WWII-era ship bound for scrap in Texas

WWII-era ship bound for scrap in Texas    The U.S. Maritime Administration announced the departure Tuesday of the vessel Florikan from Suisan Bay, Calif., for breaking at a Texas shipyard.
   Built in 1942 by the Moore Dry Dock Co. in Oakland and originally called the USS Florikan, the vessel served as a U.S. Navy submarine rescue ship during World War II. It operated mostly in the Pacific, training crews in submarine rescue operations.
   The vessel was struck from the Naval Register in 1991, entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) in Suisun Bay in 2000, and the    name was subsequently changed to Florikan.
   The ship has recently been cleaned on dry dock of marine growth and loose exterior paint. It's is the 11th ship to leave the NDRF since Oct. 22, 2009, when the Obama Administration announced an effort to improve the surrounding environment and clean up the fleet after years of neglect.