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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017
‘Perfect Storm’ ship sunk, becomes part of artificial reef
Associated Press
AP Photo/Ed Bailey
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Wil-
liam Moeller of Northford,
Conn., poses for a photo
in front of the USS Tama-
roa in 2000. Moeller was
aboard the Tamaroa during
the 1991 rescue of five Air
National Guardsmen who
ditched their helicopter as
they were trying to rescue
the crew of a fishing boat
during a fierce storm. The
storm and the events sur-
rounding it were recalled
in the book “The Perfect
Storm” which was made
into a motion picture.
CAPE MAY, N.J. — The ship made
famous in the book and subsequent film
“The Perfect Storm” has been inten-
tionally sunk off the New Jersey and
Delaware coasts so it can become part
of an artificial reef.
The sinking of the Tamaroa, a 205-
foot Coast Guard vessel, took place
Wednesday morning. The sinking ini-
tially was scheduled to occur several
months ago, but was repeatedly delayed
by rough seas and other related issues.
The vessel was sent down about
33 nautical miles off the coast of Cape
May, New Jersey. It was deployed in
water more than 120 feet (36.5 meters)
deep after patches were removed from
holes that were pre-cut into its hull,
according to the New Jersey Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection.
The pre-cut holes were part of the
extensive work that had to be done
before the ship could be sunk, includ-
ing the removal of interior paneling
and insulation as well as emptying
and cleaning the vessel of all fuel and
fluids.
The ship turned on its side as it
slowly went down in the calm water,
then turned straight up as the bulk of
the vessel went under water. It then
disappeared from view as a person on
board a neighboring vessel thanked the
Tamaroa for its long service.
Photos by Dale Gerhard/The Press of Atlantic City
ABOVE: The decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutter Tamaroa, was sank 33 nautical miles off the coast of
Cape May, Wednesday. BELOW: The decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutter Tamaroa, was sank 33 nautical
miles off the coast of Cape May, N.J., Wednesday. The 74 year old vessel was featured in the book “The Perfect
Storm” being involved in saving seven people in the 1991 nor’easter. The ship will become part of the Del-Jer-
sey-Land Inshore Artificial Reef System.
A tugboat had started hauling the
Tamaroa from a Norfolk, Virginia,
shipyard on Monday afternoon and
it slowly made its way up the East-
ern Seaboard on Tuesday without any
issues.
The Tamaroa was first commis-
sioned by the U.S. Navy in 1934 under
the name Zuni and saw action during
World War II when it helped tow dam-
aged vessels across the war-torn Pacific
Ocean. It was transferred to the Coast
Guard and renamed in 1946, then con-
tinued to serve until it eventually was
decommissioned in 1994.
off the New England coast, generating
40-foot waves and wind gusts of more
than 70 mph.
The Tamaroa’s crew helped save
three people aboard a sailboat that was
caught in the storm. They also rescued
four of five crewmen of an Air National
Guard helicopter that ran out of fuel
during a similar rescue mission and had
to be ditched in the ocean.
Both events were documented
in Sebastian Junger’s 1997 book,
“The Perfect Storm,” and a movie of
the same name starring George
Clooney.
The vessel’s most notable mission
came in October 1991, when three
strong storm systems came together
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in the Flavel House Museum
MAKE MOM FEEL SPECIAL
A Clatsop County Historical Society Event
Sponsored by Seaside Providence Hospital
Celebrate Mother’s Day
this Sunday at
For all of our Favorite Moms
Mother’s
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Saturday, May 13 th
1-4 pm
1/2 off
When accompanied
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441 8th Street
Astoria
We are
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A UTHENTIC
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$ 12
$ 8
for Mother’s
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Rosa Tortellini
Blue Cheese Cod
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CCHS members
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Julie Lum
Mary Hollaway
Keri Ferraro
Shirley Lum
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Complimentary
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