NTSB: Mass. Bay sinkings stemmed from poor voyage planning

摘要

Big Jake guided an eight-vessel flotilla of dredging equipment north in Massachusetts Bay as wind and wave conditions got steadily worse. Ninety minutes after sunrise on a dreary December morning, the port-side face wires connecting the tugboat and lead barge snapped. Big Jake lost its steering and communications capability and more vessels broke free as the tow came broadside to the seas near Scituate, Mass. A dredge barge and workboat worth a combined $1.98 million sank. Two crew-members were injured.