SPECIALIST

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Accident report published

Overtired crew members trying to maneuver a massive crane barge through a construction zone led to the deadly allision ofthe "Specialist" on March 12, 2016 at New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge that killed three, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Full report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/mab1714.pdf

Investigations into accident reveal disturbing insights

Police was investigating a claim that the captain of the "Realist" that was involved in an accident near the Tappan Zee Bridge in March, was helming a different tug while that captain was below deck, possibly with a woman. The "Specialist" and "Realist", along with a third tug, the "Trevor", were escorting a barge with a large crane south on the Hudson River shortly before dawn on March 12, 2016, when the "Specialist" struck a construction barge holding equipment for the new bridge. Paul Crowley was piloting the "Realist" even though he was the "Specialist"’s captain. James Morrison, the captain of the "Realist", reportedly brought a woman along for the trip and was with her when the accident occurred. Westchester County police would say only that a witness recently came forward claiming that an additional person had been on the "Realist" who was not reported at the time of the accident. Crowley’s absence left the "Specialist"’s mate-in-charge, Paul Amon, at the helm. After the impact, Amon got onto the crane barge but a video showed him returning to Specialist in an apparent attempt to help the other two crew members who were below deck. The tug sank quickly and he and the others, Timothy Conklin and Harry Hernandez, died. Amon’s body was recovered that day and Conklin’s the next. Hernandez’ body was not recovered until March 24 when the sunken wreck was raised. Relatives of all three victims have filed multi-million dollar federal lawsuits against the owners of the "Specialist" and "Realist", the New York Marine Towing Inc.; the owner of the crane barge and Trevor, Weeks Marine; the bridge contractor Tappan Zee Constructors; and Traylor Bros., the company that operated the construction barge. A lawyer representing Amon’s widow, Donna, said the new information about the captains was disturbing, particularly because working conditions on the trip may have left Amon fatigued. At the time of the accident, police were told that only Crowley, Morrison and a third crew member were on board Realist. The third member has not be publicly identified, and it was unclear whether he was qualified to pilot the tug. It was unclear whether Mercante was aware of the new witness' account. The "Specialist" had initially led the crane barge up to Albany. When it was directed to return with the crane to New Jersey, Crowley sought additional tugs for the job. Weeks Marine arranged for Morrison to bring the "Realist" and later sent the "Trevor" as well. The lawsuit includes allegations against the bridge contractors, particularly that the construction barge was configured improperly based on a Coast Guard directive for that week. The bow rake was in the front of the barge facing up river. When the "Specialist" hit it, the tug got sucked under the bow rake. Had the barge been configured properly, it would have just gotten pinned against the side of it.

Skipper may have drowned in attempt to save others

A short footage of the sinking of the "Specialist" on Mar 12, shot by one of the workers on a construction barge, was released by James Forde of Manhattan, an attorney for Paul Amon, 62, of Bayville, New Jersey. Amon was piloting the "Specialist" when the vessel crashed into the stationary construction barge at 5:18 a.m., killing him and two crew members, Timothy Conklin, 29, of Westbury, and Harry Hernandez, 56, of Staten Island. The "Specialist" was one of three tugboats that left the Albany area escorting a barge carrying a crane down the Hudson River to a terminal in New Jersey. The "Specialist" was at the starboard of the crane barge, and the tug "Trevor" was on its port side. The third tug, the "Realist", was pushing the crane barge from the stern or from the back. As the flotilla passed under the central span of the Tappan Zee Bridge, the "Specialist" slammed into the corner of the stationary construction barge, which tore open a large hole — about 4 feet by 8 feet — on the "Specialist" and peeled the top of the wheelhouse off. Paul Amon, of Bayville, New Jersey, died trying to rescue one of his crew members. Moments before the collision, Amon, who was piloting the "Specialist", issued a directive to the "Trevor" to pull left. At the time of crash the current was 6 knots, which was very fast and the current forced the "Specialist" to go under. Amon must have believed he could prevent the crash. Amon could have saved himself if he had jumped off the tug immediately after it crashed. Instead, Amon rushed to alert Hernandez, who was inside the tug. Just as he gets in, the whole tug got swept under and it sank. The cause of collision remained under investigation by National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard, which will take months to complete. Among the factors the Coast Guard will examine are photographs and digital recordings of the vessel’s last voyage and its sinking. Meanwhile, one of the tugboats’ owners, Weeks Marine, based in Jersey City, New Jersey, went to court and asked a federal judge to limit its liability to $1.5 million, the estimated value of the "Trevor". The company filed the petition with U.S. District Court Judge Kevin McNulty on March 15, three days after the accident, and before salvage workers recovered the body of Hernandez. Report with video: http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/video-of-tugboat-capsizing-in-hudson-1.11652933