On November 2, the 25 foot long tugboat Prospector sank while berthed at a boat yard on the Hudson River in Upper Nyack, New York. During the night strong winds and rough waters caused the vessel to suffer water ingress and later sink. Reports state wind gusts reached 75 mph and there were 8 foot swells in the river. No reports of injuries as no one was on board the vessel at the time. The Coast Guard was notified and launched an investigation into the incident.
The 23 meter long, 110 ton Indian Navy auxillary vessel TRV A-72 sank off the coast of Visakhapatnam, India. The vessel was conducting a routine operations recovering practice torpedoes when the vessel suffered a leak. The water ingress poured into the main engine room and quickly flooded other compartments. The crew quickly abandoned ship as the vessel sank in minutes. Reports state one crewman perished in the confusion when the vessel sank. Another 23 crew members were later safely pulled from the water. Nine Navy vessels continued search and rescue operations during the night for the remaining 4 missing crewmen. The Indian Navy has ordered a board of inquiry into the incident.
On October 28, the 67 meter long self-propelled barge Rothensee sank after colliding with another vessel on the Mittelland Canal near Oebisfelde, Germany. The Rothensee quickly sank in 4.5 feet of water with its cargo of 800 tons or iron bars. No reports of injuries. Salvage teams quickly responded as the sunken Rothensee was blocking traffic on the canal. The salvage team was able to recover the 800 tons of iron off the vessel and began lifting efforts with a floating crane. As the stern was pulled above the water, the hull cracked just behind the stern wheelhouse. The 1.5 meter long crack halted operations. Steel plates were welded to stabilize the Rothensee to allow salvage operations to continued. After refloated, the Rothensee will be taken to a nearby berth where it can be scrapped.
