DULUTH, Minn. — Marine authorities are monitoring a situation in Duluth Harbor as a World War II-era tugboat remains partially submerged and on the verge of sinking.
U.S. Coast Guard LTJG Joe McGinnis tells KARE 11 the tugboat Lake Superior is in basically the same position it was yesterday, with the stern of the vessel under water and the bow pointing skyward. McGinnis says at this point there is no sign that diesel fuel or onboard lubricating oils are leaking into the harbor, although conditions are being monitored.
As long as the tug remains secured to a slip and does not hinder navigation or pose an environmental hazard, owners will be under no obligation to move it, McGinnis added.
The Coast Guard received a call around 9 a.m. Monday reporting the old tug, docked at a slip off Railroad Street, was taking on water. Officials say people noticed over the weekend that the boat was starting to sink, but appeared to be held up by thick ice. Rising temps are likely to blame for the ice melting and the boat going under.
The sinking tug, once operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is now owned by a private party and was recently listed for sale. That listing says the tug, named Lake Superior, was built in 1943 and used to help storm the beaches of Normandy during World War II.
After it was retired from duty with the Corps in 1996, Lake Superior became a floating museum docked in the Twin Ports until it was sold to a private party.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: