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Can Our National Flagship Be Saved?
We step on board the SS United States—60 years after the superliner first appeared in Popular Science—and find a rusting but still spectacular icon
By Eric Adams Posted 17 hours ago
Beyond her technological achievements, the United States, which carried 1,928 passengers and 900 crew on Atlantic crossings between 1952 and 1969, is a marvel of mid-century design. In our 1952 article, we touted her elegance: “There is a lightness and easiness about her lines. The bow springs forward not sharply, but cleanly and in harmony with the bulk behind it. The white superstructure and the great stacks lie easily on the sleek black hull.”
The ship’s knife-like prow helped her cut through the water at up to 38 knots, or 44 mph. Her four Westinghouse steam turbines generated 240,000 shaft-horsepower. The SS United States is 990 feet long and 101 feet across, with 12 decks and a 47,000-ton water displacement. By comparison, the RMS Titanic was similarly sized—882 feet long and 92 feet wide, with 9 decks and a 52,000-ton displacement. (SS United States has a lower displacement than Titanic thanks to the former’s lightweight construction. Her contemporaries, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, each displaced about 80,000 tons despite being similarly sized.)
House OK’s Bipartisan Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Bill
December 3, 2014
WASHINGTON, DC – The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed H.R. 5769, the Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014, by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 413-3.
The bipartisan, bicameral legislation reauthorizes funding for the United States Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve, and the Federal Maritime Commission. It also provides policy direction and certainty for these entities and the entire maritime sector. As Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-03) was a lead negotiator for this compromise, and he helped shepherd the bill through the House.
U.S. EPA completes cleanup of Joseph Street site
November 24, 2014
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed cleanup of 333 Joseph St., the site of a demolition turned eyesore of nearly three years.
Stanley Rosenfeld's 333 Joseph LLC purchased the property in April 2010 with plans to develop the property as a multi-use facility. Initial demolition efforts halted during a payment dispute between Rosenfeld's company and a demolition contractor.
Marion County Common Pleas Judge Jim Slagle on Nov. 15, 2013, issued a preliminary injunction ordering 333 Joseph LLC and the contractor to clean the property by March 1, 2014. Slagle in April 2014 dismissed Ohio attorney general's office charges that Rosenfeld, 333 Joseph LLC and his contractor were in contempt of court, saying they did not have the financial resources to comply with the preliminary injunction.
Estimated cost of the cleanup, which will be covered by the U.S. EPA, is $2.5 million to $3 million.
Milkweed touted as oil-spill super-sucker — with butterfly benefits
December 2, 2014
A Quebec company is taking a unique approach to cleaning up oil spills by producing the world's only industrial crop of milkweed, which will be used as new kind of absorbent.
François Simard, creator of Protec-Style, has a contract with Parks Canada to supply national parks with oil-spill kits. The kits come with various sizes of absorbent tubes filled with milkweed fibre.
Simard says milkweed has a unique ability to repel water, which makes it perfect for oil spills on land or water.
"You can leave an absorbent [milkweed] sock in water and it will only absorb the oil. It's very unique in nature to have fibres like that," said Simard in an interview at his factory in Granby, Que.
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Environmental Groups: IMO Polar Code Too Weak
November 22, 2014
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) today adopted the Polar Code aimed at regulating shipping in Polar Regions. Several environmental groups have criticized the measures for not going far enough to protect the Arctic and Antarctic environments, arguing that while the new code is a positive step forward, it is insufficient to properly protect Polar environments from the anticipated increased levels of shipping activity.
The Polar Code is due to enter into force on January 1, 2017, with further negotiation on pollution prevention and other vessels (including fishing vessels) taking place in May 2015 and 2016 respectively.
One concern expressed includes the failure to phase out the use of heavy fuel oil, though it is already banned in Antarctica. Sue Libenson, Pacific Environment, said, “While the Polar Code is a good step at recognizing the special risks of Arctic shipping, it still fails to directly address the highest potential risk of a heavy fuel oil spill.”