The Corps and partners work to remove Tug Diane from the Columbia River

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) will begin removal of the sunken Tug Diane this Friday, September 13, 2019.

The tug removal will take place during day light hours from Friday until Sunday, September 15, 2019.

SMIT Salvage, under contract with SUPSALV, will anchor the crane barge and set-up on Friday. Divers will anchor the barge on the upstream side of the Tug Diane and lower a current screen in place to protect divers from the high current. Divers will remove any remaining fuel on the DIANE and install lifting chains on Saturday.  The crane will lift and remove the Tug Diane on Sunday.

The U.S. Coast Guard will establish a safety zone around these salvage operations and will have two boats on site during removal efforts to monitor operations.

Bonneville Power Administration will be reducing daytime flows out of Bonneville Dam during the three day operation to support safe dive operations.

The Tug Diane sunk in the Columbia River between river miles 142 and 143, just downstream of Bonneville Dam. The tug is partially within the Federal Navigation Channel and is currently a hazard to river navigation.

Navigation is the Corps’ oldest mission, dating back to 1871, authorizing it to maintain the nation’s waterways for navigation and commerce. The Portland District is responsible for half of the Corps’ oceangoing dredge fleet, helping to keep waterways open along the West Coast and as far as Hawaii and Alaska.

For more information, please contact the Portland District public affairs office at 503-808-4510. Learn more about the Portland District’s navigation mission at https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/.