The ALBERT E. WATTS was a 592 ft, 4500 ton (lightship) T-2 tanker type (World War II era) vessel. The WATTS had been moored in Mobile, Alabama for approximately 30 years and had been used by the U.S. Coast Guard as a fire test platform. The vessel’s condition was extremely poor, and the vessel contained a large quantity of hazardous materials including asbestos, PCB’s, lead paint, mercury, oily waste, etc. The vessel was partially submerged, sitting on the bottom, and its condition precluded it from being towed to any facility. The vessel represented the worst and highest risk vessel in MARAD’s extensive Reserve Fleet.