SAULT STE MARIE, Michigan — Coast Guard crews continue to respond, Saturday, to the motor vessel Roger Blough that ran aground Friday in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior.
Throughout the night, U.S. Coast Guard boat crews conducted hourly exterior draft readings of the vessel while the crew of the Roger Blough also conducted interior soundings to the tanks each hour through the evening.
Based on the stabilized draft readings and tank soundings, the flooding appears to be under control. Plans to safely remove the Roger Blough from the reef have begun.
U.S. Coast Guard pollutions responders, inspectors, and investigators will continue to monitor damage and the cause of the grounding is ongoing. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter, Mobile Bay, is enroute with an estimated arrival to the scene at 6:00 p.m.
A U.S. Coast Guard Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Michigan, was launched to provide aerial photos but was diverted due to dense fog.
Previous releases for this case are also available: release one, release two.
More updates will be made released as they become available.
Media with questions should contact Lt. Creighton Chong, the public affairs officer and chief, Waterways Management Division at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, at: 906-635-3309.