Rescue Tug Called Out to
Stand By to Assist in Drifting Barge Recovery
Tug ERNEST CAMPBELL is nearly obscured from view of tug BARBARA FOSS by a swell.
On Saturday, October 11, 2003, at about 2 p.m. (local time) the tug Ernest Campbell separated from the empty 83-meter (271-foot) double-hulled tank barge, Dottie, it had been towing. The tug’s position at the time was reported as approximately 12 miles west southwest of Cape Flattery. This put the tug and barge within the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, but outside the established Area-To-Be-Avoided (ATBA). Winds on-scene at the time were reported as 20 to 40 knots (23 to 46 miles per hour) which, combined with 4- to 6-meter (15- to 20-foot) seas, pushed the drifting Dottie north at a speed reported by Canada's Tofino Vessel Traffic Center to be 4 knots (4.6 miles per hour). Reports indicated that the attack submarine USS Topeka had severed the tow line connecting the tug and barge. No injuries or oil spill were reported.
Large red dot indicates location where tug reported the tank barge adrift, while the green square indicates approximate BARBARA FOSS rendezvous and barge recovery location. [Note: Chart not for navigational purposes.]
At 2:35 p.m. the U.S. Coast Guard Captain-of-the-Port directed that the rescue tug, Barbara Foss, stationed at Neah Bay, Washington, be called out to assist. The Barbara Foss was underway by 2:45 p.m. Meanwhile, the Ernest Campbell was preparing to recover the Dottie. The Barbara Foss arrived on-scene at 4:30 p.m. in a position about 8 miles north northeast of where the barge began its drift.. At 4:35 p.m., with the Barbara Foss standing by to assist in the waning daylight, the Ernest Campbell began attempting to reconnect to the Dottie using their emergency tow retrieval device (an Orville hook). The reconnection was made at 4:50 p.m. and the Ernest Campbell began towing the barge to Port Angeles, Washington. The Barbara Foss escorted the vessels to Port Angeles until 4 a.m. on October 12th, and then resumed its post at Neah Bay.
Tug ERNEST CAMPBELL prepares for lost barge recovery operation off Cape Flattery, Washington.
Empty tank barge DOTTIE awaits recovery.
Calculated average drift speed of the barge during the incident was about 3 knots (3.5 miles per hour). The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard are jointly investigating the circumstances of the incident.
Ecology's Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Program Manager Dale Jensen expressed appreciation to the Coast Guard for taking prudent action to protect Washington’s environment by immediately dispatching the Barbara Foss as a precautionary measure; to the Ernest Campbell's crew for their successful efforts under less than ideal conditions; and to the crew of the Barbara Foss for escorting the vessels to safe harbor and standing ready to render assistance.