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Sunk clam
dredge raised from ocean floor
Ship sunk with drunk
captain at the helm
July 11, 2008 |
by Daniel Nee
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| The 69-foot fishing
boat Susan II is hoisted onto a barge
after being submerged in 30 feet of
water Thursday, July 10, 2008, 800 yards
northeast of Manasquan Inlet off the
coast of Point Pleasant, N.J. The boat
sank off the coast of Point Pleasant
July 2, 2008, with three people aboard
who were rescued by a Coast Guard crew
from Station Manasquan Inlet.
(Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 2nd
Class Emilio Mercado) |
Salvage
operations began July 10 on a sunken 69-foot
commercial clam dredge sitting on the bottom of
the ocean floor, several hundred yards off the
north jetty of the Manasquan Inlet, Coast Guard
officials said. The boat was eventually raised
from the bottom and placed on a barge.
Petty Officer Chris McLaughlin, the Coast Guard
Group Atlantic City spokesman, said a crane and
salvage arrived in the area on Thursday from
Staten Island, N.Y., where it is docked. Donjon
Marine Company, based in Hillside, is in charge
of the operation, he said.
A determination is still being made as to where
the boat will be transported after it is lifted
onto the salvage barge by crane, Petty Officer
McLaughlin said. A representative from Donjon in
charge of the operation was out of town and did
not immediately return a call for comment.
The vessel sank last Wednesday, July 2 at
approximately 12:15 a.m. For now, according to
Petty Officer McLaughlin, the boat is secured
environmentally and there have been no more
reported fuel leaks. A small amount of diesel
fuel leaked from the boat the day after it sank,
but drifted away from local beaches and
eventually dissipated. The boat was carrying
approximately 1,500 gallons of fuel when it
sank, officials said at the time. Luckily, no
beaches were closed before, during or after the
recent Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The boat, based out of Gloucester, Mass., was
clamming in New Jersey when it sunk less than
one-half mile off the inlet’s north jetty. Its
captain, Shawn R. Rose, 44, of Wellfleet, Mass.,
was arrested by New Jersey State Marine Police
after he and his crew were rescued by the Coast
Guard after they radioed for help. Mr. Rose was
charged with operating a vessel while impaired
and refusing to take a Breathalizer test after
showing signs of impairment and refusing to take
the test, according to New Jersey State Police
Lt. Gerald Lewis. He was eventually released on
his own recognizance.
An investigation is still ongoing to determine
what caused the boat to take on water and sink.
The boat’s owner, Monte Rome, told Jersey Shore
Angler last week that the captain may have
struck the rocks of the inlet’s north jetty on
the way out to the clamming grounds.
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