Canadian Rescue Ship Saves Drifting Tug From Grounding off Washington

On Friday, a combined U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard response team narrowly prevented a tug from going aground off La Push, Washington in rough weather.

At about 1600 hours on Friday, the 130-foot tug Luther was towing a concrete barge about 10 miles off the coast of La Push when it lost steering. The crew called the Coast Guard for help, and a motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, a helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, and the emergency response tug Lauren Foss were dispatched to assist. The surface conditions on scene included seas of 10–14 feet and 45 knots of wind. Lacking steerage, the crew of the Luther attempted to keep the bow of their vessel into the seas using their twin-screw propulsion. 

The situation aboard the Luther deteriorated in the rough weather, and the tug began taking on water. In order to save their vessel, the crew disconnected from their tow, and they were able to stabilize the situation while awaiting first responders. 

The Lauren Foss soon arrived and began to prepare to take the Luther in tow to a port of refuge - but as they were getting ready, the drifting barge came so close that the crew feared that there was a risk of collision. All crewmembers transferred over to the motor lifeboat for safety, but in the heavy swells, one person fell in the water while making the transfer. The motor lifeboat crew managed to retrieve them from the seas. 

The Luther was drifting towards shore, and to prevent a grounding, the motor lifeboat crew put a coastguardsman back aboard the tug to help attempt a tow. After making a connection, the Lauren Foss attempted to tow the disabled tug to safety - but a line fouled in one of Lauren Foss' props, forcing the tug to return to port. 

The Canadian Coast Guard emergency response tug Atlantic Raven was stationed nearby on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and it diverted to assist. The Raven arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning, along with additional U.S. Coast Guard assets from Neah Bay and Port Angeles. 

With the CCG's help, the U.S. Coast Guard crews set up a tow, and the Atlantic Raven kept the drifting Luther off the beach. They narrowly averted a grounding, as the tug had come within one mile of shore. 

The Luther was towed safely to Port Angeles, and the crew all returned to shore without injuries.

The barge remained missing, and the Coast Guard set up a unified command with the shipowner, the state department of ecology and the local Makah Tribe to manage the risk of a spill. The barge is carrying 10,000 tons of cement mix and 1,200 gallons of diesel fuel, and search crews hunted for it throughout Saturday in heavy seas, high winds and low visibility. The service announced that it had been found on Saturday evening, and the responders began operations to tow it to a safe harbor. 

Atlantic Raven is one of two anchor handling tugs that the Canadian Coast Guard chartered in 2018 to manage the risk of a major casualty off the seaward coast of Vancouver Island, where busy shipping lanes coincide with rough winter weather rolling in from the North Pacific. The Raven and sister ship Atlantic Eagle have about 160 tonnes of bollard pull, twice that of a typical harbor tug, plus the heavy-weather capabilities of a 250-foot oceangoing AHTS design. 

Luther is a 49-year-old, 3000-horsepower twin screw tug operated by a firm in Seattle. Typical of a West Coast line haul tug, she has changed hands four times in five decades, and is among the youngest vessels in the owner's listed fleet. 

In July 2023, Coast Guard inspectors found a leaking steering ram in Luther's steering compartment and ordered it repaired. Five days later, the vessel "was unable to properly maneuver during underway drills." The vessel also reported a hairline crack in the rub rail, causing diesel fuel leakage. These and other deficiencies were corrected to the Coast Guard's satisfaction.