The U.S. Coast Guard started to raise a sunken 83-foot historic fishing boat in Harpswell Wednesday morning, an effort that has taken seven months to get underway.
The Jacob Pike, a 75-year-old sardine boat, sank in the harbor off the Harpswell coast during the storms in January. After the owner, Cyrus Cleary, had disagreements with authorities on how to remove the ship, the town declared the vessel abandoned and the Coast Guard took over its cleanup.
On Wednesday, the Coast Guard sent divers into the water to attach chains to the stern of the boat. They next planned to use lift bags to help bring the Jacob Pike up. Once it breaches the surface, officials will pump water out of the storage compartments and hope to tow it to South Portland on Thursday to dispose of it.
The boat has been leaking fuel since it sank. Coast Guard officials removed some fuel in January but were not able to finish the clean up. Frank Kulesa, chief of response operations for the northern New England sector of the Coast Guard, said he’s unsure how much oil has been released from the vessel.
Pamela Manns, a lieutenant with the Coast Guard, said it’s important to remove the boat immediately to prevent more pollution.
“Look at this beautiful, pristine coast,” Mann said. “The Coast Guard is dedicated to keeping the Maine coastline pristine for everybody’s use.”
Two booms have surrounded the vessel since January — one with plastic curtains sectioning the area off, and another one that absorbs any sheened oil.
Kulesa said the money for removing the boat comes from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which provides the Coast Guard with the funds to remove abandoned vessels. The cost to remove the Jacob Pike could come to $300,000 and will be passed onto Cleary, Kulesa said.
“Ultimately, our job is just to use that fund to remove the threats from the environment,” Kulsea said.
