[Ted Davisson]

Greetings From New Orleans ,
Just one of the many Coast Guard responsibilities here in the port of New Orleans is to both monitor and control the flow of traffic that transits through the city . Years ago the traffic through the harbor was controlled by retired pilots who maned the Gov. Nicholas Traffic Lt. and the Gretna Tower and was in operation only when the river was eight feet and rising. Now , V T C , (vessel traffic service) is the department of the Coast Guard that is mandated to handle this job and to assist with this effort , each work week , working pilots from both the NOBRA and Crescent pilot associations are assigned to assist the Coast Guard with this endeavor . Its my week to be assigned to this position and I wish that anyone that has an interest in the river could come here and witness this operation . The V T C station is located on the thirty-first floor of the Westin Hotel in the 1 Canal Place building at the foot of Canal Street . At this location the V T S has a spectacular view of the Mississippi River and of Algiers Point and thus can monitor and control river traffic by modern day radar , radio and visually , as well . The center is equiped with every imaginable piece of high tech devices and can cover the Mississippi River from the Pilot Town to Baton Rouge .
Smoothe Sailing !
Ted Davisson