Tug being towed sinks off coast of Delaware

(LEWES, Del.) — The U.S. Coast Guard is overseeing the salvage and recovery of the tugboat Miss Aida, which sank approximately 2 nautical miles north of Cape Henlopen State Park on Monday.

At 5:50 p.m. on Dec. 14, watch standers at the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Command Center received a radio transmission from crew on the tugboat Dory, which was towing Miss Aida, who reported a wave broke the windshield of Miss Aida, causing it to sink.

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Members of Lewes Volunteer Fire Department, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control-Natural Resources Police and the University of Delaware were able to locate Miss Aida using a side-scan sonar device.

“The cooperation between maritime partners was key to the successful locating of the Miss Aida,” said Cmdr. Brett Workman, chief of response at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay. “Once the location of the vessel was determined, we could focus on overseeing the company’s salvage and recovery efforts.”

Recovery operations have been hampered due to the winter storm causing hazardous maritime conditions in the area, but they are expected to resume once conditions improve.

– U.S. Coast Guard

By Professional Mariner Staff