JUNEAU, Alaska (D17 Public Affairs) – The 178-foot Spirit of Glacier Bay was re-floated from a sand bar in Tarr Inlet at 4:23 p.m. today. Preliminary assessment of the vessel’s propulsion system is operational. No pollution has been reported and boom has been prestaged on board the Spirit of Glacier Bay as a precautionary measure.
All passengers and non-essential crew were transferred from the vessel to the Glacier Bay Park Service vessel, Fairweather II Express, and taken to Gustavus, Alaska. The remaining crew, a Coast Guard inspector and investigator, along with three divers will remain on the vessel during its transit to Bartlett Cove.
Divers will evaluate the vessel hull in the morning. The cause of the grounding is under investigation.
