MarAd sends 100th obsolete ship to the breakers

MarAd sends 100th obsolete ship to the breakers The U.S. Maritime Administration has made arrangements for the removal and disposal of the 100th ship since receiving its first congressional appropriations for this activity in fiscal 2001.
   MarAd awarded the ship disposal contract to All Star Metals in Brownsville, Texas. The total value of the contract is $1.08 million.
   The vessel Dutton was originally constructed in 1945 as the Tuskegee Victory, one of 534 Victory ships constructed by the Maritime Commission during World War II. In 1958, the Dutton was converted from a supply vessel to an oceanographic survey ship supporting America’s Polaris Fleet of submarines. The Dutton was decommissioned in 1988.
   MarAd keeps ships in three National Defense Reserve Fleet sites to support U.S. military movements and to respond to national emergencies. Those sites are the James River Reserve Fleet in Newport News, Va., the Beaumont Reserve Fleet in Beaumont, Texas, and Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in Benicia, Calif. The Dutton was laid up in Beaumont.