NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Friday, May 29, 2015
INCIDENTS
WWII Valor In The Pacific NM
USS Arizona's Floating Dock Damaged
On May 27th, the hospital ship USNS Mercy was being maneuvered by two tugboats to transit Pearl Harbor from its berth at Hotel Pier as it prepared to go to sea. As the Mercy turned to head out to the channel, the stern inadvertently made contact with the floating dock leading to the USS Arizona Memorial. Strong prop wash from the ship pushed the floating dock and access structure (brow) approximately ten feet toward the memorial, damaging handrails and the dock's infrastructure.
There was no damage to the remains of the USS Arizona and no apparent damage to the Mercy. The memorial experienced minor superficial damage. There were no injuries. The Military Sealift Command and U.S. Coast Guard are both beginning official investigations.
The Navy removed the brow and immediately began repairing the above-water floating dock and access structure and evaluating the underwater mooring system of chains and concrete block anchors. "We are hoping to have all repairs done by June 3 so the memorial can be reopened to visitors June 4," said Captain Stan Keeve, commander of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
The damaged floating dock and brow (connection between the dock and the memorial) are currently unsafe for visitors. The Navy and the National Park Service are offering modified tours which take the public out to Battleship Row so they can get a view of the USS Arizona Memorial.
[Abby Wines, Acting Chief of Interpretation]
Hot Springs NP
Armed Robbers Attack Park Visitor
On Sunday, May 17th, Rangers Chris Schreck and Ryan Howell responded to the report of an armed robbery along the carriage road located just above the Grand Promenade and Bath House Row.
The victim said that he and two women were walking along the road around 8:45 p.m. when he was attacked by three unknown men who stole about $500 from him. During the struggle, the victim said that a handgun was flung into a nearby wooded area by one of his assailants. He was eventually able to escape and called authorities.
Hot Springs K-9 Handler Clint Forte and partner Saki responded and conducted a search of the area for the weapon but could not find it. It's believed that the assailants retrieved it before leaving the area. No major injuries were reported by any of the victims and the case is currently being investigated by rangers.
[Jeff Johnson, Supervisory Park Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's webpage editions of InsideNPS (available to NPS employees only) and the Morning Report (available to all readers):
Joshua Tree NP - About 90 photographers gathered in Joshua Tree for a Night Sky Instameet over Memorial Day weekend. A mix of experienced and novice photographers created beautiful images of moonlit landscapes and the Milky Way arching over the park.
Fort Union NM - The park and its partners, the Rio Mora Wildlife Preserve and the Denver Zoo, recently brought the night sky and the history of the Mora Valley to life for junior high students and visitors from Mongolia.
Workplace Enrichment - Kate Richardson Coast will be retiring at the end of May following 35 years of public service. Kate has most recently served as the program manager for the Service's Workplace Enrichment Program.
Redwood N&SP - David Roemer has been selected as the deputy superintendent for Redwood National Park. He previously served as the park's chief of resource management and science.
Servicewide Training Calendar - The following have been added to this week's calendar - a basic structural firefighting course, a webinar on professional leadership skills for administrative and support personnel, an NPS digital Servicewide call/webinar, a webinar on the art of inquiry, a webinar on “influencing up,” and an ongoing feedback and communications webinar.
To see the full text of these stories, readers should go to one or the other of the following sites:
NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index
Non-NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/
The Morning Report is produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov).
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