Vandenberg Sat-dishes
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KWBuddy
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That was an important job. I'm glad there were people up there taking care of those whales.
There was enough push-back at the meeting so that we made our point.
PM me with your e-mail and I'll let you know about the meeting Joe is organizing. I believe that it will be Thursday, but I haven't gotten a confirmation on it yet.
--
Bud
KW Buddy sent you a PM.
OP
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Vandenberg antennae coming loose from ship
City to address potential environmental threat, tourism impact
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA Citizen Staff
tohara@keysnews.com
[SIZE=+0]The twin antenna dishes atop the deck of the Hoyt S. Vandenberg are a significant part of the ship's profile and have become a gathering spot for goliath groupers.
They have begun to come loose, however, to a point where divers can "actually move the dishes" and there is "some slack in the cables" that secure them to the ship, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Environmental Administrator Kent Edwards said Friday. Sanctuary officials are concerned they will not stay in place in the event of a hurricane or major tropical storm, Edwards said.
"We want to be proactive," she said.
The antennae came off when the ship was sunk May 27, 2009, and were reattached and secured with steel cable later that week. Organizers admitted they were battling with rough currents while reattaching the antennae, and the work may have suffered because of the conditions. Also, the antennae are made of aluminum, and organizers knew they would not last as long as the hull, superstructure and other steel parts of the vessel.
Key West Port Director Jim Fitton convened a meeting Friday with Edwards, local dive boat operators and two Artificial Reefs of the Keys members who organized the Vandenberg project, to help come up with a plan to better secure the antennae so they don't have to be removed.
The city holds the permits for the artificial reef, which was designed to draw divers to Key West, and would ultimately be financially responsible if the antennae broke loose and damaged the coral reef, seagrass or any other sensitive fish habitat. The city's permit with the sanctuary states that "the permittee must remove any loose fragments and other debris dislodged from the authorized vessel."
The sanctuary has been concerned about the antennae since they first broke loose, and those concerns have grown as the cables have become more slack, with sections visibly hanging off the antennae, Edwards said.
Edwards said he did not know Friday whether the antennae eventually would have to removed.
One captain hopes not.
"They are iconic," said Capt. Joe Weatherby, who oversaw the Vandenberg project. "We would like to keep them. It's important for business."
Fitton suggested having an engineer review the antennae, but admitted the city has no money budgeted for Vandenberg-related expenses.
Weatherby and other captains proposed forming a dive team to attach more cables and possibly chains to better secure the antennae. He asked Fitton if the city would be willing to supply the team with cables and chains. Weatherby assured Fitton the work would not require any deep, complicated diving or technical diving, he said.
Weatherby proposed putting cables and chains across defined areas of the antennae, so when the aluminum corrodes and breaks loose, the antennae will break apart into smaller sections and either fall into the ship or be tethered to the ship by the cables and/or chains.
Weatherby, Charter boat Capt. Richard Grusin and Randy Pekarik, a dive master with Subtropic Dive Center, dived on the Vandenberg on Saturday to take photographs, assess the situation and to help come up with a plan to secure them better.
The aluminum meshing, which looks like spider webs, of the antennae have begun to dissolve from electrolysis, but the skeletons of the antennae were intact on Saturday.
Weatherby plans to hold a meeting later this week, possibly Thursday night, with local dive shop operators to develop a strategy and form a dive team to implement the plan.
"The last thing we want is anything that will hurt the environment," Weatherby said.
tohara@keysnews.com
[/SIZE]
Vandenberg antennae coming loose from ship
City to address potential environmental threat, tourism impact
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA Citizen Staff
tohara@keysnews.com
[SIZE=+0]The twin antenna dishes atop the deck of the Hoyt S. Vandenberg are a significant part of the ship's profile and have become a gathering spot for goliath groupers.
They have begun to come loose, however, to a point where divers can "actually move the dishes" and there is "some slack in the cables" that secure them to the ship, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Environmental Administrator Kent Edwards said Friday. Sanctuary officials are concerned they will not stay in place in the event of a hurricane or major tropical storm, Edwards said.
"We want to be proactive," she said.
The antennae came off when the ship was sunk May 27, 2009, and were reattached and secured with steel cable later that week. Organizers admitted they were battling with rough currents while reattaching the antennae, and the work may have suffered because of the conditions. Also, the antennae are made of aluminum, and organizers knew they would not last as long as the hull, superstructure and other steel parts of the vessel.
Key West Port Director Jim Fitton convened a meeting Friday with Edwards, local dive boat operators and two Artificial Reefs of the Keys members who organized the Vandenberg project, to help come up with a plan to better secure the antennae so they don't have to be removed.
The city holds the permits for the artificial reef, which was designed to draw divers to Key West, and would ultimately be financially responsible if the antennae broke loose and damaged the coral reef, seagrass or any other sensitive fish habitat. The city's permit with the sanctuary states that "the permittee must remove any loose fragments and other debris dislodged from the authorized vessel."
The sanctuary has been concerned about the antennae since they first broke loose, and those concerns have grown as the cables have become more slack, with sections visibly hanging off the antennae, Edwards said.
Edwards said he did not know Friday whether the antennae eventually would have to removed.
One captain hopes not.
"They are iconic," said Capt. Joe Weatherby, who oversaw the Vandenberg project. "We would like to keep them. It's important for business."
Fitton suggested having an engineer review the antennae, but admitted the city has no money budgeted for Vandenberg-related expenses.
Weatherby and other captains proposed forming a dive team to attach more cables and possibly chains to better secure the antennae. He asked Fitton if the city would be willing to supply the team with cables and chains. Weatherby assured Fitton the work would not require any deep, complicated diving or technical diving, he said.
Weatherby proposed putting cables and chains across defined areas of the antennae, so when the aluminum corrodes and breaks loose, the antennae will break apart into smaller sections and either fall into the ship or be tethered to the ship by the cables and/or chains.
Weatherby, Charter boat Capt. Richard Grusin and Randy Pekarik, a dive master with Subtropic Dive Center, dived on the Vandenberg on Saturday to take photographs, assess the situation and to help come up with a plan to secure them better.
The aluminum meshing, which looks like spider webs, of the antennae have begun to dissolve from electrolysis, but the skeletons of the antennae were intact on Saturday.
Weatherby plans to hold a meeting later this week, possibly Thursday night, with local dive shop operators to develop a strategy and form a dive team to implement the plan.
"The last thing we want is anything that will hurt the environment," Weatherby said.
tohara@keysnews.com
[/SIZE]
Fitton suggested having an engineer review the antennae, but admitted the city has no money budgeted for Vandenberg-related expenses.
That would be a waste of money. Spend it better by buying more cable and chain to put on the dishes. So we can keep them. I'm going to try to go to the meeting. Just have to find out what time it is and when it will be over. Going to fly down so have to see if the flight will work.
That would be a waste of money. Spend it better by buying more cable and chain to put on the dishes. So we can keep them. I'm going to try to go to the meeting. Just have to find out what time it is and when it will be over. Going to fly down so have to see if the flight will work.
OP
trtldvr sent you a PM
KWBuddy
Registered
I think Jim just wants a paper trail to show due diligence.
If we could find a concerned diver with an engineering degree, it would do a lot to make him feel better.
As for the meeting on Thurdsay evening, I think it is just going to be a planning thing in a social environment. It was tenatively planned for Thursday Happy Hour in a waterfront bar (to be determined).
--
Bud
OP
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