USCG Saves Four Off North Carolina Coast

September 26, 2004

BUXTON, N.C. – Four people were rescued by the Coast Guard toady at 12:17 p.m. after their tug boat ran aground on the seaward side of the Oregon Inlet Bridge, N.C.

The 50-foot tug, Delta Ranger, owned by Weeks Marine, was pushing a dredging barge with 17 people onboard when it ran aground in the inlet setting the barge adrift.

With the 250-foot barge drifting close to the bridge, authorities halted vehicle traffic while a second tug regained control over the barge.

Meanwhile, a rescue crew from Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet tried to reach the four people stranded on the foundering tug, but due to 13-foot seas and shallow water, the rescue boat was unable to get close enough to the tug.

Rescue coordinators at Coast Guard Group Cape Hatteras in Buxton and the Fifth Coast Guard District Rescue Coordination Center in Portsmouth, Va., called in a helicopter rescue crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., which hoisted the men from the tug in 30 to 45-knot winds.

The barge has been anchored in the inlet 1,800 feet away from the bridge. The Coast Guard is working with Weeks Marine to ensure the safety of the people on the barge and secure the grounded tug with a commercial salvage ship before the incoming tide sets it adrift.

Rescue crews from Station Oregon Inlet will remain on scene until the tug is properly secured by commercial salvage and there is no more danger to life or property.

The crew that was rescued from the tug has reported no injuries at this time. There are no indications or reports of any pollution leaking from the grounded tug.

USCG Saves Four Off North Carolina Coast

BUXTON, N.C. – Four people were rescued by the Coast Guard toady at 12:17 p.m. after their tug boat ran aground on the seaward side of the Oregon Inlet Bridge, N.C.

The 50-foot tug, Delta Ranger, owned by Weeks Marine, was pushing a dredging barge with 17 people onboard when it ran aground in the inlet setting the barge adrift.

With the 250-foot barge drifting close to the bridge, authorities halted vehicle traffic while a second tug regained control over the barge.

Rescue crews from Station Oregon Inlet will remain on scene until the tug is properly secured by commercial salvage and there is no more danger to life or property.

The crew that was rescued from the tug has reported no injuries at this time. There are no indications or reports of any pollution leaking from the grounded tug.

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