<s>
The	B-Application
Google	I-Application
barges	O
were	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
four	O
floating	O
barges	O
built	O
between	O
2010	O
and	O
2012	O
,	O
intended	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
serve	O
as	O
"	O
an	O
interactive	O
space	O
where	O
people	O
can	O
learn	O
about	O
new	O
technology	O
"	O
,	O
possibly	O
as	O
luxury	O
showrooms	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Glass	I-Application
and	O
other	O
products	O
on	O
an	O
invitation-only	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
halted	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
barges	O
in	O
late	O
2013	O
and	O
began	O
selling	O
off	O
the	O
barges	O
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
may	O
have	O
built	O
the	O
structures	O
on	O
barges	O
to	O
avoid	O
mandatory	O
city	O
building	O
permits	O
and	O
public	O
plans	O
that	O
may	O
disclose	O
their	O
purpose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
time	O
and	O
cost	O
of	O
meeting	O
federal	O
maritime	O
safety	O
regulations	O
may	O
have	O
prompted	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
abandon	O
the	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
1	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Coast	O
Guard	O
Sector	O
Long	O
Island	O
Sound	O
held	O
a	O
conference	O
call	O
with	O
Michael	O
Tierney	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Glass	I-Application
,	O
where	O
it	O
was	O
described	O
that	O
the	O
vessel	O
would	O
travel	O
from	O
port	O
to	O
port	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
New	O
York	O
Harbor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Terdiman	O
uncovered	O
the	O
link	O
to	O
By	O
And	O
Large	O
LLC	O
(	O
possibly	O
simple	O
rhyming	O
slang	O
for	O
"	O
barge	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
dummy	O
company	O
set	O
up	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
same	O
day	O
,	O
KPIX-TV/CBS	O
cited	O
sources	O
close	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
claiming	O
the	O
barge	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
"	O
marketing	O
center	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Glass	I-Application
"	O
and	O
once	O
completed	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
towed	O
to	O
Fort	O
Mason	O
and	O
open	O
to	O
public	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
San	O
Francisco	O
Bay	O
Conservation	O
and	O
Development	O
Commission	O
official	O
(	O
later	O
identified	O
in	O
a	O
video	O
interview	O
as	O
executive	O
director	O
Larry	O
Goldzband	O
)	O
,	O
was	O
quoted	O
as	O
saying	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
discussed	O
"	O
hypothetical	O
operations	O
"	O
but	O
had	O
n't	O
stated	O
the	O
exact	O
purpose	O
of	O
the	O
barge	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
necessary	O
for	O
the	O
issuance	O
of	O
a	O
permit	O
for	O
waterfront	O
docking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
30	O
,	O
CNBC	O
's	O
Josh	O
Lipton	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
Coast	O
Guard	O
confirmed	O
the	O
structure	O
is	O
associated	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
but	O
would	O
n't	O
comment	O
further	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
US	O
Coast	O
Guard	O
Sector	O
San	O
Francisco	O
officials	O
confirmed	O
and	O
later	O
retracted	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
connection	O
,	O
while	O
confirming	O
that	O
the	O
Coast	O
Guard	O
did	O
visit	O
the	O
Treasure	O
Island	O
barge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
31	O
,	O
a	O
Fort	O
Mason	O
official	O
confirmed	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
had	O
held	O
initial	O
discussions	O
on	O
docking	O
a	O
floating	O
barge	O
at	O
a	O
pier	O
there	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
6	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
commented	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
,	O
sending	O
an	O
email	O
statement	O
to	O
several	O
news	O
outlets	O
stating	O
,	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
envisioned	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
"	O
unprecedented	O
artistic	O
structure	O
"	O
,	O
adorned	O
with	O
gigantic	O
sails	O
,	O
to	O
be	O
moored	O
for	O
a	O
month	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
at	O
sites	O
around	O
the	O
San	O
Francisco	O
Bay	O
Area	O
to	O
"	O
drive	O
visitation	O
to	O
the	O
waterfront	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
and	O
other	O
media	O
outlets	O
reported	O
that	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
barge	O
project	O
had	O
been	O
cancelled	O
due	O
to	O
costs	O
associated	O
with	O
meeting	O
federal	O
maritime	O
safety	O
regulations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reports	O
indicate	O
that	O
this	O
decision	O
occurred	O
in	O
the	O
fall	O
of	O
2013	O
,	O
even	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
continued	O
to	O
release	O
statements	O
that	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
still	O
in	O
its	O
early	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
four	O
barges	O
were	O
built	O
by	O
C	O
&	O
C	O
Marine	O
and	O
Repair	O
,	O
have	O
a	O
hull	O
depth	O
of	O
16ft	O
,	O
are	O
owned	O
by	O
By	O
and	O
Large	O
LLC	O
(	O
apparently	O
a	O
shell	O
company	O
set	O
up	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
)	O
,	O
were	O
previously	O
owned	O
by	O
Cibco	O
Barge	O
Line	O
LLC	O
,	O
and	O
list	O
San	O
Francisco	O
as	O
their	O
hailing	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
two	O
weeks	O
after	O
CNET	O
brought	O
the	O
barges	O
 '	O
existence	O
to	O
light	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
refused	O
to	O
comment	O
on	O
their	O
purpose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
stated	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
exploring	O
using	O
the	O
[	O
San	O
Francisco ]	O
barge	O
as	O
an	O
interactive	O
space	O
where	O
people	O
can	O
learn	O
about	O
new	O
technology.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
statement	O
,	O
one	O
speculative	O
hypothesis	O
was	O
that	O
the	O
barges	O
would	O
be	O
towed	O
from	O
city	O
to	O
city	O
,	O
along	O
the	O
coast	O
and	O
via	O
rivers	O
,	O
to	O
serve	O
as	O
stores	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Glass	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arguments	O
for	O
this	O
hypothesis	O
included	O
statements	O
from	O
sources	O
close	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
from	O
Fort	O
Mason	O
officials	O
,	O
where	O
Google	B-Application
discussed	O
docking	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
barges	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Google	B-Application
Glass	I-Application
official	O
,	O
Michael	O
Tierney	O
,	O
was	O
documented	O
as	O
having	O
discussed	O
the	O
project	O
with	O
the	O
Coast	O
Guard	O
Sector	O
Long	O
Island	O
Sound	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
hypothesized	O
that	O
the	O
barges	O
might	O
serve	O
as	O
near-shore	O
seafaring	O
data	O
centers	O
,	O
citing	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
patent	O
,	O
granted	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
for	O
platforms	O
and	O
support	O
systems	O
floating	O
three	O
to	O
seven	O
miles	O
offshore	O
in	O
water	O
deep	O
,	O
using	O
wave	O
energy	O
for	O
power	O
and	O
sea	O
water	O
for	O
server	B-Application
cooling	O
,	O
grouped	O
into	O
floating	O
platforms	O
and	O
support	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
supporting	O
factors	O
for	O
this	O
theory	O
included	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
history	O
of	O
locating	O
data	O
centers	O
in	O
places	O
with	O
inexpensive	O
cooling	O
,	O
their	O
previous	O
use	O
of	O
seawater	O
for	O
natural	O
cooling	O
at	O
its	O
Hamina	O
,	O
Finland	O
data	O
center	O
,	O
the	O
absence	O
of	O
windows	O
in	O
the	O
containers	O
(	O
making	O
them	O
less	O
suitable	O
for	O
human	O
habitation	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
history	O
of	O
secrecy	O
regarding	O
its	O
data	O
centers	O
,	O
a	O
core	O
competitive	O
advantage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CNET	O
quoted	O
an	O
independent	O
marine	O
engineer	O
who	O
was	O
involved	O
in	O
a	O
project	O
to	O
build	O
a	O
water-based	O
backup	O
data	O
center	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
several	O
years	O
ago	O
as	O
saying	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
may	O
be	O
completing	O
that	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
