Seattle-Area Man Missing After Tug Sinks -- Five Others Rescued In Grays Harbor

A Seattle-area man was missing and presumed drowned after an 85-foot tugboat sank yesterday in Grays Harbor.

Five other crewmen of the Marie M were pulled from the water by the crews of two nearby fishing vessels, said Chief Warrant Officer Randy Lewis, commander of the Coast Guard Lifeboat Station at Westport, Grays Harbor County.

Identities of the missing man and the five rescued crewmen, all from the Seattle area, were not released by Manson Construction & Engineering, owners of the Seattle-based tug, or by the Coast Guard. The missing man was last seen in the tug's galley, survivors said.

Mike Meyer, project manager for Manson, said the Marie M was towing a 300-foot barge loaded with dredging spoils shortly after noon when it suddenly rolled over and began taking on water. "We don't know what happened," he said.

Lewis said the rescued crewman reported the tug encountered "some kind of difficulties with the tow and rolled over. It landed upright on the bottom" in about 70 feet of water. Manson has been working about three weeks under an Army Corps of Engineers contract to dredge the harbor.

The incident will be investigated by the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Office.

Material dredged from the harbor is dumped into the Pacific Ocean about three miles offshore. The accident scene is a half-mile northwest from the Westport marina and about two miles from the river bar, Lewis said.

The tug's towing cable remained attached to the barge. The barge then drifted until another Manson tug arrived and towed it to the dumping location, Meyers said.

Divers descended to the tug but increasing currents kept them from making a complete search of it. Other divers were to return at slack tide to resume the search.