The last tour group on the Neuse II has come and gone. No further tours of the Confederate ironclad replica will be allowed until construction of the boat is finished – and no one is certain when that will be.
A halt to tours was called Thursday in the wake of an ongoing dispute between Kinston officials and owners of the boat. The groups are arguing about the vessel's safety.
“Because the city is causing such a stink, the public will no longer be allowed on board unless they're working as a volunteer,” boat operator Ted Sampley told KinstonPress.com.
The latest furor arose after the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a recent letter from the city asking the service to decide who has jurisdiction over the boat. The Coast Guard letter was seemingly contradictory in certain areas. At one point, the letter states that the Neuse II is documented for recreational use and must conform to Coast Guard regulations. The letter was signed by Cmdr. A.L. Thomas, the officer in charge of the Coast Guard's prevention unit.
The letter further states: “A recreational vessel is defined as a vessel being manufactured or operated primarily for pleasure; leased, rented or chartered to another for the latter's pleasure." All recreational vessels are required to be constructed to a specific standard under the U.S. Code, which provides a level of safety for the owners and operators. It does not however, address public safety issues concerning groups of people touring a vessel while under construction on land or in the water. This type of situation falls under the Attraction vessel criteria. Traveling attraction vessels are subjected to an exam by the Coast Guard to ensure public safety before tours are given. Vessels that are permanently moored undergo a plan to enforce public safety issues. The owners of the CSS Neuse are giving tours of a recreational vessel in a boat yard. The Coast Guard has no jurisdiction over this vessel,” the letter concludes.
Boat builder Alton Stapleford, Sampley and a board member from the veterans group that owns the boat met last month with city officials to iron out their differences over safety issues. The city a few days later conducted a “courtesy” inspection of the Neuse II and made several suggestions about changes officials said would improve safety.
The city wants Stapleford, among other things, to cut wider hatches in the boat, install fire extinguishers, replace the steps leading into the boat, limit the number of people on board at one time to 15 and change the electrical wiring.
“If the city follows the building code to a T, which they are sworn to do,” Sampley said, “they would have to condemn the boat. The code for downtown totally outlaws use of wood in construction.”
The building plans show that the steps in place now are temporary and permanent steps will be built to run the length of the boat. The boat has the required number of fire extinguishers, its builders say, and wiring inside the Neuse II is minimal. The owners assured the city that an independent certified structural engineer will be hired to certify the boat's safety.
“What the city wants us to do is put a cutout in the side of the boat for handicapped access,” Sampley said. “They want to make it look like a doll house. What we're trying to do is keep this boat as authentic as possible.”
Although tours of the Neuse II are officially ended, the closure doesn't mean that no one will be allowed inside the boat while it is being built. Anyone who wants to see the interior will be asked to sign a waiver absolving the veterans group from responsibility if they are injured, sign on as a temporary member of the building crew and given a hammer and nail to “help” with construction.
Click here for a PDF copy of entire Coast Guard letter
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