A wrecked barge in Belmont Bay once carried materials for constructing the Fairfax Yacht Club. Photo courtesy of Joe Chudzik
This ship hasn’t come in: A 50-foot, steel-hulled landing craft resting about 110 feet offshore in Belmont Bay has held its position for years. The WWII-type landing craft was used as a barge to haul materials for constructing the Fairfax Yacht Club in the 1980s.
In 2009, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Marine Debris Program completed a survey of the abandoned ship and submitted a 38-page final report to U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11). The report recommended removing the rusting, nonfunctional mass, estimated to weigh 20 tons, by cutting it into smaller scrap pieces and hauling them out during low tide.
The barge remains in the bay, however, while local residents like Joe Chudzik of Lorton are working to renew efforts to have it removed. Community members are concerned over the water quality hazard the rusting metal presents.
Chudzik submitted written testimony regarding the removal of the barge to the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) ahead of their Jan. 21 meeting. According to the EQAC, the topic was not discussed but the testimony has since been added to the public record.