The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing its efforts to remove the American Jazz cruise ship that struck a sandbar in Lake Barkley Wednesday afternoon.
Lt. John Nolan with the Coast Guard said three tug boats have attempted to free the ship from a sandbar in approximately six feet of water north of the US 68 bridge for the past two days. However, that was unsuccessful and that plan has been scrapped.
Nolan said the 120 passengers and 54 crew members are safe and have enough supplies for several more days. He said they are working to formulate a plan to remove the passengers and non-essential crew from the ship but provided no timeline for a finalized plan, saying they would not sacrifice safety for time. He also said he was not aware of any damage to the ship.
Buses from American Cruise Lines, the owner of the four-deck modern cruise ship, arrived in Canton this morning to take the passengers from the lake to the buses and on to Nashville, the boat’s destination.
The 300-foot long cruise ship struck a sandbar Wednesday afternoon around 1 o’clock. Karey Reese, who’s home is near the sandbar, witnessed the ship hit the sandbar from his boat.
click to download audioReese shot a video that showed the cruise ship hit part of the sandbar outside the marked channel, accelerate, and strike another part of the sandbar in about six feet of water.
click to download audioReese and some neighbors on the lake have set up chairs in their yard and watched the futile efforts to attempt to free the ship.
click to download audioReese has lived in the Canton Heights area for over two years and said ships the size of the American Jazz on Lake Barkley are rare.
click to download audioThe American Jazz is part of the American Cruise Line fleet that offers an eight-day cruise from Memphis to Paducah onto Clarksville and ending in Nashville. Lake Barkley and Dover is part of the cruise route.
Lt. Nolan has asked the public and watercraft to steer clear of the area near the ship as they try and free it from the sandbar. Reese said he has seen between 50 and 75 boats either drive past or circle the cruise ship since Wednesday.
