Hull pierced, bulk ship disabled at Superior, Wisc.

(SUPERIOR, Wisc.) — A bulk ship on its way to lay up for the winter had its hull breached, possibly by an underwater object, the Duluth News Tribune newspaper reported. The crew was evacuated from the Walter J. McCarthy Jr., and the engine room is flooded. The Coast Guard said underwater ice or a concrete piling may be to blame for piercing the hull. The 1,000-foot ship, normally used to haul coal on the Great Lakes, was empty at the time.
 
Click here to read the newspaper’s story.
 
By Professional Mariner Staff