Manasquan River (3/3)
Crew escapes injury when boat hits jetty
Asbury Park Press
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2004
NICHOLAS CLUNN
POINT PLEASANT BEACH -- Four commercial fishermen made an emergency stop in the Manasquan Inlet last night after their boat struck a jetty and took on water. No one was injured when the Michelle K hit the north jetty off Manasquan, said borough police Patrolman Joe Michigan. Realizing that the water coming on board would prevent them from making it to the boat's regular dock, the crew steered for the inlet wall on the Point Pleasant Beach side and moored there, near the northern end of Ocean Avenue at Inlet Drive. The men were probably able to climb off the boat without assistance, Michigan said.
The vessel may have sustained heavy damage. Pumps brought in by firefighters were useless in stopping water from coming on board. By 10 p.m., the boat had stopped sinking, but its deck was covered with water. It was unclear why the boat hit the jetty. Michigan did not have details about the crew, who were likely heading back from a fishing trip when they got into trouble. Borough police, the Coast Guard, and the Marine Division of the State Police were alerted to a boat in distress around 8 p.m.
The Coast Guard is leading the investigation into the accident. The fishermen were being interviewed last night at the Coast Guard station, here. Divers from the Point Pleasant Beach First Aid and Emergency Squad were assessing the boat's damage and working with a towing company to prepare for moving it. It was not clear how long the boat would stay moored next to the wall. The accident attracted many onlookers on both sides of the inlet, which serves as a border between Monmouth and Ocean counties. The clearest view was on the Manasquan side. Police tape kept civilians away from the boat.
COAST GUARD MONITORS SALVAGE OF
GROUNDED FISHING VESSEL IN MANASQUAN
US Coast Guard 5th District
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2004
Press Release
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.-- the salvage of a fishing vessel that allided with the north jetty in the Manasquan Inlet Saturday evening is being monitored by the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in Philadelphia and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
The Michelle K, a 91-foot commercial fishing vessel carrying clams, was entering the Manasquan Inlet when it allided with the jetty about 7:30 p.m. causing the vessel to take on water. A Coast Guard boat from Station Manasquan transferred the four crewmembers of the Michelle K to their boat where they were taken back to the station.
A light sheen was visible but contained within an oil boom as an environmental protective measure. The vessel was secured to the south wall of the inlet and currently remains aground, but is not a hazard to navigation.
Northstar was contracted by the responsible party for cleanup and salvage of the damaged vessel. 3,000 gallons of fuel was pumped out of the fuel tanks in an effort to reduce any further danger to the environment. Divers will be placing a magnetic patch to cover the 6-foot by 5-inch hole in the hull of the boat. Once the boat has been refloated, Northstar will take the vessel 1/4 mile to Point Pleasant where permanent repairs will be made.
Coast Guard still probing boat crash
Asbury Park Press
Monday, Sept. 28, 2004
A. Scott Ferguson
POINT PLEASANT BEACH - the Coast Guard continued yesterday to investigate a crash involving a 91-foot commercial fishing boat in the Manasquan Inlet as well as to oversee the cleanup of gasoline from the boat, authorities said.
The Marine Safety Office in Philadelphia was overseeing the cleanup, Petty Officer John Edwards, a Coast Guard spokesman, said yesterday. Sea Tow, a company based in Atlantic City, was handling the actual cleanup, although Edwards said some of the boat's fuel spilled into the water during the Saturday crash.
The boat, the Michelle K, was heading into the inlet when it hit a jetty, according to police reports. None of the four crew members was injured. The boat hit the jetty on its starboard side, and the impact ruptured the hull, Edwards said. The accident did not block the inlet, but the boat was moored against a wall during the investigation and cleanup, authorities said.
Clamming boat strikes inlet jetty
Coast Guard investigation ongoing
Ocean Star
Friday, Oct. 1, 2004
Katelyn Hayes
POINT PLEASANT BEACH - the Coast Guard is continuing its investigation to determine what caused a 91-foot commercial clamming vessel to collide with a jetty in the Manasquan Inlet here last weekend. The Michelle K collided with the north jetty of the Manasquan Inlet about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, tearing a 6-foot by 5-inch hole in the right side of the hull, said Petty Officer John Edwards, public information officer based at the Coast Guard Station Atlantic City Station. None of the four crew members on board at the time of the collision were injured.
Petty Officer Edwards said weather does not appear to have been a factor in the incident, adding that conditions were clear that night. According to Petty Officer Kimberly Smith, also of the Coast Guard's Atlantic City Station, the incident is being investigated by the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Office, based in Philadelphia. Coast Guard officials this week could not identify the four crew members pulled from the sinking boat. Petty Officer Smith said the Coast Guard does not keep records of people it rescues unless an incident involves injuries or death.
Petty Officer Edwards said when the call came in the Coast Guard's Manasquan Inlet Station here, the vessel was only 200 yards from the station. Petty Officer Edwards said Coast Guard officers immediately went to the aid of the crew and brought them to safety aboard a Coast Guard vessel. The Michelle K was then moored against the southern seawall of the inlet while the Point Pleasant Beach Fire Department, along with several other salvage crews, were brought in to try to save the vessel from sinking.
According to Fire Chief A. Jay Fox, the fire company was called to the scene of the sinking ship at 8:20 p.m. Upon their arrival, firefighters began to assist Coast Guard crews and the Point Pleasant First Aid Dive Team in their efforts to keep the Michelle K afloat. "We placed our portable pumps in service, along with those from the Coast Guard and a marine salvage company, in an attempt to keep pace with the rising water, " Chief Fox said. Additionally, the fire department ordered more pumps to the scene as the effort to keep the vessel afloat took a turn for the worse.
According to Chief Fox, after 90 minutes of constant pumping, the flow of water entering the vessel was not subsiding, and it became apparent they were fighting a losing battle. "After operating our pumps for an hour and a half, the pumps were not able to keep up with the water filling the boat, " Chief Fox said. "At that time, a determination was made that it was no longer safe to operate in the area of the boat, as the boat was becoming unstable and all emergency personnel were removed."
The units from the fire department left the scene shortly after 10:30 p.m., Chief Fox said. Units from the Coast Guard and a marine salvage company assumed control of the scene and the subsequent removal operations. Petty Officer Edwards said the boat was immediately secured and booms were dropped in the water surrounding the vessel to stop any possible fuel leaks. He said while "a small amount" of fuel did seep out of the Michelle K, 3,000 gallons of fuel were safely pumped from the onboard storage tank before it could escape into the water. "A light sheen was visible but contained within the oil boom as an environmental protective measure, " Petty Officer Edwards said. Petty Officer Edwards said Northstar, a salvage company, was called in for cleanup and salvage of the damaged vessel.
Now that the Michelle K has been cleaned up, Petty Officer Edwards said dive teams will next place a magnetic cover over the hole in the hull. Once the boat has been refloated, Petty Officer Edwards said it will be moved a quarter-mile into the inlet to a facility in Point Pleasant where permanent repairs can be made. According to the Coast Guard's National Vessel Documentation Center, the Michelle K is owned by JK Harvesting, L.L.C., of Cape May Court House. The boat's certificate of documentation lists Point Pleasant as its home port. JK Harvesting Inc. could not be reached for comment this week.
