Activity Report for the Period
May 11 - June 14, 2001
Trip Summary
During this period, 3 trips were conducted. On May 13, the FH-13 site buoy was inspected after reports of it being off station, and diving observations were performed on the steel tower cages deployed this past January in FH-13 and FH-2. On May 18, the inshore Ship Island FH-11 piling light was replaced. On June 14, rubble was deployed on the inshore Horn Island Middle Ground Site FH-10.
FH-13 Buoy Inspection
Reports had been received that the FH-13 buoy was gone and on a May 12 Fishing Charter it was noted off station. Original coordinates were 30°02.253'N/88°31.400'W and the new coordinates are 30°01.662N/88°32.633'W or 1.22NM@243° from the original. The western boundary of FH-13 is at 88°32.400'W so it's new position is a couple tenths of a mile outside of the boundary. A May 13 dive inspection did not disclose any ropes on the 1-1/4" Stud Link Chain, but the 1,000 pound Door-Moor anchor does appear to have been drug thru the sand/mud bottom indicating a boat must have tied off to it in high sea conditions. Growth on the terminal tackle appears to have added weight and pulled the buoy down so that less buoy is visible above the surface. Inspection of the chain shows severe wear points starting approximately a dozen links above the bottom and continuing another dozen more links. Approximately 20 more links are clean of marine growth before fouling starts abruptly and continues to the surface. Another wear point was noted where the chain attaches to the buoy, but the wear is not as evident on the chain itself as it is on the stainless steel eye of the buoy itself. This buoy was deployed on March 1, 2000 or about 14 months ago. Apparently some maintenance is needed soon to keep from losing this buoy. A more economical band-aid may be to have a diver shackle 4 feet or so of chain across the wear point.
010125A & 010125D steel Towers (238F13 & 241F2)
On May 12, following the buoy inspection, video and surveys were completed on the steel towers in FH-13 and FH-2 placed there on January 25, 2001. The project consisted of placing 19 Towers across sites FH-1, FH-2, FH-12, and FH-13. The first 4 towers were grouped close together in FH-13 at 30°01.296'N/88°30.163'W, but failed to be located on this venture. Bottom disturbances were noted on the sounder and a dive inspection suggests that possibly the towers were swept away by a shrimp boat trawl. Visibility was poor and limited the examination. Towers 5, 6, and 7 were located successfully at the following respective coordinates: 30°01.153/88°30.706, 30°01.140/88°30.877, 30°01.008/88°31.162. Towers 16-19 in FH-2 were also successfully located at 30°05.314/ 88°34.376. Video and inspections were made of Tower 5, 16, 17, and 18. Towers 16, 17, and 18 were close enough together to be viewed simultaneously underwater with about 30 feet of visibility. Visibility was much better in the FH-2 site and fish were also more abundant. Observations revealed several hundred to a thousand cigar minnows and less than a dozen small juvenile red snapper on each tower. Some hard tails, rock bass, and a lone sheepshead were also noted. Marine fouling did exist but seemed limited probably due to the properties of the steel.
FH-11 Light Replacement
On May 18, a trip was made to FH-11 to replace the piling light which was reported to have failed. Examination revealed that the solar panel had loosened and it's inclination dropped to point directly at the horizon; however, It is not believed that this is what caused the light to stop working. Efforts to remove the light were fruitless due to heavy corrosion on the pipe threads and the fact that it was secured with 60d nails instead of lag screws. In an effort to salvage the trip, the new light was mounted on the solar panel of the old light. The new light design incorporates its solar panel within the light unit itself.
010614 Rubble - Horn island middle ground - 242F10
On June 14, T&W Marine was met at FH-10 to deploy approximately 300 cubic yards of concrete rubble as part of the fiscal year's tidelands fund projects. The coordinates are 30°15.928'/88°38.969', 12381.8/47085.3/29601.1. The DGPS was tracking 9 satellites, had a hoop of 1.0, and an estimated accuracy of 9 feet. The tide height was 1.0 feet (near high tide). Deployment began around 1030AM and ended at 1230PM. Surrounding depth was 14'-15', Minimum clearance was 12'-13'.
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Email Author: Mark@primofish.com