STATEMENT OF CAPT. HARRY L. HARGROVE, PRESIDENT, MOBILE BAR PILOTS ASSOCIATION Captain HARGROVE. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, if you will allow me I would like to point out an important point on the bar. This is the Theodore Channel. There are two Government projects. This is the channel in Mobile. We board the ships off shore about 10 miles and pilot them up to Mobile. This channel is often referred to as a ditch. Mr. Chairman, it is a privilege to appear before your committee in the interests of deeper water for the Mobile Ship Channel, Ala bama's only seaport. I have been a pilot on Mobile Bay and B since June 20, 1906, and have been president of the Mobile Bar Pilots Association for 25 years. These pilots are thoroughly trained, holding State and Federal licenses, and rendering 24-hour service, and capable of handling any type of vessel. They have indeed done a fine job piloting ships in this narrow ship channel. I am still an active pilot. We board these vessels at sea, pilot and dock them in Mobile, and vice versa. Mobile Bar, 7 miles off shore, with its shoals, strong cross currents, is nasty when heavy weather offshore causes the seas to break. Mobile Bay, 30 miles long, 10 miles wide, 10 feet deep, has a channel 32 feet deep and 300 feet wide that we were proud of many years ago, when then answered the purpose. Mobile has grown into a great port with its fine modern concrete docks, fruit wharves, largest dry dock and repair plant in the gulf, largest bauxite plant in the Nation; a pipeline connected with many oil wells; and the steel company's dock, just completed and ready for business. These, along with Brookley Field and Theodore Channel, make Mobile one of the most important American seaports. If we had deeper water the port could take care of an increased volume of shipping with larger and deeper draft ships. The oil companies desire supertankers to enter this port. The steel company wants ships capable of carrying 45,000 tons of iron ore from Venezuela with ore to their newly built docks. Likewise, the aluminum company wants to bring their bauxite into the port with very large carriers. We are now piloting vessels into Mobile which draw 31 and sometimes 32 feet. Gentlemen, imagine leaving Mobile with a draft of 32 feet in a 32-foot channel and passing another vessel of the same draft. In such a situation anything less than perfect judgment and the highest degree of skill in ship handling, plus a high tide, would result disastrously. It is common knowledge that this channel requires a higher degree of pilot skill and experience than in many larger American seaports, due to the fact that the geographical location of our channel does not permit the establishment of "range lights" such as many larger ports enjoy. Further, you are in the middle of a very large body of water with no defining banks to contain you in the channel. A vessel, in my opinion, should have at least 3 feet of clearance between the bottom of the channel and the keel to be handled with any degree of safety. Strong north winds blow the water out of Mobile Bay, fresh east or west winds cause strong cross currents, making it necessary to hold a ship up 20 degrees off her course in order to remain in the middle of this ditch. Imagine what her course would be when you slow down. In my opinion, ships with any greater draft than 28 feet should not be handled in this existing channel. We are piloting ships drawing up to 32 feet, and when you get a ship to sea with that draft, you have really done a good job. Should such a vessel ground, she is grounding on a high tide and will probably have to remain fast until the next high water stage. During this interval the Port of Mobile could be completely closed to shipping. A deep draft vessel, regardless of speed, cannot make over 10 knots in this channel. When a gale blows from southeast to southwest causing the bar to break, the ship must stay either outside or inside of the bay, until it moderates, due to the rise and fall of the ship, causing expensive delay to the vessel. We have many tows in the channel, plenty of fog, smoke and cross currents, which often makes it necessary to follow a tow or a ship going in the same direction, as the risk is too great of passing, causing additional delay to the vessel. Gentlemen, as you know, a vessel is called a "she," but she can't be handled as readily as the fairer sex. What this unmanageable she requires is a highly skilled pilot with plenty of guts, nerve, and deep water under her keel, and then she can be handled. I believe I am qualified to make these remarks, as I have handled over 10,000 vessels in the Mobile Channel. There is attached hereto data which sets forth the increase in the number of deep draft vessels calling at the Port of Mobile between the years 1945 and 1954. Gentlemen, please give this request for the proper deep water channel from Mobile to the sea your serious consideration. We need deep water, larger ships, and want more business and your help. Thank you for your consideration and time. Mr. ANGELL. Without objection the table attached to Captain Hargrove's statement will be received and inserted in the record at this point. (The table referred to is as follows:) Mr. ANGELL. Thank you, Captain Hargrove. Are there any questions? (No response.) Mr. ANGELL. If not, we thank you, Captain. Mr. BOYKIN. Mr. Chairman, will you just permit Mr. Daniel J. Houlihan to say a few words? He is representing the Merchant Marine Institute? Mr. ANGELL. Very well. Mr. Houlihan, the committee is very happy to hear you. STATEMENT OF DANIEL J. HOULIHAN, REPRESENTING THE AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE INSTITUTE, INC. Mr. HOULIHAN. Thank you. I have a written statement prepared on behalf of the American Merchant Marine Institute which I would like to put in the record. Mr. ANGELL. Without objection it will be placed in the record at this point. (The statement of the American Merchant Marine Institute, Inc., is as follows:) AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE INSTITUTE, INC., Subject: River and harbor authorization bill, 1955, Mobile Harbor, Ala. Chairman, Subcommittee on Rivers and Harbors, House Office Building, Washington 25, D. C. DEAR SIR: The American Merchant Marine Institute, Inc., is a trade association composed of 63 United States steamship companies operating approximately 7,500,000 gross tons of American-flag dry cargo, tank and collier vessels in the domestic and foreign trades of the United States. Since many of our member companies operate in this waterway, they are naturally very much interested in its improvement to insure efficient navigation of their vessels. We very much appreciate this opportunity to be heard by your Subcommittee on Rivers and Harbors as to those river and harbor improvement projects which should be incorporated in the 1955 river and harbor authorization bill. The existing project for Mobile Harbor, Ala., provides for a 36- by 450-foot channel about 1.5 miles long across Mobile Bar; a 32- by 300-foot channel 28.6 miles long in Mobile Bay to the mouth of Mobile River; a 32-foot channel 4.6 miles long in Mobile River to the highway bridges, the widths varying from 500 to 775 feet; an anchorage area 32 feet deep, 200 feet wide, and 2,000 feet long at the United States Quarantine Station on Sand Island; a turning basin 32 feet deep, 2,500 feet long and 800 to 1,000 feet wide opposite the Alabama State docks; and other channels in Chickawaw Creek and in Garrows Bend. A public hearing was held November 1, 1949, at which time the American Marchant Marine Institute presented a brief in support of a proposal to improve Mobile Harbor. On November 19, 1951, the AMMI submitted a supplemental statement appending its original statement submitted at the public hearing. In general the improvement requested in order to maintain navigation of modern ships to the port of Mobile that provision be made for a 40-foot depth in the bay and river channels with widening to 500 feet. In justification for this improvement the AMMI stated that the trend in shipping in bulk commodities is to larger and deeper-draft vessels which are more economical to operate and that savings would be derived from loading these newer vessels to full capacity, elimination of waiting for favorable tides and reduction in groundings and scraping of bottom. Deeper ship channels at Mobile are necessary in order that Mobile might maintain a favorable position in competition with other major gulf ports. In the December 1953 issue of The Log, page 74, it is stated that United States Steel has started importing a high-grade iron ore through Mobile, Ala., from a new source of supply in Peru. Peruvian iron ore shipments through Alabama have been increasing since the early summer and United States Steel expects to handle over 50,000 tons of this ore monthly. Imports of iron ore from Venezuela is expected to start about next July and to be handled through new facilities being constructed at Mobile by the Tennessee coal and iron division of United States Steel. The district engineer studies indicate that the estimated annual benefit expected to result from the proposed improvement exceeds its estimated annual cost on the ratio of 2.77 to 1. The American Merchant Marine Institute, Inc., fully endorses the recommendations of the Chief of Engineers that the existing project for Mobile Harbor be modified to provide for enlarging the Mobile Bar Channel to a depth of 42 feet and width of 600 feet, enlarging the Mobile Bay main channel to a depth of 40 feet and width of 400 feet, deepening the Mobile Harbor Channel from the mouth to the highway bridge and the turning basin opposite the Alabama State docks to depth of 40 feet for widths essentially as provided for under the existing project, and widening the river channel to 800 feet opposite Magazine Point to provide a turning basin 40 feet deep and 1,400 feet long with additional tapered sections at each end. Very truly yours, R. BAKER, Secretary. Mr. HOULIHAN. In addition, sir, I appreciate the opportunity to add a few remarks to that statement. My firm are consulting engineers for the American Merchant Marine Institute and have made studies of every major harbor in the Atlantic and gulf coasts since the war. I believe you gentlemen are acquainted with the American Merchant Marine Institute. It is a trade association of 63 United States steamship companies, operating some 7,500,000 gross tons of United States flag vessels. In connection with the qualifications of my firm to speak on this subject, we have made engineering studies of the channel problems in Mobile, and on the basis of those submitted a brief to the Corps of Engineers in 1949 in the hearings they held there, and again in 1951 submitted a supplement to that brief. We have, further, direct knowledge due to the fact that for 3 years we have served as consulting engineers and designing engineers for the planning and design of the new iron ore terminal for the Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. at Mobile. In connection with the question raised earlier here, that terminal is designed to handle 3 million tons annually, but in our basic planning we were requested that our layout be made such that it could be ultimately expanded to a 6 million ton capacity. Another point raised was that the ore from that terminal moving up to Birmingham will move both by barge and rail. On behalf of the American Merchant Marine Institute I would like to point out that the existing channel project at Mobile results in limiting channel depths of 32 feet from the bar channel to the State docks, and a limiting channel width of 300 feet. In general the improvements requested by the American Merchant Marine Institute in the briefs presented to the Corps of Engineers in past years are basically that provision be made for a 40-foot depth with a channel 500 feet wide in the bay and river. In justification for this improvement it was pointed out that the trend in shipping in bulk commodities is to larger and deeper draft vessels which are more economical to operate, and that savings would result from the consequent ability to load these vessels to full draft and to prevent the frequent groundings and scrapings of the bottom which frequently cause damage to the ships. Mobile, as you can judge from previous statement made here, is primarily a bulk cargo port handling large volumes of vital raw materials including the aluminum ore and iron ore already mentioned; and, in addition to those, manganese, petroleum and petroleum products and grain. Sound transportation economics demand that this type of product should move in a large vessel. We have seen since the war vessel sizes grow tremendously. For example, at mobile in the past 5 years they have seen an increase of 170 percent in the number of vessels entering the harbor having a draft greater than 27 feet. Incidentally, in connection with the iron ore terminal development of TCI and the expansion of the Alcoa plant, it is anticipated that some 150 to 180 additional ore ships will in the near future be entering Mobile Harbor each year. These figures are just on ore vessels. Modern ore carriers and tankers range in draft from 33 to 36 feet and greater. There are a couple on the ways now. One recently launched was 371⁄2 feet. These vessels require a minimum of 5 feet of clearance under their bottom when they operate. That would take care of trim and squat as well as the necessary operating clearance. In view of these important considerations, and because the district engineer's studies reveal that the estimated annual benefit expected to result from the proposed improvement exceeds its estimated annual cost by a considerable amount and shows a high benefit-cost ratio of 2.77 to 1, the American Merchant Marine Institute fully endorses the recommendations of the Chief of Engineers that the existing project for Mobile Harbor be modified to provide for enlarging the bar channel to a depth of 42 feet and a width of 600 feet, enlarging the main channel to a depth in the bay of 40 feet and a width of 400 feet, deepening the Mobile Harbor Channel from the mouth to the highway bridge and the turning basin opposite the Alabama State docks to depths of 40 feet. Thank you, gentlemen. Mr. ANGELL. Thank you very much. Mr. BOYKIN. Mr. Chairman, this is Captain Galleher. All he wants is one minute and he will be through. But first I want to tell you we not only appreciate what you are doing, but I thank the Governor of Alaska who I think was mighty fine to us. He gave us his time. I understand you may sit this afternoon if we can get through with our case now. I hope I can repay him for being so good to us. Mr. ANGELL. We will be glad to hear you, Captain. STATEMENT OF CAPT. JOHN K. GALLEHER, OPERATING MANAGER OF NATIONAL BULK CARRIERS, INC., OF NEW YORK Mr. GALLEHER. My name is John K. Galleher. I am operating manager of the National Bulk Carriers, Inc., of New York. We operate 40 bulk carriers, tankers and ore boats. Of the 40 bulk carriers, 28 of them are of the so-called superclass. In fact, we can say many of them are "super-super" perhaps. We would like to speak very definitely in favor of this 40-foot program. We would like to add we think that channel should have an anchorage basin at least 3,000 by 3,000 feet long. I would like to call the attention of the committee very briefly to some ships in being that cannot use Mobile today. We are not talking about new construction and vessels projected, but vessels in being. First, we have 5 ships built in 1944 that in order to get into Mobile would have to lose 2,900 cargo tons every time. We have 4 ships built in 1952 that would have to lose 5,392 tons in order to get into Mobile. 39263-54-vol. 1 |