The MV Bowie (PCS 1405)

Welcome to the Bowie! Thanks for taking an interest in what we are doing. It is a grand idea to attempt on our meager means but hey, we were working hard already! Feel free to visit our blog for the latest stories of what we're doing.

Specifications

Length: 136’
Width: 24’6”
Draft: 8.4’
Displacement: 220 tons
Engines: Twin Supercharged, Straight Eight, 268A General Motors Cleveland Diesels.
Power Generation: One 371 Detroit, One 671 Detroit, both DC generators, currently not operable

History

After the US Navy was decimated in Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941, the Navy engaged in a flurry of shipbuilding – the Splinter Fleet as it was otherwise known. They built thousands of ships all over the US. (US Navy archival photos of PCS 1405 can be viewed at the NavSource Online Photo Gallery.)

Built by the Greenport Basin and Construction Co., Greenport, Long Island, NY, the keel of PCS 1405 was laid in May 1944 and did its sea trials along the Eastern seaboard. It was in service in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, journeyed through the Panama Canal and to Hawaii and back again.

At the end of the war PCS 1405 was decommissioned and went into service for the US Coast and Geodetic Survey (now known as NOAA) and at this time received the number CSS xx and was probably named the Bowie at this time. She worked until the late sixties doing surveys of the ocean floor on the Pacific Coast up as far as Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintains on-line archives on the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Best results are obtained in searching under the terms "survey ship Bowie".

Other ships like this

The PCS class is almost identical to the Yard Mine Sweeper (YMS). The late actor John Wayne owned the – the Wild Goose, a YMS class ship. Jacque Cousteau’s Calypso was a BYMS – a British Yard Mine Sweeper. As well, the Oak Bay Marine Group currently operates a YMS class ship, the MV Marabell and is a floating fishing lodge up on the coast of British Columbia.

Mr. Rene Westerhuis of the Netherlands, is a lover of the YMS Class of ships and maintains a site dedicated to these vessels at www.renewesterhuis.nl/YMS.

Intent

The Bowie is an historic vessel in salvageable condition and as such we perceive our responsibility to her as follows.

Upkeep is expensive, resoration extortionate and failure is not an option. She needs to work one way or another. As a deep sea ship her potential is limited only by our resouces. We have her on life support but the real work will take real money and we are actively seeking options.

My name is Greig Thorlacius and these are my intentions.

Did You Know? The differences between the PCS (Patrol Craft Sweeper) and the YMS or BYMS (Yard Mine Sweeper or British Yard Mine Sweeper) was it's engine power. The PCS was faster and as such, her top speed was classified. Estimates for the PCS range between 20 and 35 knots. The YMS was rated between 12 to 17 knots. There were only 59 PCS class vessels ever built versus over 500 YMS class ships. It is unknown how many PCS class vessels still exist.