Tugboat Salvage Postponed

As slack tide gave way to a strong current, the decision was made by Riverside Marine officials to postpone the salvaging of the Benjamin Bailey tugboat until Thursday.

For nearly two hours, Peperrell Cove Marine divers from Kittery, Maine secured the tugboat that sank into the river on Wednesday morning after it was pinned against one of the Memorial Bridge project construction piers, took on water and capsized.

Riverside Marine crews from Eliot, where the Benjamin Bailey tugboat is based, also secured the vessel after it had been pushed underneath the Archer Western Contractors Memorial Bridge project construction pier.

At 3 p.m., both marine companies attempted to raise the Benjamin Bailey to the surface by having divers attach lines and airbags to the submerged tugboat. On Thursday when slack tide occurs again, they will make another attempt to pull the tugboat out from underneath the pier so the airbags can raise it to the surface and it can be towed to a secure location.

"We do not know why this happened," said Carol Morris, a spokesperson for Archer Western Contractors about why the Benjamin Bailey sank. "It's a tough river."

Morris said that while the incident is similar to what happened with the Miss Stacy tugboat in February, the Benjamin Bailey had an experienced two-man crew onboard that knows the river. The Miss Stacy took on water after the currents pinned it against the construction pier, but was towed to safety by one of the Eugenia of Moran Towing.

Morris said that whenever the tugboat is salvaged, the accident will be investigated by the New Hampshire Marine Patrol and the Coast Guard to determine the cause.