Boaters don't have to be creative to run aground or sink. It just sort of happens.
But in the aftermath, marine salvors have to call on all their creativity to put right what foul weather or carelessness can cause in a flash. Some vessels suffer damage to running gear, such as propellers, shafts and rudders. Others sink entirely or run aground so hard that it requires extensive work with special equipment just to get them floating again. Even vessels declared a total loss must be recovered, to avoid the environmental pollution and navigation hazards posed by a derelict vessel. Whether they happen on the ocean or in fresh water, all of these cases require experts with the grit to face the challenges Mother Nature can bring.
CAPT. FRED DAVIS / THUMB MARINE INC.Salvage crew members begin to assess damage and set a plan for recovery of 42-foot Mathews aground at breakwall in Oscoda, Mich.I was one of those guys and I chose to become a salvor for that very reason: the challenges were constant and varied. I participated in hundreds of assistance calls, during which my crew and I used cranes, trucks, barges, assistance boats and other pieces of heavy machinery to recover boat of all kinds. We won some, and we lost some. But from the very first day, it was one exciting job.
THE HOT ZONE
I got started in the salvage business while attending a football game in my hometown on Lake Huron. I got a page telling me that a large sailboat was disabled eight miles offshore and a storm was approaching. The county's rescue boat was stored for the winter and my 27-foot cruiser was the only boat still in the water.
Two friends agreed to come along but before we got underway we contacted the nearest Coast Guard station. The seas were building as we approached the disabled boat – and then it burst into flames before us. Through the heavy, black smoke we could see two people in a rubber lifeboat attempting to row away from the damaged vessel. With winds at about 25 knots, I had to cautiously maneuver and bring them aboard my boat before we were all blown into the fully engulfed vessel.
The canvas on my boat was getting scorched we sped away at full throttle. We called ahead and an ambulance was waiting dockside to take the rescued people, suffering from burns and shock, to the hospital. They were not the only casualties. In the rough seas, we had hit a deadhead on the return to port and were taking on water. Just as my vessel settled on the bottom, the marina's lift pulled her out.
CAPT. FRED DAVIS / THUMB MARINE INC.Beautiful, 40-foot classic North American sail vessel cast on shore by Lake Huron's fury.The next day the Coast Guard asked that I return to the scene to assess any hazard to navigation. I was able to borrow a boat to make the passage out to where the burning sailboat had been anchored. A mast and portion of the hull were afloat, attached by stainless steel rigging cable to the sunken debris. The cable would be difficult to cut and, once loose, removal and towing of the remains to shore would be very risky.
After reporting to the Coast Guard, I contacted the owners' insurance company with a plan. They refused to authorize it unless I provided assurance that a registered salvage company would do the work. I had often helped boaters in need but on that day I went to the County Clerks office and filed paperwork to register. Born of necessity, my salvage business was launched.
A CLASSIC SAVED
After the rescue, my business grew, opening the door to all kinds of work. One year I got a late-night call from a Coast Guard station about a vessel that had smashed into a breakwall. The incident occurred at the mouth of the Au Sable River in Oscoda, along the east shore of Lake Huron, 150 miles from where my business was headquartered. We didn't know the extent of the damage or whether anyone was aboard the boat. I listened on my VHF base radio as Coast Guard and Sheriff's Department boats arrived on scene and a helicopter was put on stand-by.
