Intrepid Intrique

Many people of my generation remember the USS Intrepid as the aircraft carrier that was used to recover a lot of the Mercury and Gemini space missions. Those who live in or have visited New York City know the Intrepid as a major tourist attraction. It houses on it's decks an air and space museum. There are also other vessels on the site like an early missile submarine and a WWII era destroyer. My wife and I visited the Intrepid when we went to a family wedding in New Jersey. It's an amazing place.

Now it seems that after about 25 years serving as a museum, the Intrepid is due for an overhaul. Or at least some major hull repairs. Which is to be expected. After all it is made of steel and sitting in water. Not really a good combination. It was also commissioned in 1943. 63 years old ships usually need some work.

But, the funny thing about this article is it's tone. Yes, it's a very lightweight piece about a ship that happens to need repairs. But read it yourself:

So, sometime in the next several months, the 900-foot-long leviathan, with a collection of jets and helicopters strapped to its flight deck like hood ornaments, will be dragged down the river to a dry dock, where it will be patched up and repainted.

For the moment, executives of the foundation that operates the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum are acting as if loose lips could sink their ship. They are guarding the nature of the ship's ailments and details of when, where and how the repairs will be made like military secrets.

But they have notified local and federal officials of their intent to move the ship, though they have not laid out the specifics of their plan.

They declined to say if the Intrepid would be back at its pier in time to anchor the Fleet Week festivities next May, or if objects from the museum, which opened in 1982 and draws more than 500,000 visitors a year, will be placed in another exhibit space while the ship is gone.

"It is a preliminary plan, and it is premature to comment on it at this time," said Suzanne Halpin, a spokeswoman for the museum who works for Rubenstein Communications.

Museum officials — in anticipation of dislodging the ship from its moorings — have already asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for permission to dredge the mud that has piled up around the ship's bottom. An Army Corps official, Mary Ann Miller, said yesterday that the ship's owners had presented a long list of planned improvements to the ship but that she was not at liberty to discuss them.

So the people who run the museum don't want to talk to the reporter just yet. So what happens next? A lot of column inches to describe all the people the reporter contacted trying to get something about the carrier and it's suspected move. This whole article could have been a very short paragraph. Intrepid needs repairs. It will need to be moved. officials refuse to answer questions about details. Done.

But heck, it gives me a chance to link here, so it's not a total loss.

Other Links to this Post

1. Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » Intrepid Sails Again — Sunday, 29 October , 2006 @ 10:33 am

2. Blue Crab Boulevard » Intrepid Operation — Wednesday, 22 November , 2006 @ 6:09 am