Photo By Hank Heusinkveld | The Wilmington District's special purpose vessel CURRITUCK dumps material dredged from...... read more read more
CONCORD, Mass. - From Florida to Maine, one unique vessel in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ maritime fleet earns its “indispensable” reputation 363 days a year by dredging dangerous shoaling in shallow draft federal channel inlets: hopper dredge Currituck.
The Currituck is economical, safe to operate, and easy to maintain. Its shallow draft and ability to withstand sea conditions other types of dredges cannot make it a valuable resource in dredging shallow draft inlets, like those found in New England, in a timely and cost effective manner.
The Currituck spent six weeks in New England between May and June and dredged four harbors where it removed the most shoaled portions of the entrance channels thereby increasing navigational safety; Cuttyhunk Harbor in Gosnold, Mass., Green Harbor in Marshfield, Mass., Hyannis Harbor in Hyannis, Mass., Block Island Harbor of Refuge and Great Salt Pond, R.I. Also in November 2012, the Currituck dredged the Housatonic River in the vicinity of Stratford, Conn.
The Currituck is assigned to the Corps’ Wilmington District in North Carolina. It’s the only special-purpose type of hopper dredge in the United States that works the same projects as larger sidecasting dredges, only on a smaller scale. It features a self-propelled split hull and is equipped with a self-leveling deck-house located at the stern, where all controls and machinery are housed.
The Currituck is hinged above the main deck so that the hull can open from bow to stern by means of hydraulic cylinders located in compartments forward and aft of the hopper section.
There are over 170 federal navigation projects maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District. Most of these are coastal harbors; there are also several river channels. Navigation projects in New England include 11 deep draft commercial waterways with authorized depths of 35 feet or more, and a diverse array of channels and harbors which support the navigation needs of national defense, petroleum and other commercial goods shippers, commercial fishing vessels, and recreational boating.
Federal waterways in New England carry about 80 million tons of commercial goods annually and facilitate substantial ancillary economic activity associated with both commercial shipping and recreational pursuits.
Cuttyhunk Harbor
Local officials have reported that shoaling has occurred in the authorized 10-foot deep entrance channel in Cuttyhunk Harbor as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Cuttyhunk Harbor is located at the northeastern end of Cuttyhunk Island, which lies at the southwestern end of the Elizabeth Islands. The harbor is used by a small fishing fleet, local and transient recreational boaters, and mail and freight carriers from the mainland. It frequently serves as a harbor of refuge. A hydrographic survey was performed in early spring 2013 to determine the extent of shoaling. Funding for maintenance dredging has been appropriated in the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013. Maintenance dredging with the Government owned, special-purpose dredge Currituck began on June 16.
Green Harbor
Considerable shoaling has occurred in the authorized 6-foot and 8-foot deep entrance channel at the “Narrows” in Green Harbor, and damage to the east and west jetties at the mouth of the harbor has occurred as a result of Hurricane Sandy and subsequent nor’easters.
Green Harbor is situated in the northwestern end of Cape Cod Bay, about 30 miles southeast of Boston and nine miles north of Plymouth Harbor. It is located at the mouth of Green Harbor River, a small stream that drains nearby marshlands. Green Harbor is a popular recreational boating and sport fishing center.
Funding for maintenance dredging and jetty repair has been appropriated in the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013.
Maintenance dredging to alleviate shoaling in the entrance channel was performed with the Currituck from May 22-31. A plan for repairing the jetties is being developed.
Hyannis Harbor
Shoaling in the authorized 13-foot deep entrance channel, the 13-foot deep inner harbor channel and the 13-foot deep inner harbor turning basin in Hyannis Harbor has occurred as a result of Hurricane Sandy and subsequent nor’easter storms.
Hyannis Harbor lies midway along the south shore of Cape Cod in Hyannis, about 21 miles east of the harbor at Woods Hole and 16 miles west of Chatham. It consists of an outer harbor, a middle harbor (known as Lewis Bay), and an inner harbor. The outer and middle harbors are separated by Dunbar Point.
Hyannis Harbor is used extensively by recreational boaters and serves as a base for a small fishing fleet, sport fishing charter boats, and ferry boats that service the offshore islands. Shoaling is causing hazardous conditions for the ferries that are the primary lifeline to the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
The Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority has recently reported that the M/V NANTUCKET and M/V EAGLE have both incurred damages to their hulls believed to be resultant from interactions with these shoals.
Funding for maintenance dredging has been appropriated in the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013. Maintenance dredging with the Currituck began on June 21.
Block Island
Dredging of the entrance channels of the Block Island Harbor of Refuge and Great Salt Pond is needed. The Corps has obtained approvals and plans on using the Currituck during June to complete the dredging. Block Island, coextensive with the town of New Shoreham, is an 11-square mile island lying 12 miles off the southern coast of Rhode Island and 15 miles northeast of Montauk Point, the eastern tip of Long Island, N.Y.
The Block Island Harbor of Refuge, located on the island’s east side, is used by a small fishing fleet and is the subsistence harbor for the island. Great Salt Pond is located on the island’s west side and is used by large numbers of recreational boaters (over 1,000 per day) during the summer season.
Housatonic River
The local community contacted the Corps to request dredging of the federal project, the 18-foot channel, in the Housatonic River. A recent survey of the project indicated about 600,000 cubic yards of sand needed to be removed to return the project to authorized dimensions. In an effort to dredge the most shoaled portions of the river, the state of Connecticut funded the entire cost of $750,000 to have the Currituck dredge approximately 50,000 cubic yards of sand to approximately - 14 feet mllw from the most shoaled portions of the 18-foot authorized channel below the Route 1 Bridge. Nearshore disposal was about six miles away off Point No Point. The Currituck dredged from Nov. 2 - 30, 2012. Connecticut Department of Transportation is coordinating with the Corps for possible additional dredging in 2013.
The Corps is coordinating with Wilmington District to possibly use the Currituck and is coordinating with the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the city of Stratford to develop a plan on how to complete the dredging. The next dredge window is Oct. 1 to March 31.
(Editor's Note: Jack Karalius, Bill Kavanaugh, Mike Walsh, Tim Dugan and Larry Rosenberg of the New England District and Hank Heusinkveld of the Wilmington District, all contributed to this article.
| Date Taken: | 07.10.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2013 12:46 |
| Story ID: | 109983 |
| Location: | CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 1,075 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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