 325-foot fish processing ship lost steering and began drifting March 21, 2005
The Coast Guard received a report earlier this morning from crewmembers aboard the Seattle-based processor Independence of an engineering problem with one of the ship's three rudders. Later, a crewmember reported to the Coast Guard here that the ship's steering had failed, leaving the ship to drift about 95 miles south of Kayak Island which is 62 miles southeast of Cordova. The vessel is on a one hour communication schedule with the Coast Guard Command Center in Juneau. Crews aboard the Kodiak-based cutter Storis and the Alameda, Calif.-based Morgenthau are en route the ship's location to assist the Independence and its crew. The Morgenthau is expected to arrive on scene around 10:30 p.m. The Storis was diverted from another mission and will arrive at about 3 a.m. tomorrow. In addition to Coast Guard assets the vessel's owner has arranged for a tug to assist the vessel. The tug is expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon. The Independence's sister ship, the Seattle Enterprise, is also en route. The C-130 crew reported on scene weather conditions at the ship's position as 20-foot seas with winds at 50 knots. Blowing snow and a low ceiling have limited visibility to one and one half miles. A C-130 will remain on scene with the vessel until further notice. No injuries have been reported.
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