USNS Courier (T-AK-5019) - Adrift and Grounding During Gustav

Adrift and Grounding During Gustav

During the night of August 31, 2008 or early morning of September 1, 2008, as a weak category-3 hurricane Gustav approached the coast of Louisiana, at least two clusters of ships were dislodged from their moorings and broke free. The Courier was shown in video coverage to be one of three vessel grounded on an embankment approaching the L & N railroad bridge near the I-10 'high' bridge. On September 3, 2008, Joel Dupree of Southern Scrap Metal Corp. claimed the Courier has been removed from its position in front of the Almonaster Avenue Bridge and remoored at the scrap metal yard. Dupree claims the Core of Engineers were testing locks on the Industrial canal at the Mississippi river that prevented moving the ships prior to Gustav, and that the Courier was properly anchored during the storm, however the level of the surge and winds were sufficient to break their moorings. The USCG however said that it had recommended that ships double-up mooring lines prior to the storm. Other recommendations such as sinking the bow of the ship and setting anchor close to ships and barges were recommended as possible preventive measures. So far it is not clear on what the US Coast Guard instructed dock managers to do, or what action company officials took.

In addition to the risk to the rail bridge, the two accompanying barges apparently hit and damaged a warehouse along the western side of the Industrial canal near the bridge. Two other naval ships, the USNS American Explorer and USS Hunley were involved in separate incidences at the Florida Avenue Bridge and pump station. As a consequence of these events all vessels to be removed from the Industrial Canal in advance of gale-force wind conditions, and Southern Scrap Metal Corporation was told to remove all floating vessels for the duration of the 2008 season.