''J. W. Westcott II'' is a boat known for its delivery of

mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sys ...

to ships while they are underway. It operates out of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, and is the only floating ZIP Code in the United States.

History

The Westcott company was established in 1874 by Captain John Ward Westcott, who ferried supplies (and by 1895 the mail) to passing ships via rowboat. By 1949, the company commissioned Paasch Marine Service of

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

to build ''J.W. Westcott II'', named in honor of the Westcott company's founder. The ship is in length and has a beam of . A single screw is powered by a marine

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...

. The boat's speed is rated at 15 knots.

Operation

Any

addressed to members of ships' crews on vessels transiting the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detro ...

can be delivered to them via ''J. W. Westcott II'' by being addressed "''Vessel Name'', Marine Post Office, Detroit, Michigan, 48222." The US postal zip code 48222 is exclusive to the floating post office and its ship addressees; , the boat has a contract with the US Postal Service through 2021. The mail is delivered to the appropriate ships (mainly

lake freighter Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that operate on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Since the late 19th century, lakers have carried bulk cargoes of ma ...

s) as they transit the

, utilizing ropes and buckets.

Sinking

On 23 October 2001, ''J. W. Westcott II'' sank in the deep water under the

Ambassador Bridge The Ambassador Bridge is a tolled international suspension bridge across the Detroit River that connects Detroit, Michigan, United States, with Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1929, it is the busiest international border crossing in North ...

while caught in the wake of Norwegian oil tanker ''

MT Sidsel Knutsen MT ''Sidsel Knutsen'' is a Norwegian oil tanker built in 1993. Design The ''Sidsel Knutsen'' is long and is owned and operated by Knutsen O.A.S. Shipping. The ''Sidsel Knutsen'' is designed for the shipping of oil products, including gasoline ...

.'' The captain and one other crew member were killed; the two passengers, both pilots, were rescued. ''J. W. Westcott II'' was later salvaged, refurbished and returned to service.

References

External links

J. W. Westcott Co. website
* {{2001 shipwrecks 1946 ships Detroit River Maritime incidents in 2001 Transportation in Michigan United States Postal Service Ships built in Erie, Pennsylvania

History

Operation

Sinking

See also

References

Further reading

External links