As of May 1, 2007, the USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, Inc. could identify about $10.5 million in cash, pledges and loans that can be applied to the project.

Our position is that we have met the challenge of raising $10 million; that opinion is buttressed by the fact that Governor Carcieri himself announced our federally-guaranteed $6.5 million loan last October, congratulating us at the time for reaching the target he had established.

We are proceeding with step two: completing the engineering studies to show the project is environmentally permittable.

That step has been encouraged by Saul Kaplan, Director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and Chairman of the Quonset Development Corporation board. He advised us to "... stay focused on the important next step of environmental permiting to determine if the project is feasible from an environmental perspective on the current site."

These study results will also give us a more accurate cost for dredging the berth and the mooring system-the lion's share of the expenses to complete the project.

There was no April meeting of the QDC board. We will not ask to be on that board's agenda until we have completed our environmental work, which should be later this summer.

To put the May 1 deadline in perspective, it is true that we no longer have a guaranteed option for the mooring that we are now analyzing environmentally. However, Mr. Kaplan has assured us that one else has expressed an interest in that space. He has promised that if anyone does express an interest he will let us know immediately.

The expiration of the option also has its positive side; the conditions attached to that option have also expired. Some opponents insisted that we needed $10 million in cash, which would exclude our major pledges and bequests. Others argued that the $10 million had to be from donors and sponsors only, which would include the pledges but exclude the federally-guaranteed bank loan. Those arguments about how to define the $10 million also go away.

Our plan is a simple one. We will show:

1) That the project is permittable;
2) That it will cost x dollars to open the doors;
3) How we intend to pay for it.

We have already agreed on the exit strategy; the Navy has agreed to take back the ship if we fail, and we will escrow $300,000 to cover the cost of that unlikely eventuality.

Environmental Testing Report

In an e-mail dated February 22, 2007, Economic Development Corporation Director Saul Kaplan confirmed the approval for us to move forward with other state agencies to permit a mutually agreed site at Pier 2 in Davisville.

The Chemistry and Marine Biology Departments of Roger Williams University committed to obtain preliminary core samples from the site in question and test them for contamination as required by federal authorities. On May 8, scientists from RWU collected 13 sediment cores of various lengths and 16 surface grab samples, according to the sampling plan approved by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Coastal Resources Management Council. Those samples have already been transferred to the URI labs for analysis.

The tests for heavy metals and other toxins will take some time. One process involves injecting sediment samples into live shrimp, and seeing how they react over a 45-60 day period.

The Graduate School of Ocean Engineering at URI has committed to collect the remaining data required for our engineering analysis: soundings and a detailed hydrographic survey of the sea bottom of the entire channel from Quonset to Davisville, as well as the turning basin and the northeast side of Pier 2. We are fortunate that world-renowned ocean engineer and oceanographer Dr. Kate Moran is personally supervising this project.

The work will be performed quickly and efficiently through the use of a brand new, state-of-the-art interferometric sonar, which will produce 3D images of the sea bottom as well as identify any debris in the area. URI's work will also include sub-bottom analysis, to make sure there are no boulders or bedrock in our proposed dredge area. (We expect she will find none, because in 1990 Pare Engineering bored down to bedrock in order to design the barge-loading trestle system for the Jamestown Bridge. The found nothing but sand and silt down to some 80 feet.)

Dr. Moran has also agreed to take on overall supervision of the collection of the data needed by our engineers. One of her graduate students is an active duty Coast Guard officer (LT Michael Cost), who has enthusiastically agreed to take on the day-to-day responsibility for gathering and interpreting this data. He will also provide recommendations concerning the optimum mooring configuration.

LT Cost accompanied the RWU team on the coring expedition May 8.

Coordination with the Coast Guard is also an important element of the process. Foundation President Frank Lennon met with retired CDR Ed LeBlanc, Chief of the Waterways Management Division for this USCG region; LCDR Wayne Clayborne and safety specialist Carl Moberg. They anticipated no insurmountable difficulties from the USCG perspective, and we will be working with them when the time arrives to submit our Dead Ship Tow application (minimum 30 days prior).

The final link in the coordination is the NE Marine Pilots Association. In 2001 we received a letter from then-President Bruce Fisher (now retired), saying: "The project [transit of the aircraft carrier Saratoga from Naval Station Newport to the Quonset Point Carrier Pier] is feasible and can be effected under favorable weather conditions..."

Since the transit now involves the additional transit from Quonset to Davisville, Lennon spoke with Captain Paul Costabile, Executive Director of the pilot group. He was pleased to hear of the survey to be conducted by URI, and we agreed to meet as soon as that information was available. Captain Costabile was initially concerned about the transit to Davisville, because he was under the impression that Saratoga's draft was 34 feet. The draft (confirmed by the Navy) is actually 24.5 feet at the bow and 31.5 feet at the stern, which is within the channel limitations--especially at high tide.

We have also arranged with diver Vincent Pedone of NE Sub Surface Survey Inc. to visually inspect and video the sea bottom, the foundations and the northeast wall of Pier 2. Bill Campbell of Ocean Eye, Inc. has also committed the use of an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) to explore and video the entire area. (Campbell was the first to send an ROV to explore the wreck of the Andrea Doria).

Last Updated:
6/12/07