Dec 31 marked three years since STORIS listed on National Register

Three years ago on Dec 31, 2012, USCGC STORIS was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, officially recognized as nationally significant and worthy of historic preservation. 

Just a few short months later, the same U.S. government that recognized the ship as nationally significant and supposedly worthy of preservation sold her to a shady scrap merchant who then held the ship hostage in an extortion scheme over the summer. The government then allowed the ship to be illegally exported for dismantling in Mexico.

We are left to ask WHY?

This was no ordinary ship... This was STORIS, Queen of the Fleet, Bulldog of the Bering and Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast. 

It is sad to read knowing her ultimate fate, but her exploits and history are forever enshrined in the National Register documents. Section 7, uploaded at http://goo.gl/1FkXPF, is a physical description of the ship as well as a description of the ship's evolution over time. Section 8, uploaded at http://goo.gl/DBK8Oe, is the narrative history of the ship.

If you haven't already done so, please read these documents to fully understand what we have lost. We should be walking her decks and admiring fresh paint in Toledo where she was born. Instead, we only have black and white on paper to remember her. 

And for this is why we fight for accountability with the STORIS Act legislation and the associated audit of the US Maritime Administration and the other agencies tied in with ship disposal. The recent release of the DOT Inspector General report on MARAD's management controls that officially identified deficiencies in MARAD's management practices is a clear acknowledgement that the government was wrong in its disposition and handling of STORIS. This was discussed in the post of Dec. 22.

It's been over two years since we lost STORIS but there is still work to be done. After the new year, there will be a renewed push for the passage of the STORIS Act legislation. I sincerely hope that you will join me in this effort as I cannot do this all by myself. 

Best wishes to STORIS Supporters in the New Year and I look forward to continued correspondence and work with all of you.

For the Mighty STORIS.