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Oriskany to sail for (Texas)city soon
Corpus Christi Caller-Times ^ | January 9, 2004 | Matthew Sturdevant

Posted on 01/09/2004 4:31:17 PM PST by SwinneySwitch

An 888-foot Korean War-era aircraft carrier will arrive at the Port of Corpus Christi next week to have its innards cleaned of solvents before the ship is sunk offshore to create an artificial reef.

Officials haven't announced yet where the ship will be sunk.

The USS Oriskany will be towed Tuesday from Beaumont and will arrive later in the week at the Port of Corpus Christi, said Denise Johnston, manager of government contracts for Resolve Marine Services. The company is one of two contracted to clean aircraft carriers.

"The tow will commence depending on weather conditions," Johnston said. "It could be in Corpus Christi on the 15th, the 16th, the 17th - it depends on the weather."

Resolve Marine Services of Florida, and a Brownsville company, Esco Marine, were jointly awarded a $2.18 million U.S. Navy contract to remove oily solvents from hundreds of tanks and bilge compartments on the ship, according to federal contract information.

Cleaning the Oriskany is expensive because the ship has chemicals and substances that are regulated by the federal government for special disposal, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury and asbestos, Johnston has said.

The Navy and U.S. Maritime Administration are evaluating applications from five states for four sites - three in the Gulf of Mexico and one off the Atlantic coast - and will decide later this month or in February where it will be sunk.

The Oriskany is the last of the Essex Class carriers, the same type as Corpus Christi's museum ship, the Lexington. The Oriskany was used during the Korean and Vietnam wars from 1950 to 1976. It will be the largest ship deliberately sunk as an artificial reef, according to the Maritime Administration.

Contact Matthew Sturdevant at 886-3778 or sturdevantm@caller.com


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: aircraftcarrier; artificalreef; oriskany
Hello, O!
1 posted on 01/09/2004 4:31:17 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
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To: All
Rank Location Receipts Donors/Avg Freepers/Avg Monthlies
1
California
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Thanks for donating to Free Republic!

Move your locale up the leaderboard!

2 posted on 01/09/2004 4:32:20 PM PST by Support Free Republic (If Woody had gone straight to the police, this would never have happened!)
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To: SwinneySwitch
Was the Oriskany the carrier that had the major accident off the coast of Viet Nam with rockets setting off on the full flight deck?
3 posted on 01/09/2004 4:59:01 PM PST by Thebaddog (Woof!)
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To: Thebaddog
don't think so. forestal (sp?) was one and enterprise was another. in fact enterprise was in pearl harbor for repairs during the filming of "tora, tora, tora" and had to be screened by smoke pots so as not to show up in the background.
4 posted on 01/09/2004 5:06:10 PM PST by bravo whiskey
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To: Thebaddog
Nope, the Forrestal was the ship where John McCain touched off the Zuni rockets on his plane and set the ship aflame.
5 posted on 01/09/2004 5:14:28 PM PST by tarawa
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To: tarawa

6 posted on 01/09/2004 5:20:33 PM PST by Arkinsaw
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To: Thebaddog; AppyPappy; Jeff Head; Billthedrill; onyx
The Oriskany had a major fire in '66 started by a magnesium parachute flare that claimed 44 men. The Forrestal had a major fire in '67.
7 posted on 01/09/2004 5:29:26 PM PST by SwinneySwitch (Freedom isn't Free! Support those who ensure it.)
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To: SwinneySwitch
Here's a link to a good report on the status of the site selection:
http://waterfront-news.com/habitat/habitat.htm

My vote is for Pensacola - one of my favorite dive destinations, and also with a long history of naval aviation.
8 posted on 01/09/2004 5:31:47 PM PST by gbunch (God bless our President and our troops.)
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To: SwinneySwitch
Thanks.
9 posted on 01/09/2004 5:58:38 PM PST by Thebaddog (Woof!)
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To: SwinneySwitch
I live the Oriskany. Thank you so much for this ping. I've bookmarked this thread.
10 posted on 01/09/2004 6:34:16 PM PST by onyx (Your secrets are safe with me and all my friends.)
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To: SwinneySwitch
They've probably already sold the propellers for scrap, but it is too bad they couldn't have melted them down and stamped a bunch of dollar-sized medallions out of it like they did the 1898 cruiser Olympia. A neat bit of history that I'll bet people would have paid bucks for. I would have.
11 posted on 01/09/2004 6:37:30 PM PST by Oatka
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To: SwinneySwitch
The "Mighty O-Boat."

At least it will stay at sea and not wind up as razor blades.
12 posted on 01/09/2004 7:24:53 PM PST by CPOSharky (Liberal method - Repeat lie until someone else quotes it, then use that quote as proof.)
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