Sept: 12 | 16 | 20
Oct: 17 | 21

October 17, 2005

The Sirius has been dedicated to providing relief service in New Orleans for Operation Katrina Relief for the past 34 days. The crew of the Sirius has done an outstanding job of fulfilling the ship’s mission.

The Port of New Orleans is vital to the economic success of New Orleans, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, getting the port operational has been a very high priority. When we first arrived, the port was non-operational and in need of great repair. Now, a month later, commercial ships are coming into the Port of New Orleans and having cargo loaded and unloaded on a regular schedule. To a large extent the restoration of port operations has been made possible by the Sirius and two other MARAD ships which have the mission of providing berthing and meals to the port workers so they could focus on restoring the infrastructure of the port and moving cargo instead of worrying about a place to sleep. The MARAD ships have also been used to provide electricity to the port facilities and for refueling port trucks, in addition the ships initially provided water to the port.

On average, the Sirius serves 400 to 600 meals each day and provides berthing and a place to call home for the port workers and other officials who have lost their homes and have no place to live. On many days, the 195 berths have been filled to capacity. The guests living aboard the Sirius have been very grateful and appreciative of the services which have been provided aboard the ship. It is not uncommon to see guest going up to the ship’s crewmembers and thanking them.

In addition to serving meals and berthing, the Sirius provides laundry service for the guests living aboard and has four lounges being used by crew and guest for R&R. In the purser’s office, guest may check out movies entertainment in the evening or work out in the makeshift gym in the cargo hold. Many port workers can be seen relaxing on deck and talking at night.

The hanger of the ship has been used to berth troops for 24 hour rotations of R&R. We have set up a large screen TV in the hanger so the troops can watch TV and relax. Aboard ship, the troops have been thankful for hot meals and a place to take a shower. In addition, the troops have received medical care in sickbay. The majority of the troops which were here initially here have been sent back home to Oregon and Wisconsin. Many of the troops who were coming aboard for R&R have orders to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan in the next year. Shortly, the hanger may be used again to berth workers rebuilding the infrastructure in the port.

The doctor aboard ship is on call 24 hours a day and during sick call attends to many sick and injured crewmembers from other ships and port workers. In the evening, it is not uncommon for a line to be outside of the sickbay with patients lining up to see the doctor for the ailments or to receive vaccination shots.

Several times a week, tank trucks from the port arrive for fuel to be transferred from the Sirius to their trucks in order to keep the port operations running smoothly and efficiently. On the starboard side of the ship, a 2” fuel hose is connected to the manifold and then run to the tank trucks for the refueling operation.

Each morning, longshoremen come aboard for breakfast starting at 0600. After breakfast, the longshoremen go to the ice machines and fill plastic bags with ice which is used for their coolers. The ice machines have been very popular amongst the dock workers especially during the hot days.

In town great progress is being made in terms of cleaning the debris off the streets and replacing the glass in buildings. The Convention Center looks pretty much like it used to before the hurricane, with the exception of no carpet in the inside. Today, walking around the French Quarter the majority of the stores and drinking establishments were still closed but some hotels are open for business. This great city has a long ways to go with regards to reconstruction, but in the past month, tremendous strides have been made thanks to the hard work and dedication of those involved in the disaster relief efforts.



Captain Sam Stephenson
Master, Sirius