BEYOND THE HORIZON

BEYOND THE HORIZON

April 2024

ENVIRONMENT

            A scary item from NPR that noted the world wastes about 21 trillion gallons of water per day. Almost 60% of U.S. water is wasted by leaky pipes. A showerhead leak accounts for about 500 gallons per year per household. Iowa is still way behind in soil moisture so perhaps we could use a little wasted water on my lawn … or on our agricultural acreages. 

            Cedar Rapids Gazette headline of 15 March 2024 noted that 576 waterways in the state are impaired by bacteria, algae growth, agricultural chemicals, acidity, fish kills, and industrial drainage. Waterways include streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. Last fall I tried to clean the pontoons on my boat, but was unable because the crud was too deep and too hard. Trying power washes with soap proved worthless, and hand washing was equally bad. I then tried using a bio-cleaner that was advertised to clean metal to sparkling, shiny aluminum. It hardly turned the runoff to green, let alone sparkling. 

            Those who have boats in the Mississippi River, know full well that your boat needs cleaning every time it leaves the water. A clean boat will have a dirty coating up to the waterline after one afternoon zipping around Ol’ Mrs. Sippy. I wouldn’t swim it anymore, but the skiers will be out in full force when it warms up. 

            BAYER, the manufacturer of Round-Up, poured tons of money into the Republican coffers and received their expected reward when the Iowa Senate (supported by the House and Governor Kim Reynolds) easily passed a bill offering legal immunity from damages due to chemical overuse, spills, and other problems. The Senate further supported BAYER by exempting Chinese-owned companies from the bill; therefore, those companies can be sued. This was especially aimed at SYGENTA, another Big Ag Pharma, that is popular but owned by a Chinese company. 

            Wildlife officials have fixed transmitters to Asian Carp and returned them to the rivers so they can determine where the invasive species are gathering because carp tend to congregate in large schools in the Spring and Autumn. These carp have been a major threat to other fish by consuming large quantities of food necessary for the others. They are really spoiling the ecology of Midwest rivers.

            Asian Carp come in four varieties: Bighead, Silver, Grass, and Black.  Koi, goldfish, and the common carp are also considered to be royal pains in the transom, so biologists have used the idea of “invasive species” because none of them are native to America.

The Bighead carp has eyes beneath the level of the mouth, no teeth, a protruding lower jaw, a short keel between pelvic fins and average about 40 inches. It has been caught as far north as Minneapolis.

Bighead Carp

Grass Carp

                        The Grass Carp’s eyes are even with the mouth, have no teeth, large scales with dark edges, no keel, no barbels, and is silver to olive in color. They average about 33 inches.

            The Silver Carp has a downward slanting mouth, no teeth, small scales, a narrow dorsal fin, and no barbels. These are the “jumpers” that will fly out of the water when agitated.

          SILVER CARP

  The Black Carp’s eyes are even set with the mouth that holds molar-like teeth, large scales with dark edges, no keel, no barbels, dark in color, and can be up to 36 inches. 

Black Carp

            Wallace, LA, a historic city because most of the residents are direct descendants of the slaves who worked sugar fields at the Whitney and the Evergreen Plantations, is in the middle of Cancer Alley, a 14-mile stretch upstream from New Orleans. The citizens are trying to get their community and two nearby towns classified as a National Historic Landmark District to halt further industrialization of that area to halt additional pollution.  

            Wallace is the site of the largest slave rebellion in America when, in 1811, slaves decided they no longer wished to be minions. At that time, the region was called the German Coast; but after the Civil War, Black soldiers returned and opened a cooperative to buy land.

            The poor Nishnabotna River, in western Iowa, has become famous for horrible reasons. A couple of years ago it simply dried up and left behind a muddy goo for several miles. Now, a fertilizer company accidentally dumped 265,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen into the river, and environmentalists have discovered zero living creatures for 50 miles downstream. No fish survived until the river ultimately reaches the Missouri River. Furthermore, DNR found that no worms, turtles,  frogs, snakes, and mussels are alive. BTW: The Iowa legislature just passed a bill exempting Big Ag Chem companies from being sued. Thank you, Monsanto, Bayer, and 3M. Keep the money flowing to Des Moines.

            The DNR is testing all farm wells downstream from the Nishnabotna. Gee, they are doing it for free. Gotta keep those farmers alive to use more chemicals.

BOAT NEWS

Four guys, with nothing better to do, decided to break the record for canoeing the Mississippi River from its source, Lake Itasca, to the Gulf of Mexico. This crew consisted of Scott Miller of Minneapolis, Paul Cox from Atlanta, Wally Werderich from Illinois, and Judson Steinbach from  La Crosse, WI, and a support crew of almost 30 people

            Well trained and well organized the paddlers left from Lake Itasca as soon as the ice melted in May. Every 12 hours they reached with a net to exchange dirty clothes, trash, and human waste for food, water, and supplies. They required about 10,000 calories per day. 

            Each pair paddled for 8 hours and rested while the other pair worked. Not using a commercial canoe, the men had a 23’ canoe built by the Wenonah Canoe Co. and modified with bulkheads, a rudder, a bilge pump, a motorcycle battery, lights, and GPS system used for tow boats to identify shallows and wing dams. They also alerted all lock and dam masters of their approach and were given priority for passage. 

            Lake Pepin, the widest open channel in the Mississippi just north of Winona, MN, proved difficult with 5’ waves and again at Sauk Rapids that could qualify for white water rafting.  They also had to beware that the Mississippi River is a working river replete with commercial fishing boats and dozens of large barges. In the end, they did set the new record for the 2,350-mile passage in 16 days, 20 hours, and 16 minutes. It is a Guinness World Book Record. 

            Motion pictures showing sailors at rest invariably show them in hammocks, swinging butt-to-butt in tight quarters. When Christopher Columbus ventured into the New World, he saw that natives were sleeping in these twine-knotted things hanging from trees. His crew slept wherever they could find a place to sleep, usually on deck or in some semblance of a bed. He liked this idea and brought several back to the Old World where they immediately became a best-seller, although the European models were of cloth, and the captains allowed 14 inches between hammocks. 

            Hammocks became the seafaring standard until only well after WWII. My dad slept in hammocks when on transports with the 9^th Marines 3^rd Marine Division. Personally, I find them darn uncomfortable but everyone with a backyard seems to have one.

INLAND WATERWAYS

            The mv TOM FRAZIER, a towboat, partially sank near Portsmouth, Ohio. The boat is a 1979 twin-screw with 6,140hp that had her barges break free and float away as the mv DEBI SHARP sent a small craft to rescue the crew. The Coast Guard immediately surrounded the vessel to prevent any pollution, the boat was refloated and towed to a drydock. People did worry about the 72,000 gallons of diesel fuel that could leak. All ended well.

Wartsila, my Finnish wife’s favorite marine company, has teamed with Elliot Bay Design Company to build power barges that can provide power to docked and anchored ship and reducing pollution. The Clean Harbor Alternative Mobile Power (CHAMP) is a methanol-fueled system that has an additional after-treatment process to eliminate NOx emissions.

            The small, double-bottom barge will provide 16 megawatts of power from the platform without requiring any shore-based personnel or equipment. The two companies are closely working with the Coast Guard to obtain all necessary licensing and permits.

GRAY FLEET

            As it has been mentioned before, General Eisenhower once was asked about the key to winning World War II, and he said it is three words: “ Logistics, logistics, logistics”.  Supply staff do not possess the heroic role like fighter pilots, infantry leaders,  or amphibious fighters, they are the essential element within any fighting organization.

            During the Battle for Guadalcanal, the first U.S. amphibious operation, the planning was horribly inadequate because the U.S. had not learned to pack transport ships for battle, the result of which was that tennis equipment was landed before ammunition. There was no plan for unloading ships or storage. The Marines expected the Navy to unload the ships, organize the supplies, and distribute the material. The Navy merely thought they were supposed to get the ships to Guadalcanal and the rest was up to the Marines. FYI: the Marines thought the carriers would provide aerial support for the initial part of the landings. The Navy thought they were to merely provide air superiority until the Marines had landed. They accomplished that mission and then left the narrow sea between Guadalcanal and Savo Island. Historians are still arguing about who did what or did not do what or why, to this day.

            Today’s Navy is keenly aware of logistics. The Military Sealift Command, crewed by both civilian and military personnel, has assorted available ships. The Fleet Replenishment Oilers consist of 17 USNS JOHN LEWIS -class and the USNS HENRY J. KAISER-class fuel carriers.  Dry cargo and ammunition are hauled by T-AKE USNS LEWIS and CLARK- vessels(T-AKE 1 through 14) ships. Fast Combat Support can be found on a pair of T-AOE ships that are 754 feet long with a displacement of 48,000 tons.

            The Navy handles casualties with two hospital ships, T-AH-19 USNS MERCY and T-AH-20 USNS COMFORT.  Other ships include rescue and salvage, submarine tenders, tugs, Command ships, and Fleet Experimentation ships.  Oddball ships include the Sea-Based X-Band Radar sponsored by the Missile Defense Agency, The T-AGM-25 USNS HOWARD O. LORENSEN surveillance, and missile date-collection ship sponsored by the Air Force (!) The T-AG-5001 USNS VADM K.R. WHEELER self-contained terminal ship that can pump about 1.7 million gallons of fuel from up to 8 miles offshore. The T-EPF expeditionary fast transport is a very large pontoon-type boat that can attain speeds of well over 35 knots for special duties. Finally, there is a Black Powder-class of unknown jobs that is owned by the Defense Department.

USNS JOHN LEWIS (T-AO-205)

            An interesting side note in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings recently decried some of the recent scandals running throughout the service. The author complained that since the birth of the service, senior officers demanded that a particular operation was under a “just get it done” philosophy that quietly meant the officer was looking the other way as Midnight Requisition, calling apples- oranges, and similar “let’s not talk about it” methods were done to accomplish the mission successfully, efficiently, and effectively.

            During the demolition of a WWII-era Navy barracks, everything from bunks to copper pipe was loaded onto a large truck and the senior chief just disappeared for about a week. He returned with picnic tables, blankets, and miscellaneous supplies that he had traded at sundry other Navy bases. This writer may have known about this.

            The article’s author fired that this well-understood process has led to incredible levels of graft and corruption. The Fat Leonard scandal has been in the courts for years. A man held a virtual monopoly on supplies, ship repair shops, food, etc. in Asia. He handed out large sums of money, special vacations, and various other benefits to senior officers who ensured that he got Navy’s business. What started as a free resort vacation ultimately reached very expensive gifts, enough to warrant the firing of admirals and captains throughout the Navy. 

            All of us who have enlisted in the military can tell stories like the above. The Navy once gave me three sets of movies regarding drug identification, illegal use, and Navy regulations. I only needed one set but the Pentagon thought I should have three. One set was “lost” to the Air Force. For one week, I became Sergeant Regan, USAF, for a week-long counseling training course at a hospital in Maryland. Guilty. The question remains, how much is too much to get a mission accomplished?

            Navy Commanding Officers continue to be fired for “loss of confidence” which means nothing. Capt. Richard Zaszewski, Seal Team 8, was relieved for such a reason. In typical Navy fashion, no other reason was provided, no mention of his next assignment (probably commanding a desk in some obscure place until he retires), and no mention of his past assignments. 

            PHIBRON 5 Commander, Capt. James Harney, was relieved of command when he was arrested for a DUI. Amphibious Squadron 5 is California-based and includes the USS BOXER (LHD-4), a large deck ship; USS JOHN MURTHA (LPD-26) a landing dock, and HARPERS FERRY (LSD-49) a landing dock. 

            Commander William Harken was removed as head of Destroyer Squadron 2 for the elusive reason of “loss of confidence”. DesRon 2 was operating with the GERALD R. FORD (CVN-78). Harken will join a multitude of others commanding desks and fulfilling little duty at some obscure base.

            Perhaps the Navy needs to annex a recently abandoned military base as a site for officers guilty of some gregarious deeds committed while being commander of something. I was stationed with CDR. Lloyd Bucher, the CO of the spy ship USS PUEBLO that was captured by the North Koreans. He was simply stuck in a corner and ignored until he could retire. 

             The United States did not have a Navy until 1799 but the Continental Government had some privateers that were formed in August of 1775 due to Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Paper #11 which cited the need for a Navy to protect the country against the British.

            The limited Navy was to battle the greatest fleet in the world. Interestingly,  George Washington found himself stranded on Brooklyn Heights with the Redcoats cornering him with the Royal Navy ready to pounce from the other side. George accidentally discovered that the 21^st Massachusetts Regiment was made up of mostly men from Marblehead, and they had been fishermen, smugglers, and sailors in their previous endeavors. They quickly scrounged up all sorts of fishing boats and rafts

 to row the troops to Manhattan. Soon, it became obvious that our Continental Army was about to be trapped, so again Washington turned to his  “amphibious regiment” who rowed them to the mainland and saved Washington and the Revolution.

            The 21^st. Massachusetts Regiment was easily recognized because they all had very hardened hands, tanned faces, and large muscles from rowing for a living. They were distinguishable because they wore blue waist-length jackets, white trousers, and usually a bandana. 

MERCHANT FLEET

            The mv HAUNG Poa, a Panamanian-flagged tanker, was hit by Houthi missiles during the ongoing assault against shipping in response to the Israeli retaliations in Gaza. Five rockets were fired at Chinese ships ironically because China is allegedly supporting the Houthis who have stated they would not fire on Chinese ships. The other missiles ended up in the water with HAUNG POA the only ship injured. Even more ironic is that Haung Po was an ancient Zen Buddhist whose name means “transition of the mind”. 

            The Chinese attacked a Philippine supply ship attempting to aid workers on Thomas Island Shoal as China continued to exhort her hegemony throughout Asia and in the South China Sea. Supply ships have often been attacked, harassed, or otherwise stifled to keep “foreign” entities out of the region.             364,240 merchant, pleasure, and fishing craft are currently sailing with their AIS on. A quick global map of shipping indicates the major ports and types of vessels are on the waters of Planet Earth. 

            On 24 March 2024, a very large container ship collided with the Francis Scott Bridge over the Patapsco Bridge in Baltimore, MD (Interstate 695) causing the total collapse of the bridge and creating significant economic problems as the Port of Baltimore was immediately closed and thousands of vehicles traveling on one of the busiest Interstates in the U.S. need alternative routes.

            The video of the collapse is spectacular. The NTSB is immediately investigating failure but will be restrained from boarding the ship while rescue workers continue to search for 6 missing men.          The corridor that runs from Washington, DC to Baltimore and then to Philadelphia and up to New York crosses this bridge. The Baltimore Mayor and the Maryland Governor have immediately created a network dealing with economic impact, travel, and safety. I drove that route weekly from Washington to Philadelphia, and know that the bumper-to-bumper traffic is immense. As the Norwegians say, “Uff da”. 

Francis Scott Key Bridge