The project to find STRONG DD-467 has taken me roughly 22 years. In February 2019 this finally came about thanks to my introduction to Paul Mayer of the RV Petrel by my friend David Mearns. I will forever be in their debt for their efforts and just wonderful relationships. Sadly, the ocean exploration of WW2 and other wrecks for the Petrel has come to a halt - for now. COVID 19 has caused Vulcan, Inc. to shut down operations through the rest of this year and for the moment, all of 2021. The company says that it will surely resume, but only time will tell.
I had a conversation with Paul yesterday. One regret he has is that this came so suddenly, he and the rest of the team that has worked so closely for so many years did not get to say a proper good-bye. Some of the team has been furloughed, while Paul, Rob and a couple others will stay on to help with other projects. I'm so sad for them, but admit to being selfish in that the memorial plaque is still sitting boxed up in my den. I had hopes of putting the plaque in the water sometime in the next year. When I mentioned this to Paul, he dropped a suggestion to me that I will follow up on. No details just yet, I need to see if this will lead anywhere. In the meantime, my preference is to get this done with Petrel and the crew in the future. Time will tell how realistic that will be.
Here is the Facebook link to the story: RV Petrel closure
For those of you not on Facebook, here's the news:
The impact of the COVID-19 crisis has changed the world for the long term in ways that we never could have imagined.As a result of operational challenges from the pandemic, R/V Petrel will be placed into long-term moorage and she will not be deployed for the foreseeable future. We were tasked with a monumental mission – discover, educate, and honor – and we’re hopeful we will eventually be back in service.
And for the record, I am not giving up. We're not done. I've hit many speedbumps along the road to seeing this through and this one is a monster. But if life gives you speedbumps, you find a way to go around them. I will work on that.
Thank you Rob, Paul and the crew for all you have done for so many - and here's to seeing Petrel back on the water in the future!!!
Tammi
*A family member, Andy Hoder has some thoughts on the moorage of RV Petrel during these times:
Most of this text is from a comment I posted on Facebook, following the announcement that R/V Petrel was abruptly taken out of action for the rest of 2020 and probably/possibly through all of 2021. No doubt many factors came to bear in making this decision, but rumors have already evolved that this turn of events was somehow a result of the demise of the ship's founder/owner, Paul Allen (billionaire co-founder of Microsoft).
In the three short years since R/V Petrel began its search of the Seven Seas for long lost sunken ships, this vessel has become legend for its remarkable accomplishments, not the least of which is the discovery of our beloved Fletcher-class destroyer, USS Strong DD-467. Be that as it may...
COVID-19 is a global reality that has come to bear in many tragic, painful and disruptive ways. So it's not entirely surprising that even the mighty Petrel would be diminished by the crippling effects of the Pandemic. But certainly it's not the only ship that's been sidelined by these unfortunate circumstances.
There are fleets of cruise ships that are languishing in long term port calls with furloughed crews, and we've all read the stories of cruise ships stuck at sea because no harbor would let them dock. Given some of the exotic destinations to which the Petrel has sailed, we wouldn't want to see her crew end up on the "voyage of the damned" because every country is afraid to let the vessel touch its shores.
But certainly there must be other factors that have curtailed Petrel's operations. Museums and exhibits and public attractions of all types have experienced major hits to their revenue streams, not only because of Covid closures and loss of ticket sales, but also because of a general downturn in the economy.
Of course we don't know all the details of how the Petrel's operations are financed, or to what extent that may be a strand in her current predicament. For now all we can do is acknowledge the legacy that R/V Petrel has established and express our undying appreciation to her crew for all the wonderful discoveries she's made. In the meantime, we wait anxiously for R/V Petrel to set off on another great adventure!
-Andy Hoder
I had a conversation with Paul yesterday. One regret he has is that this came so suddenly, he and the rest of the team that has worked so closely for so many years did not get to say a proper good-bye. Some of the team has been furloughed, while Paul, Rob and a couple others will stay on to help with other projects. I'm so sad for them, but admit to being selfish in that the memorial plaque is still sitting boxed up in my den. I had hopes of putting the plaque in the water sometime in the next year. When I mentioned this to Paul, he dropped a suggestion to me that I will follow up on. No details just yet, I need to see if this will lead anywhere. In the meantime, my preference is to get this done with Petrel and the crew in the future. Time will tell how realistic that will be.
Here is the Facebook link to the story: RV Petrel closure
For those of you not on Facebook, here's the news:
The impact of the COVID-19 crisis has changed the world for the long term in ways that we never could have imagined.As a result of operational challenges from the pandemic, R/V Petrel will be placed into long-term moorage and she will not be deployed for the foreseeable future. We were tasked with a monumental mission – discover, educate, and honor – and we’re hopeful we will eventually be back in service.
And for the record, I am not giving up. We're not done. I've hit many speedbumps along the road to seeing this through and this one is a monster. But if life gives you speedbumps, you find a way to go around them. I will work on that.
Thank you Rob, Paul and the crew for all you have done for so many - and here's to seeing Petrel back on the water in the future!!!
Tammi
*A family member, Andy Hoder has some thoughts on the moorage of RV Petrel during these times:
Most of this text is from a comment I posted on Facebook, following the announcement that R/V Petrel was abruptly taken out of action for the rest of 2020 and probably/possibly through all of 2021. No doubt many factors came to bear in making this decision, but rumors have already evolved that this turn of events was somehow a result of the demise of the ship's founder/owner, Paul Allen (billionaire co-founder of Microsoft).
In the three short years since R/V Petrel began its search of the Seven Seas for long lost sunken ships, this vessel has become legend for its remarkable accomplishments, not the least of which is the discovery of our beloved Fletcher-class destroyer, USS Strong DD-467. Be that as it may...
COVID-19 is a global reality that has come to bear in many tragic, painful and disruptive ways. So it's not entirely surprising that even the mighty Petrel would be diminished by the crippling effects of the Pandemic. But certainly it's not the only ship that's been sidelined by these unfortunate circumstances.
There are fleets of cruise ships that are languishing in long term port calls with furloughed crews, and we've all read the stories of cruise ships stuck at sea because no harbor would let them dock. Given some of the exotic destinations to which the Petrel has sailed, we wouldn't want to see her crew end up on the "voyage of the damned" because every country is afraid to let the vessel touch its shores.
But certainly there must be other factors that have curtailed Petrel's operations. Museums and exhibits and public attractions of all types have experienced major hits to their revenue streams, not only because of Covid closures and loss of ticket sales, but also because of a general downturn in the economy.
Of course we don't know all the details of how the Petrel's operations are financed, or to what extent that may be a strand in her current predicament. For now all we can do is acknowledge the legacy that R/V Petrel has established and express our undying appreciation to her crew for all the wonderful discoveries she's made. In the meantime, we wait anxiously for R/V Petrel to set off on another great adventure!
-Andy Hoder
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