A Tennessee towboat crew who discovered their vessel taking on water tried to grab a second dewatering pump but returned to find the stern already under water Tuesday, Coast Guard officials said.
The 64’x23’, 800-hp Ms Nancy C, operated by the Choctaw Transportation Company, Dyersburg, Tenn., was building a tow at an Everett Lake fleeting area around Mississippi River mile marker 832 near Dyersburg when the two crew members found the flooding.
They began dewatering before getting off the boat for another pump, but when they returned the boat was already partly submerged, according to the Coast Guard.
About 3,000 gals. of fuel was on board, and boom was deployed to contain any releases. The incident is under investigation.