POSF, National Park Service Ink 30-Year Use Agreement

By Mark Edward Nero

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Nov. 29 unanimously endorsed an agreement between the Port of San Francisco and the National Park Service for a 30-year use contract, with two 10-year options for renewal to continue ferry operation to Alcatraz Island from Pier 31 1/2.

The approval helps bring to a close a multi-year process by the Park Service, port and City of San Francisco to identify a site for long-term Alcatraz ferry embarkation as well as develop and operate a welcome facility.

The port and Park Service worked together for years to identify a site for long-term ferry embarkation. The San Francisco Port Commission unanimously approved financial terms of the agreement in July. Final environmental compliance, leases with the Parks Conservancy and a future ferry concessioner will be forthcoming.

Under the agreement, the Park Service will select a ferry concessioner through a competitive bid process. The agreement also includes the addition of a third berth for increased ferry service to sites at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, including Alcatraz Island, which sees over 1.5 million visitors annually.

Additionally, the use agreement includes the operation of enhanced services for visitors. The acre-sized, open-air waterfront plaza is to be reconfigured and fully dedicated to visitors.

All service vehicles are to be moved inside Pier 31, which is closed to the public.

To avoid disrupting ferry service to Alcatraz Island, Piers 31-33 are expected to be transformed in phases over five years.

“Alcatraz is an important and historic attraction that brings over a million people to our waterfront each year,” Port of San Francisco Executive Director Elaine Forbes said. “I’m proud that with our partners we have created a new agreement that will create more open space for families and enhance the visitor experience on our waterfront, bringing people back again and again.”

The Park Service says it will complete the plan’s Environmental Impact Statement in the spring.

Federal Grants Awarded to Maritime Heritage Projects

By Mark Edward Nero

On April 22, the National Park Service, in partnership with the Maritime Administration, awarded $2.58 million in Maritime Heritage Program grants for projects in 19 states, including six on the West Coast, that preserve sites and objects related to US maritime history.

Recipients include the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, which was awarded $45,000; and Sound Experience, a Port Townsend, Wash. non-profit that runs environmental and sail education programs. It received a $200,000 grant.

Also among the recipients were the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and Maritime Museum Association, both of California, which received $35,000 and $49,100, respectively, for education programs.

“As a nation with vast coastlines and interior waterways, our maritime heritage is an integral part of the story of our economic growth and the defense of our nation,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis. “These grants will enable our state historic preservation partners to connect local communities to their maritime heritage from sea to shining sea.”

National Maritime Heritage Program Grant awards are made possible through a partnership between the National Park Service and Maritime Administration, federal agencies that share a commitment to maritime heritage preservation and education. Funding is provided by the Maritime Administration through the recycling of vessels from the MARAD’s National Defense Reserve Fleet.

The grant program supports a broad range of maritime education and preservation projects, without expending tax dollars, while ensuring that the vessels are dismantled in an environmentally sound manner.

“These iconic maritime treasures must be preserved for future generations -- ships, lighthouses, and the vast array of strategic maritime vessels that served and protected our nation at critical times in our history,” Maritime Administrator Chip Jaenichen said. “The Maritime Administration is committed to preserving these assets and artifacts from our past, so that future generations can fully appreciate and be inspired by our nation’s maritime legacy.”

Maritime Heritage Program grants are available to state, tribal, and local governments, as well as private non-profit organizations for education and preservation projects. Education projects are funded in amounts between $15,000-$50,000; preservation projects are funded in amounts between $50,000-$200,000. Education grants can be used for programs such as school curriculum, interpretive programs and web pages, and preservation grant projects can include the rehabilitation or restoration of ships and other maritime resources.

A full list of this year’s grant recipients can be seen at https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/release.htm?id=1822

Crowley Tug Crew Rescues Drowning Swimmer

The crew of Crowley Maritime’s tugboat Guard recently performed a rescue of a man who was struggling to stay afloat in the waters outside of San Francisco Bay, the company revealed Nov. 12.

The rescue took place during the early morning hours of Wed., Oct. 31, while the tugboat was standing by outside the Golden Gate Bridge, waiting to escort a tanker into San Francisco Bay’s anchorage. Perry Overton, captain of the Guard, noticed the man treading water a little more than a mile and a half from the bridge. The crew tossed the man a life ring and Crowley Chief Engineer Keith Madding donned a survival suit and entered the 55-degree waters to help the fatigued man climb the Guard’s emergency ladder. Once aboard, the crew removed the hypothermic man’s wet clothing and wrapped him in warm blankets until the Coast Guard arrived and could perform other life-saving treatments.

Following the rescue, the Guard resumed escort duties on the tanker, bringing it to its destination as scheduled.

“In the 20-plus years of my career, I have never seen such a professional rescue by non-professional-rescuers,” Ranger Shannon Jay of the National Park Service at Golden Gate National Parks, who is assisting the San Francisco Police Department in the investigation of this incident, said of the Crowley crew. “They are true heroes.”

The Guard’s crew has been nominated by the National Park Service for a Citizen’s Award for Bravery, which is an honor awarded by the secretary of the interior in Washington DC.

“On behalf of everyone here at Crowley, I want to congratulate this brave crew for putting their training to good use to perform the vital measures needed to save this man’s life,” Rocky Smith, a Crowley senior vice president and general manager, said. “These crewmembers are true heroes and deserve to be recognized for their service.”

The crew aboard the Guard is trained to respond to a variety of incidents through the Crowley Safety Program, a custom training event designed exclusively for mariners that provides training in cold-water survival tactics, shipboard fire fighting, medical incidents and other relevant topics.