Salvors Will Dismantle Trawler That Ran Aground Near Portland, Maine

The U.S. Coast Guard has approved a plan to dismantle a trawler that ran aground near Portland, Maine over the weekend, according to local media. 

The trawler Tara Lynn II grounded in the early hours of Saturday morning near Trundy Point, a headland located about five nautical miles southeast of Portland. Conditions on scene were difficult, with winds blowing to 45 knots and waves of about six feet. The area was so shallow that first responders had difficulty reaching the boat by water, and had to use the local fire department's 10-foot inflatable boat to rescue the crewmembers. Despite the hazards, the four fishermen on the boat were ferried the short distance to shore, two at a time.

Courtesy Cape Elizabeth Fire/Rescue

"We got washed past the spot where we wanted to extricate the people off the boat two times," said local fireman Lt. Nate Perry, speaking to Spectrum News. The small-boat team had to maneuver around the trawler's rigging, which was dangling in the water, and hold the boat steady alongside in rough conditions. 

The site is well above water at low tide, and the wreck of the Tara Lynn II sits far up towards the shoreline. Parker Poole, a local salvor and tug operator, told the AP that he plans to drive excavators out on the flat to demolish the boat in place.