VIDEO: Riverboat freed from Kentucky sandbar
Written by Nick BlenkeyThe Lake Barkley Grounding Unified Command reports that on Friday it successfully ungrounded the riverboat American Jazz that had been stuck on a sandbar near Barkley Bridge on Lake Barkley, Ky., since July 8.
The passengers had been safely transferred from the vessel the previous Friday.
The unified command reports that, at 3:22 p.m., salvage crews and the riverboat crew were able to free the riverboat from being grounded by using a combination of a tug and barge setup along with the ship’s propulsion.
“Thanks to the amazing support of American Cruise Lines, the state of Kentucky, Trigg County Emergency Management, Donjon-SMIT and the residents of Trigg County the American Jazz was removed today and was found fit for service on the Cumberland River,” said Cmdr. Jennifer Andrew, federal on-scene coordinator for the unified command.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
A video posted by ABC 2 gives some insights into what made the ungrounding of the vessel so tricky,