxi leaves from South Street Seaport at 10 a.m. (sharp) for a three hour tour of the Newtown Creek. From the East River we’ll move into the Newtown Creek where we’ll explore explore vast amounts of maritime infrastructure, see many movable bridges and discover the very heart of the Hidden Harbor.
Limited seating available, get your tickets today.
Tickets $59, trip leaves Pier 17 at South Street Seaport at 10a.m. sharp.
We will be traveling in a comfortable NY Water Taxi vessel with indoor and outdoor seating. There will be refreshments and snacks available for purchase at the bar.
For a full listing and schedule of tours and events, click here
reblogged by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee via Mitch Waxman, Newtown Pentacle
The Working Harbor Committee and their partners have been working on some new exciting Hidden Harbor Tours® content! Details will be posted in the next few days. Stay tuned!!
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman/NewtownPentacle.com
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman/NewtownPentacle.com
Photo: ©Mitch Waxman/NewtownPentacle.com
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
The Jet Star roller coaster in Seaside, adrift in the ocean. Photo: The Star-Ledger
The Jet Start roller coaster plunged into the Atlantic ocean last October when Sandy disintegrated the Seaside Heights boardwalk beneath it. Last week, the owners of Casino Pier finalized a contract with Weeks Marine to remove the rusted, storm-twisted amusement before Memorial Day.
From the Star-Ledger: “Yes, we do have a contract,” said Toby Wof, spokeswoman for the Storino family, which owns the Casino Pier where the roller coaster was located.
Weeks Marine transporting the Space Shuttle Enterprise and the shuttle-hoist crane. Photo: Jim Henderson via wikipedia
Wolf said there’s no set date yet for the start to the roller coaster’s removal. She said Weeks first needs to conduct a hydrographic survey to determine “the exact placement of everything down there and water depths.”
That process, which is dependent on good weather, could take a couple of weeks to complete, Wolf said. The actual dismantling of the coaster and the three other rides that plunged into the ocean with it should take about a week if the weather cooperates, she said.
The Jet Star roller coaster sits in the ocean off Seaside Heights. Photo: John O’Boyle/The Star-Ledger
Wolf declined to disclose the value of the contract for Weeks.
Borough officials have said they want the coaster — which has become a huge tourist attraction — out of the ocean before Memorial Day weekend and Wolf said they’re still on target for that goal. Read more here…
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
Cornell and Rutgers researchers have published an article reporting that Arctic sea ice melt appears to have contributed to Hurricane Sandy’s intensified strength and caused the superstorm to veer from her anticipated course and head straight for our area.
Professor Charles Greene connects Superstorm Sandy to the severe loss of summertime Arctic sea ice. Photo via Cornell Chronicle
From the Cornell Chronicle: The article, “Superstorm Sandy: A Series of Unfortunate Events?” was authored by Charles H. Greene, Cornell professor of earth and atmospheric sciences and director of Cornell’s Ocean Resources and Ecosystems program; Jennifer A. Francis of Rutgers University’s Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences; and Bruce C. Monger, Cornell senior research associate, earth and atmospheric sciences.
The researchers assert that the record-breaking sea ice loss from summer 2012, combined with the unusual atmospheric phenomena observed in late October, appear to be linked to global warming.
Atmospheric conditions during Hurricane Sandy’s transit along the eastern seaboard of the United States, including the invasion of cold Arctic air into the middle latitudes of North America and the high-pressure blocking pattern in the northwest Atlantic. Image: Cornell University Via ThinkProgress
A strong atmospheric, high-pressure blocking pattern over Greenland and the northwest Atlantic prevented Hurricane Sandy from steering northeast and out to sea like most October hurricanes and tropical storms from the Caribbean. In fact, Sandy traveled up the Atlantic coast and turned left “toward the most populated area along the eastern seaboard” and converged with an extratropical cyclone; this, in turn, fed the weakening Hurricane Sandy and transformed it into a monster tempest.
Superstorm Sandy’s extremely low atmospheric pressure and the strong high-pressure block to the north created violent east winds that pushed storm surge against the eastern seaboard. “To literally top it off, the storm surge combined with full-moon high tides and huge ocean waves to produce record high water levels that exceeded the worst-case predictions for parts of New York City,” write the researchers.
After the convergence of tropical and extra-tropical storm systems, the hybrid Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey and New York, bringing strong winds, storm surge, and flooding to areas near the coast and blizzard conditions to Appalachia. Image: Cornell University via ThinkProgress
Greene, Francis and Monger add: “If one accepts this evidence and … takes into account the record loss of Arctic sea ice this past September, then perhaps the likelihood of greenhouse warming playing a significant role in Sandy’s evolution as an extratropical superstorm is at least as plausible as the idea that this storm was simply a freak of nature.”
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
The R/V Sally Ride, a Neil Armstrong-class AGOR ship, is the US Navy’s first research vessel named after a woman. (DOD) Rendering via CollectSpace.com
Sally Ride was NASA’s first female astronaut to fly in space. She made history in 1983 when she became the first US woman to fly into space on the space shuttle Challenger. Her passion for science, math and innovation has inspired generations of boys and girls to pursue careers in science research and technology. Sally Ride died last year after battling pancreatic cancer. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced last Friday that their next Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research ship (AGOR), will be christened R/V Sally Ride in her memory.
From the US Department of Defence: As secretary of the Navy, I have the great privilege of naming ships that will represent America with distinction as part of the fleet for many decades to come,” Mabus said in a statement revealing the names of seven ships, including the Sally Ride. “These ships were all named to recognize the hard-working people from cities all around our country who have contributed in so many ways to our Navy and Marine Corps team.”
From CollectSpace.com: Mabus named the future R/V Sally Ride in memory of the astronaut, who also served as a professor, scientist and innovator at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California in San Diego. Scripps will operate the R/V Sally Ride when it enters the Navy’s fleet in 2015. Ride, 61, died on July 23, 2012, to pancreatic cancer.
Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space, looks out the forward windows of the space shuttle Challenger in June 1983. (NASA) Photo via CollectSpace.com
She made history when she lifted off with the STS-7 crew on space shuttle Challenger in 1983. The first U.S. female astronaut to fly into space, she was only the third woman worldwide to reach orbit, following two Soviet cosmonauts, Valentina Tereshkova in 1963 and Svetlana Savitskaya in 1982.
This June will mark the 30th anniversary of Ride becoming the first American woman in space.
After her second launch on the shuttle, Ride left NASA to become a physics professor and a champion for improving science education. She founded her own company, Sally Ride Science, to pursue her passion for motivating girls and young women to pursue careers in science, math and technology. ”
Sally Ride’s career was one of firsts and will inspire generations to come,” Mabus said. “I named R/V Sally Ride to honor a great researcher, but also to encourage generations of students to continue exploring, discovering and reaching for the stars.”
The R/V Sally Ride will support a wide variety of oceanographic research activities when it enters the fleet in 2015. (DOD) Rendering via CollectSpace.com
Traditionally, AGORs are named for nationally recognized leaders in exploration and science. In September 2012, Mabus named the first of the Navy’s new class of modern AGOR ships the R/V Neil Armstrong after the first man to walk on the moon, who died a month after Ride. The R/V Sally Ride, which will be a Neil Armstrong-class AGOR ship, will be the U.S. Navy’s 28th auxiliary general oceanographic research ship.
According to the Navy, the Sally Ride will include acoustic equipment capable of mapping the deepest parts of the oceans and modular laboratories to provide the flexibility and capability to meet a wide variety of research activities conducted by academic institutions and laboratories.
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
