T/B E-24; "The Race," Long Island Sound, Fishers Island, New York

"The Race," Long Island Sound, Fishers Island, New York | 1985-Dec-22

Initial Notification: At 1345 on November 22, 1985, the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port, New London, was notified by the tug Norseman that its tow, the tank barge E-24, was taking on water. The tug and tow were headed eastward in Long Island Sound en route to Boston from Port Bayonne, New Jersey, with a cargo of 20,000 barrels of no. 6 fuel oil. Weather conditions were poor, with heavy rain, easterly winds at 25 knots, and 5-6 foot seas. The master of the Norseman reversed course and headed back into Long Island Sound. The Coast Guard, fearing a catastrophic loss of the barge and the release of the cargo of no. 6 fuel oil into the environmentally sensitive Long Island Sound, ordered the master to come about and head towards open water. It was thought that towing against the seas and current would stabilize the E-24 and reduce its chance of sinking. USCG district 3.