THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 11, 1995 TAG: 9509110041
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
Once renowned as a fast patrol boat the likes of which could tame the back rivers of Vietnam, the Navy's last floating ``swift boat'' has pitched its mortars and machine guns to become a college lab.
The Virginia Beach campus of Tidewater Community College has taken over the 51-foot, 22-ton Patrol Craft-Fast that will ply the Chesapeake Bay and shoreline of Virginia Beach in the name of oceanographic research.
It is to be named the ``Research Vessel Matthew Fontaine Maury,'' in honor of the ``father of oceanography,'' an American naval officer from the mid-1800s who served with the Bureau of Charts and Instruments.
Maury, after whom Norfolk's oldest high school is named, served in both the Union and Confederate navies, had a teaching post at Virginia Military Institute and had numerous ties to Hampton Roads.
The swift-boat project is the idea of geologist Michael E. Lyle, assistant division chairman of the geophysical sciences department at TCC. He's also a former Navy radar operator and Army paratrooper, and currently is a platoon sergeant in the Virginia National Guard.
``The Navy decided they wanted to try and save this boat,'' said Lyle. ``They heard about my program, liked it and now we have a home for it.''
The college has expanded its oceanography program to six sections a year, with 30 to 50 students per section, Lyle said. The course calls for at least two student cruises; the first a familiarization cruise to learn how to operate underwater research equipment; the second to gather specimens for research reports.
TCC has contracted with Old Dominion University's oceanography department to take the students to sea aboard its Research Vessel Linwood Holton.
With other courses coming on line, there was a need for another vessel, Lyle said. Besides, the price for the boat, valued at $150,000, was just right: It was free.
``We've promised them we'll take good care of it,'' said Lyle.
Built in 1965 by Sewart Seacraft of Berwick, La., the patrol boat is one of two survivors of 139 units built from 1965 onward. The other has been placed on display at the Washington Navy Yard.
Most were used by the Navy in Vietnam, with 104 transferred to South Vietnam in 1968-70. Others were built specifically for South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand.
Docked at the Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, the boat was used as a training vessel for the Navy's crop of ``swift sailors.'' It never went to Vietnam.
The all-steel craft has a top speed of 32 mph, but to conserve fuel, Lyle has installed some midrange injectors in its twin diesel engines to bring the speed down to about 20 mph. That's still fast enough to get it into the Bay and on station without losing too much in travel time, he said.
Inside, its accommodations are sparse, with a long chart table, refrigerator beneath and three bunks in the main cabin, plus room for possibly more berthing forward.
It doesn't have a heater, or air conditioner yet. Those are items Lyle and his students hope to acquire soon. The first cruise is scheduled next month and will continue throughout the winter.
For the few chief petty officers who come by, offering maintenance tips, Lyle also has promised a coffee pot.
``They've been overseeing this project since June and they always ask where is the coffee pot,'' said Lyle, sipping his coffee from a Thermos bottle. ``I guess we'd better get one pretty quick if we want their help.''
The college has set aside about $30,000 for operation and repairs for the vessel.
``We have gotten some contributions from the community and hope for more,'' said Lyle. ``We've also been approached by one Navy command - the fleet training center - and are working on more to adopt us as a community project.''
A formal transfer ceremony and exhibition are scheduled for Oct. 13 and 14 at Nauticus in Norfolk.
Lyle hopes this project will result in more cooperation between TCC and ODU's oceanographic programs.
``We're trying to give TCC more opportunity to inter-react,'' he said. ``I think we should be a resource for the community.''
A number of programs in the Chesapeake Bay can be expanded upon, including monitoring the shoreline off Sandbridge, where erosion is a major problem, he said. There's an opportunity as well to study plankton in the Bay and its relationship to the seasons.
``If I can get my students out on the water, so they can see what it's really like, then we'll be successful,'' he said.
``Because you can do all the stuff on computer in the classroom. But someone has to go out there and get their hands and feet wet. If I can give them a range of experiences, I think this will be worthwhile.'' ILLUSTRATION: Bob Franson, left, Skip Page and Michael Lyle talk over research
possibilities while inspecting the craft donated by the Navy.
Beth Baden, a TCC student, applies elbow grease to the former patrol
boat's bow. The craft will be used in the college's oceanography
program.
by CNB