Partially Sunken Tugboat; Baltimore Harbor, Maryland

6C9J+FR Baltimore, MD, USA | 2026-Apr-08

Initial Notification: On April 8, 2026, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Maryland contacted the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) to request a trajectory analysis for the partially sunken tugboat Gale in Curtis Bay, Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. The tug struck a submerged object at approximately 6 am, April 8. Not known yet is the damage to the hull or the screw that led to the flooding. The vessel is boomed off and currently reporting no sheen or discharge. They report between 6,000 to 9,000 gallons of diesel fuel remaining between four fuel tanks, and that they have a total fuel capacity of 12,800 gallons. Follow-up investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Maryland determined that the partial sinking of the tugboat Gale was due to the barge striking a previously unknown sunken barge.