VIDEO: Riverboat freed from Kentucky sandbar

Written by Nick Blenkey
Riverboat afloat

USCG video showed riverboat afloat after being ungrounded

The 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,

Categories: Inland, Inland and Coastal, Passenger, Salvage Tags: , , , , , , , ,