Makeshift submarine found in East River
Vessel found just feet from Queen Mary 2
Eyewitness News
(New York- WABC, August 3, 2007) - Several people are being
questioned by police after being stopped apparently attempting to set
sail off Brooklyn in a makeshift submarine-type vessel.
The handmade wood and fiberglass vessel, at the end of a tow rope
tied to an inflatable boat, was spotted by police near the luxury
ocean liner docked at the cruise ship terminal in the Buttermilk
Channel off Red Hook in Brooklyn.
"It was a strange sight," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Angelia
Rorison.
Police held the artist, Philip "Duke" Riley, and two other men, both
from Rhode Island, for questioning. But there was no indication the
trio meant any harm with the replica of the 1776 "Turtle submarine."
One of the Rhode Island men claimed he was descendant of David
Bushnell, the inventor of the original one-man vessel that inspired
the replica, police said.
The makeshift sub "is the creative craft of three adventuresome
individuals," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in a
statement. "It does not pose any terrorist threat. ... We can best
summarize today's incident as marine mischief."
The brown, egg-shaped wooden vessel was a replica of a submarine used
during the American Revolution, Rorison said. The inflatable boat was
towing the submarine, authorities said.
Rorison said the vessel resembled a diving bell, with a hatch on top,
and was about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. It was propelled by a
pedal-operated paddle.
The Coast Guard issued two citations to Riley, 35, of Brooklyn - one
for having an unsafe vessel, the other for violating a security zone.
The sub came within 200 feet of the bow of the Queen Mary 2, Rorison
said.
"Basically, the vessel was not safe to sail. It had no lights, no
flares. It was not registered," she said. "Instead of safety
violations, this could have turned into a search and rescue."
Riley is a sculptor and performance artist whose work "addresses the
prospect of residual but forgotten unclaimed frontiers on the edge
and inside overdeveloped urban areas, and their unsuspected
autonomy," according to his Web site.
The investigation began after a New York police detective noticed the
sub and the raft and summoned the Harbor Unit. Rorison said all three
men were taken in for questioning by the NYPD.
"All three males are expected to be charged with a number of
violations and both vessels will be secured by the Harbor Unit," the
NYPD said.
For those unfamiliar with the original -
Vessel found just feet from Queen Mary 2
Eyewitness News
(New York- WABC, August 3, 2007) - Several people are being
questioned by police after being stopped apparently attempting to set
sail off Brooklyn in a makeshift submarine-type vessel.
The handmade wood and fiberglass vessel, at the end of a tow rope
tied to an inflatable boat, was spotted by police near the luxury
ocean liner docked at the cruise ship terminal in the Buttermilk
Channel off Red Hook in Brooklyn.
"It was a strange sight," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Angelia
Rorison.
Police held the artist, Philip "Duke" Riley, and two other men, both
from Rhode Island, for questioning. But there was no indication the
trio meant any harm with the replica of the 1776 "Turtle submarine."
One of the Rhode Island men claimed he was descendant of David
Bushnell, the inventor of the original one-man vessel that inspired
the replica, police said.
The makeshift sub "is the creative craft of three adventuresome
individuals," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in a
statement. "It does not pose any terrorist threat. ... We can best
summarize today's incident as marine mischief."
The brown, egg-shaped wooden vessel was a replica of a submarine used
during the American Revolution, Rorison said. The inflatable boat was
towing the submarine, authorities said.
Rorison said the vessel resembled a diving bell, with a hatch on top,
and was about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. It was propelled by a
pedal-operated paddle.
The Coast Guard issued two citations to Riley, 35, of Brooklyn - one
for having an unsafe vessel, the other for violating a security zone.
The sub came within 200 feet of the bow of the Queen Mary 2, Rorison
said.
"Basically, the vessel was not safe to sail. It had no lights, no
flares. It was not registered," she said. "Instead of safety
violations, this could have turned into a search and rescue."
Riley is a sculptor and performance artist whose work "addresses the
prospect of residual but forgotten unclaimed frontiers on the edge
and inside overdeveloped urban areas, and their unsuspected
autonomy," according to his Web site.
The investigation began after a New York police detective noticed the
sub and the raft and summoned the Harbor Unit. Rorison said all three
men were taken in for questioning by the NYPD.
"All three males are expected to be charged with a number of
violations and both vessels will be secured by the Harbor Unit," the
NYPD said.
For those unfamiliar with the original -
