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up front Tuesday 10 sepTember 2019

Fourth and final crewman pulled alive from capsized ship

Continued from Front room close to the propel- then departed the dock in
ler shaft, near the bottom Brunswick shortly after mid-
The rescues followed near- of the stern. Responders night and was underway
ly 36 hours of work after the began drilling, starting with only 23 minutes before its
Golden Ray, a giant ship a 3-inch (7.5-centimeter) movement stopped in the
that carries automobiles, hole. Coast Guard officials mouth of the harbor where
rolled onto its side early brought the ship’s chief en- it capsized, according to
Sunday as it was leaving gineer, who was rescued satellite data recorded by
Brunswick, bound for Balti- Sunday, out to the ship to Marine Traffic. Port officials
more. translate, and found the were “working closely with
“All crew members are ac- three men were “on board the Coast Guard to reopen
counted for,” Coast Guard and OK,” as Heflin put it. the channel,” Georgia
Southeast wrote on Twit- Reed said rescuers passed Ports Authority Executive
ter. “Operations will now food and water through Director Griff Lynch said in
shift fully to environmental the hole to the men. They a statement after the final
protection, removing the also provided fresh air to man was rescued. In this image released by the U.S. Coast Guard shows a crew
vessel and resuming com- the propeller room, which The cause of the capsizing member of the cargo ship Golden Ray as he is helped off the
merce.” In the hours imme- Reed said was even hot- remains under investiga- capsized ship Monday, Sept. 9, 2019 off St. Simons Island, Ga.
diately after the accident, ter than outside, where the tion. Marine Traffic shows Associated Press
the Coast Guard lifted 20 high was 93 degrees (34 the Golden Ray overturned breeze of only 5 miles per with only what they were
crew members into heli- Celsius). as it was passed by another hour, according to Nation- wearing when rescued. A
copters before determin- Responders set up a tent car carrier entering St. Si- al Weather Service records. restaurant donated a meal,
ing that smoke and flames on the hull and began drill- mons Sound. Many of those rescued and the volunteer-run cen-
and unstable cargo made ing additional holes, even- At the time, the skies were were taken to the Interna- ter provided the seamen
it too risky to venture fur- tually making an opening clear and the weather tional Seafarers’ Center in with clothes, toiletries and
ther inside the vessel. Offi- large enough to insert a calm, with a southerly Brunswick. Sailors arrived Bibles.q
cials were concerned that ladder and help the men
some of the 4,000 vehicles climb out.
aboard may have broken The fourth rescue was a
loose. greater challenge. That
That left responders looking crewman was behind glass
for the remaining four crew in a separate engineering
members. At first, rescu- compartment on another
ers thought the noises they deck, Reed said.
were hearing inside could The Golden Ray is now
be some of the vehicles stuck in the shipping chan-
crashing around. But by nel, closing one of the busi-
dawn Monday, they were est U.S. seaports for ship-
confident that the taps ping automobiles. One
were responses to their ship is unable to leave port
own taps, indicating some- and four more are lined up
one was alive inside. outside waiting to come in,
“It was outstanding when I according to ship-tracking
heard the news this morn- website Marine Traffic.
ing that we had taps back A statement issued Mon-
throughout the night,” day by the South Korea for-
Capt. John Reed said. eign ministry said the crew
Those sounds helped lead members were isolated in
rescuers to the right place an engine room. It said 10
on the 656-foot (200 me- South Koreans and 13 Fili-
ter) vessel and provided pinos had been on board,
motivation. “They were along with a U.S. harbor
charged up knowing the pilot, when the ship began
people were alive,” Reed tilting.
said. On Monday morn- Position records for the
ing, rescuers landed on Golden Ray show the ship
the side of the Golden Ray arrived in port in Bruns-
and rappelled down the wick Saturday evening
hull. Heflin, who was coor- after making the short sail
dinating the search, said from a prior stop in Jack-
they found three men in a sonville, Florida. The ship