(ASTORIA, Ore.) — Tourist No. 2, a 98-year-old former passenger ferry, sank at its berth Thursday on the Columbia River in Astoria, Ore. The U.S. Coast Guard responded and has initiated an investigation into the cause of the sinking.
Containment boom was deployed around the 98-foot vessel and Global Diving and Salvage was contracted to provide cleanup services. No one was aboard at the time of the sinking and no estimate was available about the amount of fuel that may have been discharged.
The wood-hulled Tourist No. 2, which was idle and undergoing restoration, was built in 1924 for service in the Pacific Northwest. The vessel also was used by the U.S. Army in World War II as a mine layer and cargo vessel. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
