Name J. W. Westcott II Owner J. W. Westcott Company | Namesake company founder Ordered 1949 Length 14 m | |
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J.W. Westcott II is a boat known for its delivery of mail to ships while they are underway. It operates out of Detroit, Michigan, and is the only floating zip code in the United States.
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History
The Westcott company was established in 1874 by Captain J. W. Westcott, who ferried supplies (and by 1895 the mail) to passing ships via rowboat. By 1949 the company commissioned Paasch Marine Service of Erie, Pennsylvania to build J.W. Westcott II, named in honor of the Westcott company's founder. The ship is 45 feet (14 m) in length and has a beam of 13 feet (4.0 m). A single screw is powered by a 305 horsepower (227 kW) marine diesel engine. The boat's speed is rated at 15 knots.
Operation
Any mail addressed to members of ships' crews on vessels transiting the Detroit River 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; as of 2016, the boat has a contract with the US Postal Service through 2021. The mail will be delivered to the appropriate ships (mainly lake freighters) as they transit the Detroit River, utilizing ropes and buckets.
Sinking
On 23 October 2001, J. W. Westcott II sank in the deep water under the Ambassador Bridge while caught in the wake of MT Sidsel Knutsen, a much larger ship the boat was serving. The captain and one other crew member were killed and two others were rescued. J. W. Westcott II was later salvaged, refurbished and returned to service.
