Petrel Is Raised From Bottom Of Block Island Sound

Salvage crews raised the commercial fishing vessel Petrel from the bottom of Block Island Sound on Wednesday and brought it through the inlet into Montauk Harbor on Thursday afternoon.

The crumpled vessel, which was struck by another boat in thick fog last Saturday morning, proved difficult to hoist from sea floor, where it had come to rest in 63 feet of water about a half-mile from the mouth of the inlet.

After being hoisted off the bottom on Wednesday, the hulk was dragged into shallower water late Wednesday night to allow salvage crews from Keith Grimes Inc. to better secure it to be brought into the harbor.

On Thursday, a sheen of oil was visible on the surface of the water surrounding the vessel, but no fuel containment booms were deployed. A U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson said that the agency had pollution response officers aboard the salvage vessel to monitor potential fuel spills and make sure proper protective measures were being used.

The Petrel was brought to the docks at Diamond Cove Marina on Thursday afternoon, where it will be hoisted from the water.

The 40-foot dragger had just departed Montauk Harbor and was preparing to set their nets in dense fog on Saturday morning when the crew saw a blip on their radar approaching from the northwest quickly, the Petrel’s owner told investigators after the accident. He and another crewman, realizing the threat of a collision went out onto the boat’s open decks in case they had to abandon ship.

Moments later, a 40-foot sportfishing boat, named Chaos, emerged from the fog at high speed and struck the commercial vessel, collapsing the wheelhouse and stoved in the hull.

The boat sunk in just three minutes, police said, and the crew of Petrel were picked up by the Chaos. The captain and owner of the Chaos, John Ern of Connecticut, was charged with misdemeanor reckless operation of a motor vehicle. Police said he reported to them he was traveling about 22 knots, or 25 miles per hour.