Not the first time for tug from this company apparently:
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/tugboat-company-in-gig-harbor-accident-had-settled-prior-lawsuit-over-similar-incident/#:~
This fell asleep and ran ashore incident at Gig Harbor is nothing at all like the Shelton incidents.
Shelton is a very difficult, very shallow, very narrow, twisting, half tide and rising only , inbound passage in very strong currents and whirlpools. Itās as treacherous as it is beautiful. Shelton requires a high level of local knowledge.
There are a couple of places with very strong whirlpool driven cross currents toward the bank.
Many boats from many companies have been set up on the bank on the way into Shelton over the years.
No boat and crew has more expertise at Shelton than the Holly Ann. The Island Venture is a big boat. I donāt know how many times a year she goes to Shelton, but it must be dozens. The occasional incident is to be expected taking big boats and barges, or log tows, into Shelton.
After hearing many Shelton stories, I rode along once as an observer on a small tug just to see it. I go to a lot of difficult places, but thank Christ I donāt have to go to Shelton.
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Youāre right about Hammersly inlet to Shelton. The Manke lumber tug Danielle often ran over the entrance buoy coming out with an 8 section log tow and he would call me to report it and I would go put it back on station. ( Capt of the CG buoy tender in Seattle) used to be the custom that if the operator reported the incident then there would be no repercussions from the CG. Same thing with the entrance to the harbor at Squim but a Dunlap tug there.
most ships i served had a deadman switch ā¦ (made for great entertainment with a ānoviceā capt. ) but iāve never used it. Somewhere i recall it going off all the time and was a pita.
Pretty sure I have mentioned this previously. Whey I first signed on to that ATB in the mid 80s, there were just two of us engineers. I had come from a company that only put one engineer on their string boats where I would stand the 8-4 twice a day and then work as needed in the off hours. The problem with just two engineers was the grind and having full time access to the barge, and the necessary work there. I lobbied for and got another engineer and we went to the standard three watch cycle. It did help that the wheelhouse was on the same routine. It worked out much better.
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These are 4 man boats. 6/6.