TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale Fights Another Boat Fire

March 31, 2006

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale, a Broward County based company, fought another vessel fire. This time a 45' Symbol found itself engulfed in flames offshore of Delray Beach, FL. The vessel was on its way back from the Palm Beach Boat Show when it encountered the problem. Hearing a report of a boat fire to the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF 16, the TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale salvage and fire-fighting team headed for the blazing vessel. "Two of our vessels are equipped with fire monitors," states Larry Acheson, President and Salvage Master. "Not only do we assist with rescuing the victims, but we can extinguish the fire thereby preventing any potential environmental issues."

Capt. Brent Thompson, Salvage Diver, was the first TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale resource on scene. The operator and passenger of the vessel were safe, picked up by a passing boater. Capt. Thompson quickly maneuvered his towboat into position and secured a towline to the boat noting that the smoke was still white, but beginning to turn black and the flames were picking up at a goodpace. Capt. Adam Utterstrom, Salvage Diver and Capt. Kevin Collins, General Manager, responded in a 33' Almar, equipped with a fire monitor, to assist in extinguishing the flames.

The burning boat was smoldering for a long time before it finally burst into flames. "The hull quickly became engulfed in flames," remarked Capt. Thompson. "It was so intense that it burned through my towlines." The fire-fighting began with the Coast Guard putting water on the flames. As soon as the Almar arrived on scene, the Coast Guard pulled away, allowing the TowBoatU.S. team to begin to work through the heavy smoke to douse the fire. Capt. Thompson reattached a towline to secure the burning vessel. The flames were under control, but the boat was sinking rapidly. The salvage team got the vessel into shallow water where it sank.

The next day, with full salvage gear including pumps, lift bags and patching materials, the salvage team reported to the sunken vessel. Using their 96' vessel, Richard L. Becker, as a staging platform, the team began the arduous task of raising the burnt, sunk vessel. "It was dangerous and tricky working underwater with jagged pieces of fiberglass everywhere," commented Capt. Chris Stevens, Salvage Master. "Our first priority is to make sure our divers are safe and that no one gets hurt during the operation."

Weather conditions worsened throughout the day adding to the difficulty of raising the vessel. With darkness falling, the team secured the vessel and departed scene for the night, returning at first light the next day. By late afternoon, the sunken vessel was raised and dewatered, and taken into tow for safe port.

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale, has preformed thousands of vessel salvages since its inception in 1989. Fire-fighting has become an addition to the various services provided by the company in recent years. "We are glad to be able to assist fire-fighters and law enforcement in rescuing boaters," explained Capt. Acheson.

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