SS Hurricane Camille bound for final bon voyage

The SS Hurricane Camille survived two of the worst natural disasters Mother Nature ever sent through the great state of Mississippi.

The latest storm to assault the old tugboat might be her last and the old iron maiden never saw it coming.

The 72-foot tugboat grounded by Hurricane Camille in 1969 has been ordered moved by the Gulfport Department of Urban Development or faces a trip to the scrap yard in less than a month.

GulfportCity Hall acting under the guidance of the GDUD sent a letter to the property owner Lucille Moody that she is to tear down what is left of the vessel or the city will do it for her and ship her the bill.

"We've sent out letters to the owners of structures that are damaged or abandoned, all over the city," said Larry Jones, director of Urban Development. "We're almost three years after the storm and we need to move forward; it's time to start cleaning up."

So that is what it has come to Gulfport.

They do not want any reminders of the area’s history of hurricanes.

The SS Hurricane Camille has become an icon on the coast since its namesake deposited the tugboat in its final resting place in the summer of 1969.

So maybe the city wants the USM campus to do away with the Friendship Oak that it has on its campus since it too survived a mired of storms that ravaged the coastline.

Or maybe all the shrimpers can sail away from Gulfport because they have been earning a living there about as long as that orange and white vessel has been sitting on the side of Hwy. 90 (Beach Boulevard) pointing out to sea giving warning to all of the power of Mother Nature.

Moody has 30 days to clean up the lot and get rid of the boat before the city sends the wrecking ball to take care of the cultural icon and tourist attraction.

The owner, who is in her 60s now, has no plans to revive the boat or the gift shop that sat adjacent to the icon until Hurricane Katrina ripped through the area in 2005.

"I'm trying to find someone to take (the boat) down and clean up the lot," Moody said. "If somebody wants the boat, they can have it."

That may just be the ticket to the old tugboat sailing one more time.

The tugboat survived the casino invasion on the coast in the 1990s and that might be where her savior comes from.

Casinos are notorious for wanting to keep things in the community and having a tourist attraction like the SS Hurricane Camille would not be such a bad idea.

Just think … one of the coast’s cultural icons and tourist attractions sitting out in front of one of the coast’s casinos and luring tourists to it and in turn into the casino.

TreasureBay is looking for a new boat since its old pirate ship was swept away in 2005.

Maybe a boat for a boat – but this one survived a lot longer than the casino’s did