Baylander (IX-514), ex-YFU-79, was a United States Navy Helicopter Landing Trainer (HLT), billed as the world's smallest aircraft carrier. It served as a practice landing site for helicopter pilots in the United States Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and National Guard.
_Pensacola-based_Navy_Helicopter_Landing_Trainer_(HLT)_IX-514_transports_a_TH-57_helicopter_from_NAS_Whiting_Field.jpg){kind=spacer} Baylander while it was stationed at NAS Whiting Field, Florida
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | YFU-79 |
| Owner | United States Navy |
| Awarded | 1 June 1967 |
| Builder | Pacific Coast Engineering Alameda, California |
| Yard number | 238 |
| Laid down | 28 December 1967 |
| Launched | 29 May 1968 |
| Acquired | 5 July 1968 |
| United States | |
| Owner | United States Army |
| Acquired | May–June 1970 |
| Out of service | mid-1980s |
| United States | |
| Name | Baylander (IX-514) |
| Owner | United States Navy |
| Acquired | mid-1980s |
| In service | 31 March 1986 |
| Stricken | 15 December 2011 |
| Identification | Call sign: NHLT |
| Status | Privately owned; science outreach for Billion Oyster Project; moored at West Harlem Piers, New York |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | YFU-71-class lighter |
| Tonnage | 160 DWT |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 125 ft (38 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Draft | 7.5 ft (2.3 m) |
| Installed power | 2 × 450 hp (340 kW) Detroit Diesel 12V-71 |
| Propulsion | 2 × propellers |
| Speed | 9 knots (10 mph; 17 km/h) |
| Complement | 2 officer, 10 enlisted |
| Aviation facilities | Helo deck (no hangar) |
History
editThe ship entered operations with the United States Navy in 1968 as harbor utility craft YFU-79 and served in the Vietnam War; from mid-1970 it served with the United States Army.[1] At the end of the war YFU-79 was withdrawn to Guam.[1] In the mid-1980s it was returned to the Navy and converted to a Helicopter Landing Trainer by Bender Shipbuilding in Mobile, Alabama, entering service on 31 March 1986 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.[1][2] By August 2006, she had achieved 100,000 accident-free helicopter landings,[3] and by the time of her retirement had surpassed 120,000 landings.[4] After being taken out of service and struck from the Naval Register in 2011,[5] Baylander was sold into private hands instead of being scrapped. In 2014, it was moved to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Marina in New York City and opened as a museum ship.[6] By mid-2016, the vessel had been relocated to the West Harlem Piers on the Hudson River.[7] As of July 2020[update], the Baylander serves as a restaurant and bar.[8][9]
Specifications
editBaylander was built as Yard No. 238 by Pacific Coast Engineering (PACECO) of Alameda, California.[10] It is 125 feet (38 m) long, has a beam of 36 feet (11 m), and displaces 380 long tons (386 t) at full load.[5] Its helicopter deck was the same size as that of a Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Unique Ships of the U.S. Navy". United States Naval Institute. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ "Historic U.S. Navy Vessel Open to Public for First Time at Future Site of BBP Marina" (Press release). Brooklyn Bridge Park. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ a b "IX-514". Naval Vessel Register. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Backwell, George (17 July 2014). "Historic Navy Ship Baylander Shortly Open to New Yorkers". MarineLink. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Clark, Dartunorro (21 September 2016). "Vietnam-Era Navy Ship Finds New Berth at West Harlem Piers". DNAinfo.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Leaden, Claire (14 July 2020). "This Old Aircraft Carrier In Harlem Is Now A Breezy Floating Bar • Baylander Steel Beach". SecretNYC. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ Pallini, Thomas (19 July 2020). "I ate at an outdoor restaurant in NYC built on what was once the world's smallest aircraft carrier. The vibe was great but the food was a huge disappointment". Business Insider. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ Colton, Tim (7 March 2016). "Pacific Coast Engineering (PACECO), Oakland and Alameda CA". Shipbuilding History. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
External links
edit
Media related to HLT Baylander (IX-514) at Wikimedia Commons
- Photo gallery of Baylander (IX-514) at NavSource Naval History
- Homepage of The Baylander Steel Beach