After 50-plus hours stuck on a cruise ship that ran aground a sandbar in Lake Barkley, all 120 passengers and some essential crew of the American Jazz have been taken off and were transported to Nashville Friday evening.
Lt. John Nolan with the U.S. Coast Guard in Paducah said American Cruise Lines, the ship’s owner, worked with the Coast Guard as well as state and local officials to safely remove the people from the boat.
Lt. Nolan said the passengers appeared in good spirits and there were no injuries reported among the passengers or crew.
He said some essential crew remained on the boat, which is located north of the U.S. 68 bridge near Heron Point.
The 300-foot cruise ship struck a sandbar in six feet of water outside the marked navigational channel Wednesday afternoon around one. Multiple tugboats were called to the scene to try and push the ship free. That effort ended unsuccessfully Friday afternoon.
Lt. Nolan confirmed the ship discharged nearly half of its water Friday to lessen its load. With another 11 to 13 tons off the boat in the way of passenger weight, Nolan said that may help get the ship loose.
Lt. Nolan said work will continue to free the boat without harm to people, the boat, and the lake.
The 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. The passengers will now reach Nashville one day ahead of schedule but on buses instead of a boat.
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