Classification
- Incident Type: Sinking
- Severity: High
- Region: United States
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Delta Amber |
| Vessel Type | Tug |
| Flag State | United States [US] |
| U.S. Coast Guard Official Number | 570106 |
| IMO Number | |
| Gross Tonnage | |
| LOA (m) | |
| Length in source units | 52.5 ft |
| Breadth | |
| Owner/Operator | Delta Towing, LLC |
| Reported horsepower | 800 hp |
| Year Built | 1975 |
| Associated vessel | Nicholas, dredge tender; approximately 26 ft; owned and operated by Mike Hooks, Inc. |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2014-10-13 |
| Location | Mobile Ship Channel, north of Gaillard Island, Mobile Bay, Alabama, United States |
| Coordinates | |
| Region | United States |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | |
| Missing | |
| Vessels sunk | Delta Amber and Nicholas |
| Reported pollution response | A sheen approximately 50 yards by one mile was reported; booms were deployed around the vessels. |
| Direct Damage | |
| Economic Damage |
Key facts
- Delta Amber and Nicholas sank during a dredging operation in the Mobile Ship Channel, north of Gaillard Island.
- The vessels capsized and sank at approximately 22:45 local time on 13 October 2014, according to contemporaneous reporting.
- The crew of the towing vessel Miss Sammy Lee rescued five people from the two vessels; a Coast Guard boat transferred them to Dog River Marina.
- A reported sheen measured approximately 50 yards by one mile. Response crews deployed boom and began developing a salvage plan; the vessels reportedly contained about 2,000 gallons of fuel and lubricating oil combined.
- Contemporaneous response reporting said there were no reported injuries, while later federal court records describe personal-injury claims. An authoritative final casualty count was not identified.
Narrative
On the night of 13 October 2014, Delta Amber was engaged in dredging operations in the Mobile Ship Channel near Gaillard Island in Mobile Bay. The tug was hip-towing the dredge tender Nicholas, which was owned and operated by Mike Hooks, Inc.; Delta Amber was owned and operated by Delta Towing, LLC and Delta Marine Services, Inc. The two vessels capsized and sank at approximately 10:45 p.m. local time. Contemporary reporting described Nicholas as tied off to Delta Amber when the tug capsized, while the later federal court record describes the arrangement as hip-towing in rough water.
The crew of the towing vessel Miss Sammy Lee rescued five crew members from the two sunken vessels at approximately 10:46 p.m. A Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island boat transferred the rescued people to Dog River Marina. The initial response account reported no injuries, but subsequent federal litigation included personal-injury claims by people involved in the casualty, so the page does not assign an injury count. Available records do not establish fatalities or missing persons.
The sinking produced a reported sheen approximately 50 yards wide and one mile long. Response crews placed boom around the vessels and began salvage planning. The combined fuel and lubricating-oil quantity aboard the vessels was reported as approximately 2,000 gallons. No public monetary damage estimate or final vessel-disposition record was identified.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2014-10-13 | Delta Amber and Nicholas were conducting dredging operations in the Mobile Ship Channel near Gaillard Island; Delta Amber was hip-towing Nicholas. |
| 2014-10-13 22:45 local | The two vessels capsized and sank, according to contemporaneous response reporting. |
| 2014-10-13 22:46 local | The Miss Sammy Lee rescued five crew members from the two vessels. |
| 2014-10-14 | Coast Guard personnel transferred the rescued crew to Dog River Marina; response crews deployed boom and developed a salvage plan. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rough water | Reported | A 2016 federal court order described the casualty as a capsize in rough water, but the order was addressing litigation and did not make a causal finding. |
| Towing arrangement and possible water ingress | Suspected | Court filings recorded competing allegations that Nicholas was unseaworthy and taking on water, and that Delta Amber handling, speed, or course changes contributed. These allegations were not resolved by the court order reviewed. |
Investigation
The U.S. Coast Guard investigated the casualty. Coast Guard FOIA logs identify MISLE Activity No. 4972081 for the sinking of Nicholas and Delta Amber on 13 October 2014 and record later requests for the investigation file and radio traffic. No final public Coast Guard findings or report has been identified. The related federal litigation established the vessels, operation, rescue, and competing allegations, but the court orders did not determine the accident cause.
References
- U.S. Coast Guard FOIA log, October-December 2014
- U.S. Coast Guard FOIA log, April-September 2015
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, Document 79
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, Document 144
- Coast Guard Responding to Two Sunken Vessels in Mobile Ship Channel
- Capsized Boats Leave Mile-long Sheen in Mobile
- Delta Amber vessel record