Removing submerged objects

[Ted]

A friend of mind hit an uncharted submerged object in our local NY bay causing considerable damage to his boat. Is there an agency that this incident can be reported to? If the object was something like a submerged boat or car, would any government agency remove it? If it won't be removed, could it be accurately located and placed on newly updated charts?

 

[woodster]

call the port authority and see what they say .....or who ever is over maintaining the navigation of that body of water...but first mark your chart so you will know its there

 

[Benny17441]

I would guess it will vary by municipality, check with the local. The USCG will not get involved unless it is an obstruction to commercial navigation. Charts don't get updated very often so it might be a while before an obstruction could be charted. Perhaps the best course of action is to get a local yacht club, marina or some entity to set and maintain some floating markers at the location.

 

[Ted]

Unfortunately the exact location of the obstruction isn't known. Might be able to estimate within a quarter mile diameter.

 

[woodster]

some body will find it again

 

[Benny17441]

Unfortunately the exact location of the obstruction isn't known. Might be able to estimate within a quarter mile radius.

Yes, that is quite large of an area. Other than sounding the area in grid passes it may be hard to intentionally locate. The best thing might be to impart local knowledge by word of mouth that there is an underwater obstruction in the area and to transit at slow speed. Slow speed reduces damages.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Unfortunately the exact location of the obstruction isn't known. Might be able to estimate within a quarter mile radius.

Too bad your friend did not push his MOB button or otherwise fix the location. However, if it's been there for a while it might have already been reported in the Local Notice to Mariners for your District (#1). You could check that (see below). Perhaps, get a chart, draw a radius around the approximate location, then check the Local Notice to see if any obstruction or object not on the chart is reported in the Notice. This would be a BIG job, however.

Obviously, I have no idea the chart reading skill of any particular boater, but assuming your friend is average in that respect he might not recognize all of the chart symbols. NOAA Chart No. 1 has all of the symbols and definitions. I say this b/c if your friend discovered an "uncharted" submerged object that he hit, then one assumes that he would also know his location closer than 1/4 n.mi. of the object. In other words, did he actually know his location re: the chart, and if so did he correctly read the chart symbols, etc.? I admit that I had been sailing for some length of time b/f I knew the meaning of certain important symbols such as that for objects submerged at high tide, but not at low tide, etc., among other things.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lnmMain

 

[Kings Gambit]

Perhaps the best course of action is to get a local yacht club, marina or some entity to set and maintain some floating markers at the location.

Good luck with that! I cannot imagine a yacht club (or any other private, recreational, member organization) taking on the government's responsibility and associated liability, plus cost, of setting and maintaining a warning buoy or light even if it were allowed to do so.

 

[Captn Scotty]

I don't know about the U.S, but in Canada it's a legal obligation to report new found dangers to the Coast Gaurd, which they advertise in Notice to Shipping and Notice to Mariners. I think it is a noble thing to do for fellow boaters as well.

 

[DAVA390]

Perhaps a local DNR ( Dept. Of Natural Recourses) or river keepers volunteer origination ?

 

[Ted]

I heard that a few boats that sunk in that area during hurricane Sandy haven't been found yet. This may have been one of them. Immediately after hitting a submerged object I would probably be more concerned about checking out the integrity of the boat and whether it was taking on water before trying to pinpoint the obstruction location. The chart reading skills of the captain are excellent. There are no reported notices for that area. Sounds like Canada has it right regarding the legal obligation of reporting obstructions.

 

[njlarry]

Just one or two plane jugs used as floats would keep other boats away. Certainly a phone call to the CG would be indicated and advise him in the proper course of action. He may not know the exact spot but he likely knows what course he was on.

 

[zeehag]

report to uscg the hazard to navigation. that is the protocol.
with a cruisers net one is able to announce to the other cruisers that the obstruction exists and location.
also advise any marinas nearby of the issue--perhaps they can help mark it with you.
the only ones who can do anything about it is uscg.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Here's our USCG Recreational Boating Accident Report form; it does not request the specific location of the "collision with a submerged object", and does not ask for the kind of information that would be useful to a future boater in the vicinity of that submerged object to avoid the same fate. Perhaps there is a follow-up procedure that would. Evidently, a report is required within 10 days if $2,000 or more of damage was sustained.

https://www.uscg.mil/forms/cg/CG_3865.pdf

 

[Kings Gambit]

There's also this from the USCG playbook.

§64.31 Determination of hazard to navigation.
In determining whether an obstruction is a hazard to navigation for the purposes of
marking, the District Commander considers, but is not limited to, the following factors:
(a) Location of the obstruction in relation to the navigable channel and other navigational
traffic patterns;
(b) Navigational difficulty in the vicinity of the obstruction;
(c) Depth of water over the obstruction, fluctuation of the water level, and other
hydrologic characteristics in the area;
(d) Draft, type, and density of vessel traffic or other marine activity in the vicinity of the
obstruction;
(e) Physical characteristics of the obstruction;
(f) Possible movement of the obstruction;
(g) Location of the obstruction in relation to other obstructions or aids to navigation;
(h) Prevailing and historical weather conditions;
(i) Length of time that the obstruction has been in existence;
(j) History of vessel incidents involving the obstruction; and
(k) Whether the obstruction is defined as a hazard to navigation under other statutes or
regulations. [CGD 91–031, 57 FR 43403, Sept. 21, 1992]

 

[Kings Gambit]

There's also this in the Hazards to Navigation playbook.

Section A: Receiving the Report
A.1. Initial
Notification
Possible reporting sources for initial notification of a hazard or obstruction to navigation include, but are not limited to:
• Recreational boaters.
• Commercial mariners.
• Maritime pilots.
• Underway USCG units.
• Other Government Agencies.
SCCs [Sector Command Centers] and MSUs [Marine Safety Units] remain the primary point of contact for receiving the initial notification and initial processing, but are not always the first to be contacted by the reporting source. Other USCG units or offices who may receive the initial notification include, but are not limited to:
• Vessel traffic centers.
• Marine safety detachments.
• Stations.
• Aids to navigation teams.
• Waterways managers.
Regardless of who receives the initial notification, forward all reports of potential hazards or obstructions to the cognizant SCC or MSU for initial processing, which may include follow up actions, appropriate briefs to the sector or MSU staff, and issuing broadcast notice to mariners.

https://www.uscg.mil/forcecom/ttp/pubs/CGTTP_3_71_5_WWM_Hazards_to_Navigation.pdf