Today is the 52nd
Anniversary of the collapse of Texas Tower 4 (TT4) and the death of 28 seamen
on January 15, 1961, 75 miles offshore of NYNJ. TT4 was the closest of (3)
offshore Defense Early Warning System (DEWS) structures located along the
Mid-Atlantic coast.
It was crippled from the start with
a bad third leg which was repaired a few times but ultimately failed during a
horrible Nor’easter on January 15, 1961. This unique structure was initially
deployed to watch the skies for a surprise Russian invasion and to offer the
mainland an early warning of potential invasion.
Located in
180 feet of water and standing just 90 feet high above the sea surface, waves
and winds buffeted the tower during that storm. Helicopters and emergency
vessels were called in but to no avail. The weather was too extreme to
undertake an emergency rescue. 28 men were aboard the doomed tower and radioed
SOS calls repeatedly. After several transmissions one short burst of a call for
help the radio ashore went silent and they were never heard from again. The
tower collapsed and is now a mound of rubble.
In 2009, the National
Data Buoy Center (NDBC) which is part of NOAA placed a 24/7 in water weather
buoy named 44066/Texas
Tower 4 in recognition of
these men. In 2011 President Obama officially recognized their service to this
country.
At time of this
writing the 44066/TT4 buoy has been ripped from its mooring two times by severe
weather that regularly occurs in this location during the winter months. The
third replacement is tentatively scheduled for deployment in February of this
year.
It is the first
offshore buoy at the Hudson
Canyon dedicated to the
safety and well being of all
LI, NJ, RI, CT and
Mass Mid-Atlantic offshore mariners. The approximate location is 39.35N 072.36W
or about 75 miles from NY Harbor. This buoy transmits sea wave height, wind
speed and direction as well as water temperature which are important climate
data to all mariners.
This deployment is
the success of collaboration between government and stakeholders.
The U.S. integrated ocean observing system (IOOS), in partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean
Observing Regional Association (MACOORA/Maracoos), the National
Weather Service (NWS), and the National Data Buoy
Center (NDBC) are proud to be partners in announcing this re-positioned
and important continental shelf buoy placement.
This buoy honors
these men who served their country in the early moments of Homeland Security”.
Additional interest
information:
-http://youtu.be/hzUQwy7bhjo Weather Buoy Dedication aboard USCG Cutter Elm
-http://texastower.com/
-http://www.radomes.org/museum/documents/TexasTower.html
-http://www.cgi2you.com/members/message/texastowerassoc/45.shtml
-http://museumofnjmh.org/texastowerpresentation.html
(NJ)
-http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-jersey/1433047-texas-tower-4-a.html
(NJ)
-http://www.sportfishermen.com/board/f9/pres-obama-officially-recognizes-fallen-men-texas-tower-4-a-1210018.html
RIP
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