Tug Sinks at Egg Harbor Marina

A tug being used by McMullen & Pitz Marine Contractors, a subcontractor working on the Egg Harbor marina reconstruction project, sank overnight in about 12 feet of water.

The tug Dauntless sank next to the Egg Harbor Marina between 7 pm Saturday night and 7 am Sunday morning.

Village officials do not know what caused the tug Dauntless to sink, and Andrew Wight of the United States Coast Guard said they won’t be able to determine a cause until the tug is resurfaced. Wight, a Marine Safety Technician First Class stationed with the Marine Safety Attachment in Sturgeon Bay, said a salvage plan is being worked out in cooperation with McMullen and Pitts to raise the tug. That plan will have to be approved by the Coast Guard officials in Washington D.C. before work can commence.

Ted Jennejohn, project manager for McMullen & Pitz, said the plan had been submitted to the Coast Guard as of 4 pm Sunday. He hoped for a quick approval so they could surface the tug Sunday night.

Workers attached a crane to the tug by 7 pm Sunday night in preparation for re-surfacing.

“The tug’s probably going to be a loss,” Jennejohn said. “We’re just focusing on preventing any environmental damage.”

It’s estimated the vessel is storing about 600 gallons of diesel fuel in its tanks.

“On the way is a containment boom that will be used to surround the vessel in case of a leak,” Wight said, though he indicated a leak is unlikely.

Jennejohn said the Dauntless, built in 1964, was inspected last spring at Burger Boats in Manitowoc, when the hull was rebuilt and called the sinking “kind of mind-boggling.”

Wight said a crane and divers were on their way to the site and were expected to arrive by 4 pm to assist with de-watering and re-floating the vessel.

McMullen & Pitz is a Manitowoc-based company that was subcontracted by Luhr Bros. to work on the bin wall of the marina. Wight gave no timetable on when the vessel would be re-surfaced, but officials said work could start Sunday evening. It’s hoped the tug is raised by Monday afternoon.

McMullen & Pitz had already completed their work at the marina and hoped to get their equipment out of the harbor this week when weather and ice conditions improved.