One of the world’s largest crane barges will attempt a recovery Thursday of the tugboat Specialist, lying at the bottom of the Hudson River since a March 12 allision with an anchored construction barge near the Tappan Zee bridge left three crewmen dead.
Donjon Marine Co, Inc, Hillside, N.J., is bringing the 190’x101’x20’ Chesapeake 1000 crane to lift the 84’ tug, lying in about 40’ of water. With it will come the body of crewman Harry Hernandez, 56, of Staten Island, N.Y., that police divers spotted but have been unable to recover because of dangerous currents and debris conditions in the river.
Hernandez and crewmates Paul Amon, 62, of Bayville, N.J., and Timothy Conklin, 29, of Westbury, N.Y., were among a team of three tugboats with New York Marine Towing Inc moving a barge south, through the construction zone around the New York Thruway bridge project, being built to replace the 1950s-era Tappan Zee.
The Specialist had the barge on its port side, and the tug’s starboard struck the anchored construction barge, according to Coast Guard and state officials. Radio communications just before the crash indicated the crew realized they needed to “move left” to avoid danger, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
Named for its 1,000-ton deadweight lift capability, the Chesapeake 1000 is used on the biggest East Coast bridge projects, demolition and salvage jobs.
