CHATTIE SUE SMITH

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Salvage operation completed

After the "Chattie Sue Smith", one of three tugs which sank on the Illinois River on July 5, which had been raised by two sheerlegs of the Okie Moore Diving on July 12,the US Coast Guard finished the salvage of the other two tugs 12 days after the sinking with the recovery of the "Mary Fern" on July 17. The recovery operation was launched to minimize any potential environmental impact. The vessel owner was extremely cooperative, taking all appropriate measures to protect the navigable waters in which the incident occurred. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the sinking of the tugs near Hardin, Illinois , along a deck barge that had started taking on water at mile marker 21 on the Illinois River. All three tugs were owned and operated by the Missouri-based marine services firm Hex Stone, Inc. The three vessels contained a combined 4,850 gallons of diesel fuel and oil. Hex Stone quickly took action and contracted an oil spill removal service to mitigate the spill and deploy 1,500 feet of containment boom. The owner also hired a salvor to remove the sunken vessels. Reports with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/photos-last-sunken-tug-raised-on-illinois-river https://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-begins-investigation-into-three-tugboats-sinking/2019/07/19/

Tug raised on Illinois River

The "Chattie Sue Smith", one of three tugs which sank on the Illinois River on July 5, 2019, has been raised by two sheerlegs of the Okie Moore Diving on July 12. The three vessels, which were tied together along with a deck barge started to take on the water and sank to the bottom of the river near Hardin at mile marker 21. The Coast Guard was assessing roughly 11 miles of the river and has worked with the owners of the tugboats to contain, remove and prevent the fuel from moving downstream. The tugs had 4.850 gallons diesel on board altogether. The vents from which the fuel leaked have been shut off by a team of divers on July 8.The Coast Guard Upper Mississippi River has deployed six members to continue working on removing the remaining wrecks. Oil booms were laid out to contain any spill. Report with video: https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article232726362.html#storylink=cpy https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article232399612.html#storylink=cpy