[Federal Register: January 31, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 20)]
[Notices]
[Page 4493-4494]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31ja07-35]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Availability for Donation as a Museum/Memorial,
Submarine ex-DOLPHIN (AGSS-555)
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy (DON) hereby gives notice of the
availability for donation, under the authority of 10 U.S.C. Sect. 7306,
of the diesel-powered submarine ex-DOLPHIN (AGSS-555), for use as a
static museum/memorial for public display. The ex-DOLPHIN was
decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on January 15,
2007, and is located in San Diego, CA, its historic homeport. It is in
the best interest of the Government to limit consideration of potential
donees to entities that will provide permanent berthing in San Diego
for public display of ex-DOLPHIN, thus recognizing the submarine's
service in its historic homeport, while avoiding the DON's need to move
the vessel to another location pending completion of the donation
process. Eligible recipients include: (1) Any State, Commonwealth, or
possession of the United States, or any municipal corporation or
political subdivision thereof; (2) the District of Columbia; or (3) any
organization incorporated as a non-profit entity under section 501 of
the Internal Revenue Code that will provide permanent berthing and
display the vessel in San Diego.
The transfer of a vessel for donation under 10 U.S.C. Sect. 7306
shall be made at no cost to the United States Government. The donee
will be required to maintain the vessel as a static display in a
condition that is satisfactory to the Secretary of the Navy.
A letter of intent will be required within 30 days from the date of
this notice and all donation applications must be received within six
months from the date of this notice. The DON will foreclose
consideration of donation of ex-DOLPHIN to any entity that does not
submit a letter of intent to the DON within 30 days of the date of this
notice.
Prospective donees must submit a letter of intent to the Navy
Inactive Ships Program office within 30 days of this Federal Register
notice. The letter of intent must:
a. Identify the specific vessel sought for donation;
b. Include a statement of the proposed use for the vessel;
c. Identify the proposed permanent berthing location;
d. If the applicant is not a State, commonwealth, or possession of
the United States, or a political subdivision or municipal corporation
thereof, or the District of Columbia, it must provide a copy of a
determination letter by the Internal Revenue Service that the applicant
is exempt from tax under the Internal Revenue Code, or submit evidence
that the applicant has filed the appropriate documentation in order to
obtain tax exempt status;
e. If the applicant asserts that it is a corporation or association
whose charter or articles of agreement denies it the right to operate
for profit, it must provide a properly authenticated copy of the
charter, certificate of incorporation, and a copy of the organization's
by-laws;
f. Provide a notarized copy of the resolution or other action of
the applicant's governing board authorizing the person signing the
application to represent the organization and to sign on its behalf for
the purpose of obtaining a vessel; and
g. Provide written affirmation that the prospective donee can
submit a complete ship donation application to the DON, compliant with
the DON application requirements, within six months of this Federal
Register notice.
Upon receipt of the letter of intent, the DON will contact the
prospective donee(s) to ensure a full understanding of the application
requirements, which are located at http://www.navsea.navy.mil/NDP.
Qualified organizations who submit a letter of intent for ex-
DOLPHIN (AGSS-555) must submit a complete application to the DON within
six months of this notice, comprised of a business/financial plan, a
technical plan (includes a towing plan, mooring plan, maintenance plan,
and environmental plan), a curatorial/museum plan, and a community
support plan (includes information concerning support from the
community and benefit to the Navy). The application must address the
following areas:
a. Business/Financial Plan: The Business/Financial Plan must detail
the estimated start-up and operating costs, and provide detailed
evidence of firm financing adequate to cover these costs. Start-up
costs include towing, mooring (this includes but not limited to the
cost of acquiring and improving facilities, and dredging if required),
ship restoration, museum development, and meeting environmental
requirements (including permitting fees and expenses). Operating costs
are those costs associated with operating and maintaining the vessel as
a museum/memorial, including rent, utilities, personnel, insurance,
periodic dry-docking, etc. Firm financing means available funding to
ensure the first five years of operation and future stability for long-
term operation. This can include pledges, loans, gifts, bonds (except
revenue bonds), funds on deposit at a financial institution, or any
combination of the above. The applicant must also provide income
projections from sources such as individual and group admissions,
facility rental fees and gift shop revenues sufficient to cover the
estimated operating expenses.
b. Technical: The technical plan is comprised of a Towing Plan,
Mooring Plan, Maintenance Plan, and Environmental Plan.
The Towing Plan describes how the vessel will be prepared for tow
and safely towed from its present location to the permanent display
site proposed by the applicant. The Towing Plan must
[[Page 4494]]
include a completed draft checklist of applicable requirements based on
Appendix H of the U.S. Navy Tow Manual, which can be found at http://www.supsalv.org/pdf/towman.pdf
.
The Mooring Plan describes how the vessel will be secured at its
permanent display site during normal and extreme weather conditions
(including the 100-year storm event) to prevent damage to the vessel,
its mooring system, the pier, and surrounding facilities. It will also
provide evidence of availability of a facility for permanent mooring of
the vessel, either by ownership, existing lease, or by letter from the
facility owners indicating a statement of intent to utilize such
facilities. It must also address any requirement to obtain site-
specific permits and/or municipal approvals required for the facility,
to include but not limited to, Port Authority and Army Corps of
Engineers approvals/permits, where required. The mooring location must
be acceptable to the DON and not obstruct or interfere with navigation.
The Environmental Plan describes how the applicant will comply with
all Federal, State, and local environmental and public health and
safety regulations and permit requirements. The applicant must also
provide information necessary for the Navy to complete an environmental
assessment of the Donation as required by the National Environmental
Policy Act, including the impact of the Donation on the natural and
man-made environment, local infrastructure, and evaluation of the
socio-economic consequences of the donation.
The Maintenance Plan must describe plans for long-term and short-
term maintenance of the vessel, including preservation and periodic
maintenance schedule, underwater hull inspections, emergency response
and fire/flood/intrusion control, pest control, security, periodic dry-
docking, and the qualifications of the maintenance team.
c. The Curatorial/Museum Plan includes two parts: A Curatorial Plan
and a Historic Management Plan. The Curatorial Plan must describe the
qualifications for a professional curator (and curator staff, if
necessary). The plan must also describe how the museum will collect and
manage artifacts, including a statement of purpose and description of
access, authority, and collection management responsibilities. The
Historic Management Plan must describe how the museum will display the
vessel and exhibits, including a description of the historical context
of the ship, vessel restoration plans, historical subject matter that
will be displayed with the vessel, and exhibit display plans.
d. The Community Support Plan must include evidence of local
support. Evidence of regional support should also be provided. This
includes letters of endorsement from adjacent communities and counties,
cities or States. Also describe how the location of the vessel will
encourage public visitation and tourism, become an integral part of the
community, and how the vessel will enhance community development. The
Community Support Plan must also describe the benefit to the DON,
including but not limited to, addressing how the prospective donee may
support DON recruiting efforts, the connection between the Navy and the
proposed berthing location, how veterans associations in the area are
willing to support the vessel, how the prospective donee will honor
veterans' contributions to the United States, and how the exhibit will
commemorate those contributions and showcase Naval traditions.
The relative importance of each area that must be addressed in the
Donation application is as follows: Business/Financial Plan and
Technical Plan are the most important criteria and are equal in
importance. Within the Technical Plan, the Mooring Plan is of greatest
importance, and the Towing Plan, Maintenance Plan, and Environmental
Plan are individually of equal importance but of lesser importance to
the Mooring Plan. The Curatorial/Museum Plan and Community Support Plan
are of equal importance, but of lesser importance than the
aforementioned plans.
Evaluation of the application(s) will be performed by the Navy to
ensure the application(s) are compliant with the minimum acceptable
application criteria and requirements. In the event of multiple
compliant applications, the DON will perform a comparative evaluation
of the applications to determine the best-qualified applicant. The
adjectival ratings to be used for each criterion include: Outstanding,
Good, Satisfactory, Marginal, and Unsatisfactory. The Secretary of the
Navy, or his designee, will make the final Donation decision.
Additional information concerning the application process and
requirements are found on the DON Ship Donation Web site, http://www.navsea.navy.mil/ndp.
The complete application must be submitted in
hard copy and electronically on a CD to the Navy Inactive Ships Program
office within six months of this Federal Register notice. In the
absence of a viable donation application, the DON reserves the right to
remove ex-DOLPHIN from donation consideration and proceed with disposal
of the vessel.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION OF SHIP DONATION APPLICATIONS,
CONTACT: Commander, Program Executive Office Ships (PEO SHIPS), PMS333,
Navy Inactive Ships Program, ATTN: Ms. Gloria Carvalho (PMS 333G), c/o
Columbia Research Corp., 1201 M Street, SE., Suite 010, Washington, DC
20003, telephone number 202-781-0485.
Dated: January 24, 2007.
M.A. Harvison,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E7-1497 Filed 1-30-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P