Saturday, July 2, 2016

The tugboat Potomac partially sinks near Tappan Zee after it hit an underwater cable





By Danielle Furfaro

June 30, 2016 | 1:57pm

A tugboat partially sunk in the Hudson River just north of the Tappan Zee Bridge this afternoon.

The 327-ton boat, called the Potomac, was towing a construction barge to help with the bridge renovation when it hit an underwater cable and started to take on water, said officials.



United States Coast Guard, Westchester County, and Tarrytown officials all responded to the scene. A fire department rescued two people who were aboard the tugboat, said a Coast Guard spokesman. There were no injuries.
The boat is now sitting in the water partially submerged.

This is the second tugboat that has sunk helping with Tappan Zee Bridge construction this year. In March, three crew members died when their tug crashed into a barge by the bridge.

Authorities are investigating allegations that the captain of the crew was actually aboard another vessel at the time to cover for that boat’s chief, who was busy below deck with a romantic tryst.