OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 259 



Not having access to Service files, it is not possible to substantiate all the 

 figures contained in this summary. They are however, to the best of our knowl- 

 edge, true, and of such variance to the Fish & Wildlife Service report that we 

 feel that a complete and exhaustive investigation is warranted. 

 Very truly yours, 



E. H. HlLLER, 



Master. 

 WiLxiAM J. Bruce, 



Chief Officer. 

 Austin J. Powers, 



Second Officer. 



Summary of Information in Rebuttal to Report on Deactivation of "Alba- 

 tross III" Submitted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dated February 

 25, 1959 



The statement on the conditions of the Albatross III, contained in subject 

 report, is very misleading and, in part, something less than factual. Take the 

 very first statement in the report, for instance: "As a result of continued repairs 

 and shipyard work the Albatross III is in safe operating condition." It is only 

 as a result of continued maintenance and annual overhauls that any vessel is 

 kept in a safe operating condition. Repairs and shipyard work is not unique 

 in the case of the Albatross III, as this sentence would have you believe. 



It is a provable fact that considerably less than average amounts of money 

 have been spent on repairs to keep the Albatross III at sea. A recent check of 

 Boston shipyards indicates that the annual overhaul costs for a 100 foot tow- 

 boat ranges between $.30,000 and $40,000. Yet subject report, which shows an 

 annual outlay of $33,000 for Albatross III "Overhaul costs," would have you 

 believe this is exorbitant. 



Even if the figures shown for shipyard repairs, on page 8, were accurate and 

 actually represented expenditures made solely for repairs and maintenance, this 

 would still be well below the amounts spent by other Government services and 

 private companies to keep their vessels in shape. 



But these figures are misleading. During the years 1955 through 1957 the 

 records will show that a considerable portion of the money, itemized as "ship- 

 yard repairs" in the report, actually was spent on structural changes and safety 

 equipment to comply with U.S. Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping 

 recommendations. Some of these items, which run into many thousands of 

 dollars, include two new metal lifeboats and launching equipment, an escape 

 hatch from the crew's quarters forward, extra fire hydrants, a new general alarm 

 system, and other items totaling 42 deficiencies found to exist on the Albatross 

 III. Ironically, most of these deficiencies have never been corrected on the 

 Delaware, which the Service proposes to continue operating with a double 

 workload. 



Also included in the "shipyard repairs" must be the several thousand dollars 

 put into designing, building, and installing a new winch for the scallop project. 

 Due to faulty design, this winch has never been operated, nor will it ever be 

 operated without extensive and expensive alterations. There she sits, "a $20,000 

 piece of ballast." 



No ; if the actual upkeep costs of the Albatross III were itemized for all the 

 years she has been operating since 1949, the results would be so low as to be 

 downright embarrassing to the Fish and Wildlife Service. For actually it was 

 other Government services and a private institution that have over the years 

 really put the money into the Albatross III. 



The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution spent some $80,000 on her in 1951, 

 making extensive alterations and improvements. When the vessel was drafted 

 into military service during the war, she was refastened from stem to stern, a 

 new powerplant was installed, bottom plates replaced where necessary, and 

 frames and longitudinal members reinforced throughout the vessel. It was due 

 to these repairs, made by others, that the Albatross III met classification require- 

 ments of the American Bureau of Shipping in 1957. It is for the same reason 

 that she is in a seaworthy condition today — not because of exorbitant repair bills 

 paid by the Fish and Wildlife Service. 



In all the years she has been operated by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the 

 Albatross III has experienced but one major breakdown. That was when her 

 main bearings burned out in 1957. This can happen to any ship, old or new, and 

 certainly should not be construed to indicate old age and high upkeep costs. 



