Getting It Up!
 The Fascinating World of Marine Salvage — Working Harbor Committee, May 6th

Posted on by April 29, 2014

gettingitupThis year, the Working Harbor Committee’s annual spring program is “Getting It Up!
 The Fascinating World of Marine Salvage” on Tuesday, May 6th at the Community Church of New York, 40 E. 35th Street, New York, NY 10016.  If you are anywhere near New York harbor, be sure to stop by. The Working Harbor Committee’s spring programs are always great.  The tickets are $25 and are available on-line here or by phone at 212 757 1600. From the Working Harbor Committee press release:

Unfortunately, some ships come to grief. Witness the tragic sinking of the South Korean ferry Sewol on April 16, or the doomed cruise ship Costa Concordia that ended up on the rocks off Giglio, Italy in 2012.

When there is trouble on the water the marine salvage industry arrives with divers, engineers and some amazing expertise and heavy equipment to protect the environment and save what can be saved of the ship.

The nonprofit Working Harbor Committee of New York and New Jersey will present an evening program on May 6 that will showcase this little known, but vitally important, arm of the maritime industry with dramatic films of actual salvage operations and talks by some of the salty professionals who work in the industry.

Getting It Up!

The Fascinating World of Marine Salvage
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
6 – 9 p.m.
Community Church of New York
40 E. 35th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tickets $25, discounts for seniors & students, are available at www.workingharbor.org or 212 757 1600.
Refreshments will be served.

Film clips that rival the intensity of scenes in “The Deadliest Catch” will show:

  • Historic footage of the raising of the SS Normandie, a.k.a. World War II troop carrier USS Lafayette, which burned and sank in 1942 at Pier 88 North River, NYC, the present-day Passenger Ship Terminal;
  • The dismantling and salvage of the freighter New Flame off the coast of Gibraltar;
  • The raising of the cruise ship Costa Concordia last September – the largest salvage operation in history.

A panel of three salvage industry professionals will give a brief overview of the industry, describe their work as salvage masters in some hands-on projects, and answer questions.

Panel members are:

  • Paul Hankins, president of the American Salvage Association and VP, Salvage Operations, DonJon Marine;
  • Rik van Hemmen, President and Senior Partner, Martin, Ottaway, van Hemmen & Dolan, Inc., a naval architect and engineer who consults on salvage jobs;
  • John Gladsky, president of Gladsky Marine, an independent salvage company based in Long Island, who owns and operates the largest crane barge in the New York area.

Capt. Betsy Frawley Haggerty, an award-winning maritime journalist who is member of the Board of Directors of the Working Harbor Committee, will moderate.

The mission of the Working Harbor Committee – a NYS not-for-profit organization – is to strengthen awareness of the working harbor’s history and vitality today, and its opportunities for the future, by involving people in learning how the harbor works and what it does, educating people in the rich and challenging history of the harbor, and making people aware of the need to build and sustain the working harbor. We accomplish this with our Hidden Harbor Tours (r) and other programs. Visit www.workingharbor.org

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