This will probably be all over the newspapers tomorrow, but it's a great tale nevertheless...
Duke Riley, an industrial artist in Brooklyn, New York, built a working replica of the Turtle, an innovative but rather hapless Revolutionary War-era submarine.
Today he launched his pedal-powered craft in the general direction of the world's most famous cruise liner, the Queen Mary II, as the big ship was tied up in New York. He was intercepted by the NYPD, and taken into custody. Much confusion ensued. The New York Times blog reproduces the statement that was later released by Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. It is priceless:
A makeshift submarine discovered at about 10:30 this morning by an N.Y.P.D. Intelligence detective on board the Queen Mary 2 in New York Harbor is the creative craft of three adventuresome individuals. It does not pose any terrorist threat.
In addition to assigned posts including Queen Mary 2, N.Y.P.D. Harbor and SCUBA officers patrol approximately 150 square miles of navigable New York City waterways and hundreds of miles of waterfront. They employ advanced underwater camera technology in their portfolio, as well as perform coordinated surveillance under the N.Y.P.D. Counter Terrorism and Intelligence divisions as demonstrated today.
While our ongoing investigation has so far yielded no suspicious devices or materials other than the vessel itself, N.Y.P.D. detectives will extensively examine Queen Mary 2 to ensure its integrity. The three individuals believed responsible are in custody and may face various charges. Meanwhile we can summarize today’s incident as marine mischief.
Riley received two citations from the Coast Guard: one for having an unsafe vessel and another for violating a security zone. The NYPD also gave Riley two summonses, for reckless operation of a craft and for towing in a reckless manner. Damn kids. That'll learn 'em.
LINKS:
One Man’s Art (a Submarine?) Runs Into Trouble (New York Times blog, with slideshow)
Duke Riley: Artist + Patriot (submarine creator's website)
Turtle: A Revolutionary Submarine (Turtle history page with great illustrations)
PREVIOUSLY:
The Arrival of the Queen Mary 2
(Photo above by Damon Winter for the The New York Times)
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