The 1998 law says that any of the lighthouses would revert to the federal government if they ceased "to be used as a nonprofit center for public benefit for the interpretation and preservation of maritime history".
Passengers on the Decker and the Pioneer get the same views as the other vessels but also get to support the preservation of New York's maritime legacy.
The government plan prompted Mr. Roberts to write an essay, published by Newsday, the Long Island newspaper, in which he argued for the lighthouses' preservation, emphasizing their importance in American maritime history.
To preservationists, the rescue of the big ship amounts to the preservation of the high point of American maritime speed and modernity.
A total of about 75 acres is planned for preservation, including a section of a rare maritime red cedar forest that borders the east side of the property near the 42-acre town-owned Dam Pond and 35 acres of land preserved by Suffolk County, Southold and the Peconic Land Trust.
According to a study by the IMO, which is in charge with overseeing environmental preservation and the maintenance of ocean resources, maritime shipping is estimated to be responsible for 3.3%% of the global CO2 emitted in 2007.
The plan identifies maritime centers -- those with a maritime heritage -- throughout the area and "recommends their preservation, but does not recommend how to do it," said Jeffrey D. Fullmer, chairman of the council's citizen's advisory committee.
He listed China's responsibilities for "maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention and mitigation, marine scientific research, meteorological observation, ecological environment preservation, safety of navigation and fishery production".
However, their actual age has been unknown, with possible scenarios ranging from preservation since the early Middle Pleistocene to relatively short-lived landforms in a maritime climate with high denudation rates.
One could be built within 12 nautical miles of Britain's coastline, but only with permission from the government and as long as it did not infringe on international laws governing things like the protection and preservation of the marine environment, according to Dr Alexandros Ntovas, an expert in maritime law at the University of Southampton.
