Tracking down an old official number

[cthippo]

Hey guys,

I was out on a shipwreck at Dupont WA yesterday and found what I think is it's official number. Unfortunately, the vessel was sunk as a breakwater in the 1970s and the Coast Guard's online database of ONs only includes vessels that are currently registered. Is there a way to track down information based on a 40+ year old ON?

The ON is 223169 (I think)

The vessel itself is a 100' x 26' concrete ship, probably a self propelled lighter of WW2 vintage.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

 

[Ike]

Call the Vessel Documentation Center (800) 799-8362

 

[cthippo]

OK, thanks. I'll give that a shot.

 

[cthippo]

Call the Vessel Documentation Center (800) 799-8362

Wow, this is getting frustrating.

They only answer the phone between 9 am and 3 pm EST, which is 6-noon for me. Not hours I'm usually awake. I stayed up until 6 this morning and called them, but it turns out they also don't answer the phone on Thursdays!

 

[Ike]

What?!!!!! This is a USCG Office. They should be open to calls 8 hrs a day 7 days a week. Let me check of there is an e-mail address. This is their home page http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvdc/.. There are some other direct numbers. Can you send a fax?

 

[Angélique]

I was out on a shipwreck at Dupont WA yesterday and found what I think is it's official number. Unfortunately, the vessel was sunk as a breakwater in the 1970s and the Coast Guard's online database of ONs only includes vessels that are currently registered. Is there a way to track down information based on a 40+ year old ON?

The ON is 223169 (I think)

The vessel itself is a 100' x 26' concrete ship, probably a self propelled lighter of WW2 vintage.

Google ‘‘ Concrete Ship at Nisqually Reach ’’ gives a lot of info and pictures and Youtube clips . . . :idea:

Maybe she's the concrete steam tug Wanderer at location no. 3 on this PDF.

 

[cthippo]

Ike, I'll try again in a few days. I suspect I;'ll have to talk to a live person to get anything useful. I can be patient with this one, the wreck isn't going anywhere

Google ‘‘ Concrete Ship at Nisqually Reach ’’ gives a lot of info and pictures and Youtube clips . . . :idea:

Another few days for it to propagate through Youtube's search engine and you probably would have gotten the video I put up about it

​

Maybe she's the concrete steam tug Wanderer at location no. 3 on this PDF.

I can pretty conclusively say that she's not the Wanderer based on the newspaper article on the Dupont Museum site which shows the Wanderer and the William Nottingham in a photo taken in 1959. The concrete wreck wasn't added until sometime in the 1960s or 70s.

 

[Angélique]

Hey, nice vid Cthippo

So we're talking about the Cement Hulk no. 4 on the PDF map, which brings us back to the original question in post #1 . .

Must say that Cement Hulk looks a bit like the WWII ferrocement barges at Coldharbour Point on the Thames in London, but those seems to have a harder chine . . ? ?

They can be seen here on: - Google Maps - & - Bing Maps​

Picture found at: The London Loop - Leg 9

WWII Ferro-Concrete Barge near Cold Harbour Point.​

Seemingly abandoned Ferro-cement barges which supported the D-Day landing of WW II.​

Running the London Loop

London Loop Upminster Bridge to Coldharbour Point and the Thames

Click pic to enlarge​

These are concrete barges stranded on the mud. These were used as part of a Mulberry harbour during the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944. They were used to shore up flood defences in 1953, but are now abandoned.

 

[cthippo]

Those are cool, Angel, thanks for posting them!

I'll have to check them out if I ever make it to London.

Yeah, it's #4 on the map. The interesting thing with that map is what we didn't see out there, specifically the wreck of the John A. There is a picture of the wreck on the Dupont museum site in the newspaper article, but even at a -2 foot tide we couldn't see anything in that location. Sooner or later I need to call or visit the Dupont museum and see if I can find out where the information on that map came from.

So, I called the documentation center today and it's too old to be in their computer system, but the person I eventually talked to said that if I faxed in the ON along with whatever other information I had on it they would look in the old card files.

The Saga continues.

Thanks to everyone for your help and input on this mystery.

 

[Erlbon]

Those are cool, Angel, thanks for posting them!

I'll have to check them out if I ever make it to London.

Yeah, it's #4 on the map. The interesting thing with that map is what we didn't see out there, specifically the wreck of the John A. There is a picture of the wreck on the Dupont museum site in the newspaper article, but even at a -2 foot tide we couldn't see anything in that location. Sooner or later I need to call or visit the Dupont museum and see if I can find out where the information on that map came from.

So, I called the documentation center today and it's too old to be in their computer system, but the person I eventually talked to said that if I faxed in the ON along with whatever other information I had on it they would look in the old card files.

The Saga continues.

Thanks to everyone for your help and input on this mystery.

I'm sorry for reviving an old thread, but I believe I can contribute some vital information about this boat. I'm currently doing some research for a book project about concrete shipbuilding, and in that regard, I happen to have a list of concrete vessels and their official numbers. The No. 223169 is the Captain Barker, built as a water tender in 1919 by the Great Northern Concrete Shipbuilding Co., Vancouver, Washington. Later on, she served as Foss 103 Barge.

She had four sister-ships (Captain Bootes (173407), Captain Colquhoun, Captain French and Captain Hammond). The three latter ones were lost while under tow to San Fransisco by the tug Slocum.

------------------------
1920-01-18 - Sunday Oregon, Portland
Jan 18, 1920

STONE BOATS TO BE TENDERS

Vessels to Be Put in Use at Fort Stevens and San Francisco.

Five "stone boats" built by the Great Northern Concrete Shipbuilding company of Vancouver, Wash. are to be placed in commission as water tenders this week at Fort Stevens and San Francisco. One of these, the Captain Barker, commanded by Captain Enos Crawford, will go on duty at Fort Stevens, and the other four on San Francisco bay.

Masters for the four concrete boats for San Francisco have been assigned as follows:

D. W. Dobbins, master of the Captain Colquhoun;
C. Spielberg, master of the Captain Bootes:
H. O. Hansen, master of the Captain French,
and Levi Snyder, master of the Captain Hammond.

The tug Slocum is to come to Seattle within a few days to tow the stone boats to their posts of duty. All are to be operated by the government.
---------------
Imgur https://imgur.com/a/gOZQSCv

Here is an interior picture from the construction of these vessels.

 

[Angélique]

Thanks for the info Erlbon, and welcome to the forum . .

From the Capt. Barker name info it looks like she was in service in 1953 under the name Foss 100, so maybe she was employed in the fleet of Foss Maritime at that time...

 

[Erlbon]

I believe your copy is a bit dodgy, it's supposed to be Foss 103, although it looks like Foss 100 on the scanned image. The Captain Bootes ended up as Foss 102, both in service for the Foss Launch & Tug Co. now Foss Maritime. They seem to have had all surviving concrete barges post WW II on the west coast in their holdings at some time or another.

Source: Merchant vessels of the United States / United States Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard. 1949 1949. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435066706979;view=1up;seq=197

Since I finally figured out how to attach images, here is the corresponding newsclipping from the demise of the other concrete water tenders.

See this link for another, still floating barge in use as a regional HQ. The story of ‘BARGE 1’ - People of Saltchuk https://peopleofsaltchuk.com/the-story-of-barge-1/

 

[Angélique]

. . . . See this link for another, still floating barge in use as a regional HQ. - The story of ‘BARGE 1’ - People of Saltchuk

So that 1945 WWII ferro hulk is 74 years in service now, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was without any maintenance, she now might survive forever while keeping the Richmond CA Foss office afloat . .

‘‘ FMS 1 – Floating Machine Shop circa 1945 ’’ - (large)​

(large)​

(large)​

(large)​

Looks like a great office to work in . .