Sunken tug Emily Anne recovered from Massachusetts Bay
Jun 11th, 2016
Tug Emily Anne rises from the water, wrapped in chains, upside down on Friday, June 10, 2016 from Massachusetts Bay in Boston. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Wade Thompson)
BOSTON – The Coast Guard Friday ensured the safe recovery of the sunken 55-foot tug Emily Anne from the bottom of Massachusetts Bay near Deer Island.
The Emily Anne sank in February with three people aboard, all of which were saved.
After nearly four months of coordinating a capable crane, commercial salvers, and port partners, all while waiting for optimal weather, the Coast Guard worked with Semper Diving and Marine and followed the salvage plan developed by the tug’s owner, North Shore Marine, to ensure the operation commenced safely. At about noon, with fair winds and calm seas, the salvage crew arrived at the tug’s location, which had been marked since February with a hazard buoy.
The Coast Guard partnered with Boston Harbor Pilots Association and local port partners to minimize impacts to the environment. The Coast Guard oversaw the Oil Spill Response Organization, who deployed boom to capture any oil released as the tug was moved to the surface. Once raised, the Emily Anne was loaded onto a barge and transported to East Boston for unloading.
Initially on Feb. 16, the Emily Anne suffered a breached hull and was taking on water in the North Channel entrance of Boston Harbor. A 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Point Allerton and a MH-60 helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod launched. A nearby crew on a Boston Harbor Pilot Association boat heard the report over the radio and raced to the rescue. They arrived on scene and recovered all three crewmen from the frigid water moments before th Emily Anne sank.
“We applaud the work of everyone involved with today’s salvage operation to remove the potential hazard to navigation,” said Coast Guard Capt. Claudia Gelzer, commander, Sector Boston. “And we especially commend Capt. Joseph Maloney and co-pilot, Capt. Shawn Kelly of the Boston Harbor Pilots for their heroism in the rescue of those three crew members that day.”
The cause of the sinking is under investigation.