BILLMAIER

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Tug towed by Bill Maíer sank

Coast Guard crews on July 1, 2013, were continuing to respond to the sinking of the "Hammond Bay" pulled by the "Bill Maier" in the upper St. Marys River and has been located near lighted buoy 35. At 3:30 a.m., a search-and-rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., was contacted by the crew of the tug, which was towing three barges and the tug "Hammond Bay" when the crew lost sight of the Hammond Bay. After securing the barges, the "Bill Maier"’s crew attempted to locate the lost tug. They reported finding an oil sheen and a life ring from the lost tug, which led them to believe that the tug had sunk. There was no one aboard the "Hammond Bay" at the time it became lost. The tugs are owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Coast Guard responded to the incident with a boatcrews and a pollution responder aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small, and a 26-foot Trailerable Aids to Navigation Team Boat from Coast Guard Station Sault Ste. Marie, and an aircrew aboard an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Mich., which is conducting aerial assessments. The Army Corps of Engineers survey vessel Bufe located the sunken tug "Hammond Bay" in the St. Mary's River in 37 feet of water with 27 feet of overhead clearance near lighted buoy 35. The Coast Guard enforced a 500 foot safety zone around the sunken tug. Aside from the safety zone, normal traffic movement along the St. Mary's River has been restored without restriction. The Army Corps of Engineers worked on a salvage plan for the tug. No pollution was observed by the Coast Guard helocopter crew. The Coast Guard was continually monitoring the situation for any changes. The "Hammond Bay" had 200 gallons of diesel fuel and 15 gallons of oil aboard. Report with photo: http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/1824531/UPDATE-PHOTO-Coast-Guard-responds-to-sunken-tug-in-St-Marys-River-