NY Waterway will be good neighbor
On behalf of our 32,000 daily customers and the thousands of additional commuters who rely on us in an emergency, I want to thank the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for their diligence in hearing all the arguments, in studying the issues and in granting NY Waterway permits to operate a marine repair and maintenance facility at the Union Dry Dock site in Hoboken.
This action is critical to our ability to provide vital mass transit service on a daily basis, enriching the lives of New Jersey commuters and adding value to waterfront property.
Union Dry Dock has operated continuously for more than 100 years as a marine repair and maintenance facility. We will continue that great tradition, using this site to keep our ferries in top condition, operating safely, cleanly and comfortably.
Our first project at Union Dry Dock will be to continue at an accelerated pace our ongoing environmental improvement program. We will start by installing in three of our ferries new engines, rated Tier 3 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. These are the cleanest marine diesel engines currently available in America.
We will be announcing even more dramatic news about environmental improvements in the near future.
Ferries strategically based at Union Dry Dock, at the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal in Weehawken and at the Hoboken/NJ TRANSIT Terminal are ready to react quickly in an emergency when other mass transit systems are disrupted. New Jersey officials called on NY Waterway three times in November to deploy our ferries to help commuters when other transit systems encountered problems.
In the November 15 snowstorm, our ferries carried about 7,000 extra passengers, with added boats and buses running late into the night to make sure commuters got home to New Jersey.
As we have proven with our ferry terminals in New Jersey and New York, we will be good neighbors and good stewards of our waterfront. We will improve the Union Dry Dock site and work to increase waterfront access.
By providing ferry service at Hoboken's 14th Street and elsewhere, NY Waterway has encouraged development so more people can live on the water. We have reduced traffic congestion and increased access to the waterfront.
Operating from Union Dry Dock will enable us to build on that tradition of service, improving the quality of life for our commuters and our neighbors.
Arthur E. Imperatore is President and Founder of NY Waterway
Ship did heroic service in WWII
With the passing of another Pearl Harbor Day, I would like to mention the role of the U.S.S. North Carolina (BB-55) in raising the morale of the sailors at Pearl Harbor after the attack.
The Carolina was known as the "Showboat" and was the only functioning battleship in the U.S. Navy after the attack and, at the time, the biggest and most powerful battleship in the world.
My father, Joe Benedek, Sr., served on the Showboat from 1941-1945 as a Master Machinists Mate, First Class. The Showboat was sent on a tour from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, down the Eastern Coast of the U.S., through the Panama Canal and finally, to Pearl Harbor.
At each stop, the ship with its full crew in dress whites would stand on deck as a reminder of the power and resolve of the United States Navy. The Carolina steamed into Pearl Harbor on July 11, 1942, past the destroyed battleship row and to the cheers and yells of the survivors.
In a sense, the Showboat had come full circle. She proceeded to participate in over 50 naval actions, survive a torpedo hit, and become a valued member of the famous Task Force 58 of the U.S. Navy Third Fleet.
My father also told me that had President Roosevelt lived to see V-J Day, the signing of the surrender treaty would have been on the U.S.S. North Carolina as a reward for its contributions to the Pacific War. As it was, the U.S.S. Missouri, President Truman's home state, did the honors while the Carolina patrolled Tokyo Harbor.
Today, the U.S.S. North Carolina is in permanent harbor in Wilmington, North Carolina and open to the public all year and though its World War II crew is dwindling, it serves as a living memorial to all those who gave their lives in World War II, from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo.
Joseph Benedek, Jr., Freehold, NJ
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