[freeside]

Hi, this is Stephen, one of the photographers who put together the trips on the Suisun Bay mothball fleet, with Scott H my good friend.
I created an account just to say thanks to the members on this forum who understand and appreciate our photography.
It’s not a surprise that I’m finding the most understanding people yet on the ‘net, on a forum called freerepublic.

Sometimes in life you have to just go do the thing you want to do. Yes, it’s trespassing (definitely NOT squatting), but we didn’t harm anyone, or harm anything on the ships. We were there to explore, observe, photograph and experience roaming these amazing human creations.

Call us stupid if you want, for posting our adventures on the internet. It wasn’t without careful consideration and full understanding of the potential legal problems we are exposing ourselves to by doing this. We are driven to do this and then not just keep it a secret, but to share it with people.
On asbestos, thousands of state workers work day in and day out in buildings full of asbestos (I’m on contract at a State University) and our children go to schools full of it. Thanks for understanding this. When it becomes friable, it’s a problem. There were places on the ships where it had become friable, but we take great care not to disturb dust on the floor, or stir the stuff up.
Instead of worrying about someone else exposing themselves to asbestos (not necessarily on this forum) people should start worrying and wondering about the platic water bottles they drink from everyday and the government that allows widespread consumption of bisphenol-a.

A couple other notes and responses to things said:
Scott, Jon and myself take full responsibility for our actions and would NEVER EVER consider suing if we got hurt. We are not like that. There are people out there like that, and they disgust us.
Taxpayer money. I page huge taxes as I make good money. Taxpayer money built those ships, is paying to clean them, is paying to have them scrapped and will pay for the clean-up of the Bay if that ever happens. I grew up next to these ships and have seen them my entire life. I have no qualms about breaking the law of “trespassing” to visit them. It’s my government, funded by my money, who created these rules that I broke. Big whoop.

Find my photos at:
www.flickr.com/freeside
and Jon’s work at:
www.terrastories.com

Thanks again for the kind words and support (begrudging or not).

[Billthedrill]

Hey Stephen, welcome to FR! I saw my old ship cut up and sold for scrap, so I know where you’re coming from. Thanks very much for the pictures, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to a twinge of regret that I never took enough myself. Mostly we couldn’t, you know.

[aruanan]

On asbestos, thousands of state workers work day in and day out in buildings full of asbestos (I’m on contract at a State University) and our children go to schools full of it.

That's a different type of asbestos that is one of the most commonly encountered minerals in the environment (chrysotile asbestos). San Francisco and other places, such as Asbestos, Canada, have so much of it that it vastly exceeds the EPA's limits but neither of these places has any higher level of respiratory disease associated with it than other places with lower exposures. It's the other rarely used form of asbestos (amphibole) that is associated with certain extremely rare types of cancer, such as mesothelioma. This type of cancer was most frequently found among certain shipyard workers from the WWII era who were also smokers. The asbestos used in schools (and partially in the World Trade Center) was chrysotile asbestos and doesn't pose a health risk. The greatest harm from asbestos came from Congress failing to make a distinction between the different types of asbestos, giving the EPA and ambulance chaser lawyers an easy way to destroy large businesses while making a pile of cash.