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cardnial77 · 07-07-2008, 02:45 PM

Block Island Ferry, Coast Guard cutter collide; no serious injuries
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 3, 2008
NEW LONDON, Conn. - A Block Island Ferry carrying between 250 and 300 passengers during the busy Independence Day holiday week collided with a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in dense fog about three miles north of the island yesterday, but no one was seriously injured, authorities said.

At an evening news conference at the cutter's home port of New London, the Coast Guard said it was not certain of the cause, though it said visibility at the time was about 200 yards.

"At this point the circumstance as to how the crash occurred is part of the investigation. It is not available this early," said Chief Petty Officer Amy Thomas. "We regret any inconvenience or distress this might have caused anybody on the ferry."

The 175-foot ferry was on an hour-long run to Block Island from Point Judith, R.I., and the 140-foot buoy tender Morro Bay was returning to New London from Newport, R.I., when the collision occurred about 12:15 p.m., the Coast Guard said. The cutter has a crew of 18.

Thomas said the Coast Guard vessel had radar.

"As far as we know all the equipment was operating properly," she said. The crew members from both vessels will undergo drug and alcohol testing, and passengers and crew will also be interviewed, Thomas said.

The 1,000-passenger capacity ferry, named Block Island, always uses radar and was using it at the time of the collision, said William A. McCombe, the ferry company's security officer. It is the primary year-round vessel that services the island, he said.

"That boat has made thousands of trips. This is the first incident that I know of like that involving that vessel," he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board also was investigating the crash, he said.

Brad Barco, 28, of West Greenwich, R.I., said he was riding on the top, outside level of the ferry close to the front with his girlfriend. He said the fog was thick and the ferry captain was blowing his horn every five minutes when they saw the Coast Guard cutter appear about 100 feet off the left of the ferry. Barco said both ships tried to avoid an impact and were able to slow down quite a bit before they collided.