Maritime Accident News

Cruise Boat Collides with Fireboat

A cruise boat struck Washington DC’s main fireboat on Saturday, January 31, 2009, while the fireboat was docked.  The cruise boat left a 15-foot-hole in the fireboat and fire officials believe it will disable the vessel for the foreseeable future.

According to authorities, no one was injured in the collision and there were no passengers aboard the 600-person cruise boat, known as the Spirit of Washington.  The accident occurred at approximately 2:00 PM along Pier 4 at Sixth and Water streets SW.

The four person crew aboard the Spirit of Washington was attempting to perform a routine maneuver to reposition the ship alongside the pier, said Sal Naso, vice president and general manager of Spirit Cruises.

“They were just turning it around.  It’s done a thousand times a year…We’re obviously going to take care of the fire department,” said Naso.

Naso said that the damage to the cruise boat was minimal and that the company was using another boat, the Spirit of Mount Vernon, for its scheduled dinner cruise.

However, damage to the 70-foot fireboat known as the John Glenn was considerable, according to Alan Etter, spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.  The gash is on the starboard side of the vessel, above the water line, and will need to be repaired before the fireboat can be used again.  Etter also described the fireboat as “a very necessary part of the department” and that it was a big deal to lose it.

Etter said that the John Glenn is the city’s only fireboat that has the capability to break ice.  The vessel was an important instrument in battling a fire three years ago on the water, which involved three yachts.  The John Glenn has been with the District since 1978 and was returned to the fire department five years ago after it underwent a two year refurbishing process.

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