Posted on Tue, May. 06, 2008

GULFPORT -- The S.S. Hurricane Camille is shipping out - for good - today at 9 a.m.

Design Precast, a local pipe company, moved equipment into place late Monday and will begin demolishing the old vessel this morning.

City Hall sent Camille's owner, Lucille Moody, a letter last month warning that if the property was not cleaned in 30 days, the city would demolish what's left of the 72-foot tugboat, clean the land and send Moody the bill.

Moody told the Sun Herald she could not afford to have the property cleaned and Pat Fore III, the owner of Design Precast, wanted to help out.

"What we can recycle of the boat we will, but it's really just an opportunity to help her out and do something good," said Steve Gunn, the company's sales manager.

The large tugboat East Point was pushed ashore in August 1969 with its bow facing west on the property owned by Moody's parents. The family purchased the boat and changed the name.

Railroad tracks were built to scoot the vessel more than 200 feet south to where it sits today. Moody opened a tiny gift shop near the stern in 1970.

Coincidentally, Gunn's great-uncle helped the Moodys use railroad tracks to move the boat nearly 40 years ago.

"Here we are four decades later and I'm going to help her with it again," he said.

Long Beach City Councilman Richard Burton hopes to salvage a piece of the boat, possibly the anchor or prop, to use with a photo of the S.S. Hurricane Camille for a historic display at the Long Beach Harbor.

"Mayor (Billy) Skellie actually came up with the idea and we think it would accentuate the work that's been done at the harbor and would add a little bit of history to the area," Burton said. "I wholeheartedly believe that we have to save what's left of our heritage."

For nearly four decades the tugboat sat in the same spot, almost mocking large hurricanes and the frequent squalls that festered in the Gulf.

Over time, it became a draw for tourists and a colossal reminder for locals of how powerful hurricanes can be, but today the S.S. Hurricane Camille will set sail on her final voyage, likely in pieces stacked in the back of a large dump truck.