The Bayou Plaquemine

It looks so magnificent, and helpless at the same time, like it's trying to escape it's inevitable fate.

Great shot,It looks like it should be sinking while you were taking the shot but with all the rust and decay you can tell its not going anywhere fast.

MOTTS, WHY EXACTLLY ARE ALL OF THESE BOATS HERE ALL YUCKY AND STUFF?

Java, this is where old, unwanted and decomissioned boats end up. Just like the airplane graveyards in the midwest United States.

Correction Justin: The airplane graveyards are in the American Southwest - Arizona, New Mexico areas. Main reason is that there is little to no rain, no humidity to accelerate the degredation and far enough away from anyone to allow for any influx of new equipment.

As for the ships here, I feel more sad than anything else at these images. It almost seems like the same feeling of seeing a loved one that was vibrant and was very active now confined to a bed or wheelchair, awaiting the Hand of Death to take them on to the next realm. Personally, I'd prefer these ships to be taken out into the ocean and sunk so as to be used as artifical reefs so that at least with those actions, they can still serve some purpose in death as they did in life.

Very true Mr. Durck, but sometimes the cost of cleaning them, and elimitating oil, chemical and fuel residues cost waay to much, not to mention towing them to a location thats away from a a waterway or a a fishing area.

How did a boat with a Louisiana name wind up in New York ?

Fast Eddie -- I am amazed! Obviously, it was a conspiracy by space aliens, Big Oil, George Bush and Michael Jackson.

The comment above re the cost of eliminating asbestos, PCBs, fuel, lube oils and other nasty things often makes the cost of scrapping a negative proposition.

Errr....wouldn't all that stuff be getting in the water anyway?

Yeah, the ick is going into the water but no/one is being blamed here. If you actually did something i.e. remove the hulks offshore you are deemed a "cause".

The Duck: The aircraft boneyard is at Davis-Montan AFB outside of Tuscon AZ. It is a great view on Google Maps "sattelite" photos.
I personally prefer seeing these hulks dead and decomposing here on the SI shore. I don't know how to explain it, but I have always been attracted to the old and abandoned. I realize that the "best" fate would probably be as a reef somewhere, supporting the future generations of marine life but something draws me to this Disneyworld of discarded hulks. I can look at the photos and imagine the ghosts as hard working, revenue producing ships at long last gone to their rest.
It's an archeology sort of thing I guess.

This is truely an amazing site, it may be polution but it still is a thing of beauty.

My God Motts, this sure does bring back memories. I was born in Plaquemine LA. Back then it was a very small town. The Bayou Plaquemine was a very important waterway used too bring goods to the otherwise unaccessable southwestern area of Louisiana. The Plaquemine Locks were built to allow barge service to the Bayou Plaquemine from the Mississippi River. I remember going to the abandoned locks to catch turtles. (for pets) It is now a historic site in Plaquemine, My Uncle still lives in Plaquemine LA. I Sent him a link to your web site and asked him to see if he could find any pics of this tugboat when it was in service. If he can, I will forward them to you so others can see this tug as a it was before it's demise. Thanks for the pics Motts! You truly do have a shot of ******* here.

******* was the word that somehow got ****'d out.

*******!!

HIS_TOR_REEEEEE

To The Duck:
What is the difference between a ship graveyard and an auto junk yard?

the ship looks like it has seen better days if you now what I mean.

DID this thing hit a log and sink because thereb are two stumps in front of the hull. My freind Mark here said thats old!!!!!!!!! ship. if you now what I mean.

i once met a man in homedepot that he used to dive for the man that owns the boatgraveyard. it closed down because the ships that are sunk at the bottom, if the where disturbed it would mess up the ecology of the bottom of the ocean their. there is fish and other water creatures under there that will be disturbed. they are not allowed to touch it.

There is a large Ferry boat, that can be seen from the NJ Turnpike I think after exit 10 heading south, does anyone know how it got there, and what its disposition is?

This ship was originally built by DeFoe Shipbuilding, Bay City, MI in 1921 for the U.S. Army and comissioned as the steel-hulled Junior Mine Planter (JMP) MAJOR ALBERT G. JENKINS. The vessel and crew were assigned to the Fourth Serivce Command during World War II and homeported at Fort Barrancas, Pensacola, FL . She was decomissioned in 1951 and sold to the Oil Transport Company, New Orleans, LA. Renamed BAYOU PLAQUEMINE [Coast Guard registery 261281], she was rebuilt as a tug. In September 1966 she was sold to the Nickerson Marine Towing Company of Tampa, FL, retaining her name. McAllister Brothers, Inc. of New York, NY purchased trhe vessel in June 1968, renaming her COURIER. She was scrapped in 1972.

YO Matt!
How do you know all this? It is Fantastic that you could fill in so much unknown!!! Thanks.

I'm a Naval Historian, with a particular interest in Mine Warfare vessels.

Thank you Matt!
Know anything about the rest we see here?
I am willing to do the work if you could point the way. Itried to go the registry route but my search w/ both coast guard and merchant marine wasn't helpful. All I have really found out in the name of the salvage site. A phone call to those folks was not helpful.

If you have a vessel's name or registry number then the place to start iss a publication called "Merchant Vessels of the Untied States". You'll have to go back into past year volumes, but you can look up by ship name and ID. Other places to look are various organiztion websites that might have other historians, such as tubboat enthusiasts, etc. Good luck in your search!

Thank you Matt! I'm on it! If ever...

Its so intresting I want to learn more about it

response to Dave - from Wednesday, 12-07-05

I've been on it. The area just out of view from the TP is another graveyard, just a couple boats. Not sure how it got there but it's packed with junk. It's listing to the side pretty bad since I've been on it so be careful if you venture out

Fast Eddie:
I did a little research on her name. The ship is named Bayou Plaquemine because an officer in the Army Corps of Engineers named Sam W. Goethals(!) from New Jersey designed the locks for Bayou Plaquemine in LA.

Hey Mr. Motts,
Have you done anything (i.e. new formats etc.) to the site? I am having some difficulty with the thumbnails and full size pics. I am getting primarily text. Considering whether these problems reside with "Firefox", Nortons or the like.
Thanks

Really nice pictures. I have a question. Why don't you people send these ships to scrappers, so they can be recycled? They are polluting the sea. Also you are loosing all steel by corrosion.

Imagine what is under all the oceans? Our whole earth is almost a giant graveyard. I'll bet everything could have some good stories to tell; if they could talk, of course.

nice pic

how do you do it? the pics are awesome

Dave,
I'm a few months late, but the old ferry seen from the NJ turnpike is the Mary Murray, an old Staten Island ferry. Go here for more: http://www.siferry.com/Mary%20Murray.htm

Hey Dave that ferry boat thats off the jersey turnpike is actually named the Mary Murray after some girl in the civil war and it wasnt scrapped but rather abandonded on the rairitan river and there are 3 smaller boats around it here is a sight that gives you more information abandondednj.com if u click around youll find it but its a very eerie i took a travel on it once and theres a bunch of paint chips on the floor nad paintings and mirrors and a captains journal it sorta give you a feeling that somebodys watching you you can email me for more information FORTMOEDC3@aol.com

Mark...the link you put on here for more information available at www.abandondednj.com doesn't exist...or at least I couldn't find it. Any clue where it went?

I found the Ferry yesterday. I was in a boat. I got real close and got some pics. There was a yatch next to it that is suppose to be the Shah of Iran's boat.
http://www.stinner.com...been-to/mary-murray/

Rock The Boat. Don't Rock The Boat Baby. Rock The Boat.

this is so coll it's sinking good photography i'm going to be one one day

looks like it is about ready to tip over.

Always nice to get new info on ships of USAMPS. I was Chief Radio Op on Maj. Wallace F. Randolph (WYPJ) Any comments e-mail me at deka8ram@yahoo.com. 73

I am the Interpretive Ranger at the Plaquemine Lock State Historic Site. Bayou Plaquemine at one time was the main entrance way into the Atchafalaya Basin from the Mississippi River. Thanks so much for taking this picture and if I hear any information about this boat I will post another comment.

It looks as if it is saying "I am so old and so tired; I just want to go to sleep". Sad end to what I am sure was a fine boat in it's day.

good work man

super photo man, is premier

Oh no, it looks like its saying goodbye, but. . .its still an awsome shot

She was 98" in length and 170 GT. Hull No. 56. Correction on my e-mail, It is ka8ram@jahoo.com. No de in front.

this sends chills up my spine

The 1942 Maj. Gen'l Wallace F. Ranolph - WYPJ was established as an artificial reef off Marathon, FL. on March 3, 1986. Her position is 24 deg 39.663 N and 80 deg 57.784 W. Would sure like some pics from her now. Presently working on USAMPS story for Library of Congress Oral History Project.