J. W. Westcott II

Last updated

J.W. Westcott II approaching freighter.jpg
J.W. Westcott II approaching a Canadian freighter
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameJ. W. Westcott II
NamesakeCaptain John Ward Westcott
OwnerJ. W. Westcott Company
Route Detroit River, Great Lakes
Ordered1949
BuilderPaasch Marine Service, Erie, Pennsylvania
Homeport Detroit, Michigan
IdentificationOfficial number: 258859
Statusin service
General characteristics
Class and typePilot and mail boat
Tonnage14  GT
Length45 ft (14 m) [1]
Beam13 ft (4.0 m)
Draft4 ft (1.2 m)
Propulsion
Speed15 knots

J. W. Westcott II is a post office boat that delivers mail to ships while they are underway. It operates out of Detroit, Michigan, and, as it is an official post office for the United States Postal Service, it also contains the only floating ZIP Code in the United States—48222. [2]

Contents

History

The Westcott company was established in 1874 by Captain John Ward Westcott, who ferried supplies (and by 1895 the mail) to passing ships via rowboat. J. W. Westport II is named for him. [3]

Operation

J. W. Westcott II moored near its post office J.W. Westcott II with 48222 post office.jpg
J. W. Westcott II moored near its post office

Any mail addressed to members of ships' crews on vessels transiting the Detroit River can be delivered to them via J. W. Westcott II by being addressed "Vessel Name, Marine Post Office, Detroit, Michigan, 48222." The US postal zip code 48222 is exclusive to the floating post office and its ship addressees; as of 2016, the boat had a contract with the US Postal Service through 2021. [2] The mail is delivered to the appropriate ships (mainly lake freighters) as they transit the Detroit River, utilizing ropes and buckets. [2]

Sinking

On 23 October 2001, J. W. Westcott II sank in the deep water under the Ambassador Bridge while caught in the wake of Norwegian oil tanker MT Sidsel Knutsen. The captain and one other crew member were killed; the two passengers, both pilots, were rescued. J. W. Westcott II was later salvaged, refurbished and returned to service. [4] [5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Dimensions". Westcott Co. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Kelly, Tyler (20 August 2016). "A Mail Boat Stays Afloat". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Hebert, Jim (31 March 1999). "J. W. Westcott Company". Westcott Co. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.[ non-primary source needed ]
  4. ↑ "Two killed in sinking of mail boat J.W. Westcott II in Detroit River". Professional Mariner. February–March 2002. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  5. ↑ Report of the Capsizing and Sinking of the M/V J. W. Westcott II in the Detroit River on October 23, 2001 With the Loss of Two Lives (PDF) (Report). United States Coast Guard. 7 October 2002. Retrieved 9 June 2019.

Further reading

Bergel, Colin (2000). Mail by the pail. Illustrated by Mark Koenig. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ISBN   0814328903. OCLC   44313231.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.