61’ Buddy Davis Salvage Performed in Ft. Lauderdale
TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale received a call during the early morning hours of July 22nd that a 61’ Buddy Davis Sportfish had taken on water and settled to the bottom in her slip at a Ft. Lauderdale Marina. Upon receiving approval from the vessel owner to proceed, the TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale salvage crew got to work immediately. 3 trucks, the Sunken Vessel Recovery Unit and 7 crew were all on scene an hour later.
After deploying containment and absorbent boom to ensure environmental damage was kept to a minimum, divers began rigging lift bags. Six 6000# bags and two 4000# bags were rigged. As the bags were inflated, the wreck slowly rose from the bottom. Four 4” Diesel dewatering pumps along with two 3” gas pumps and one 2” gas pump were used to pump the boat out once the gunwales rose above the surface of the water. Once she was fully dewatered, all savage equipment was derigged and the casualty was towed to a local haul out facility for preservation and surveyor inspection.
The company which was founded in 1989 has assembled an impressive inventory of salvage equipment over the years. A few highlights of the equipment at their fingertips includes a large inventory of lift bags ranging from a massive 12,000 pounds down to 2,000 pounds of lift capacity each. Their extensive stock of dewatering pumps includes 4” diesel pumps, 2” and 3” gas pumps, 3” hydraulic pumps and a variety of electric pumps offering plenty of dewatering capacity for yachts of any size. The highest capacity of these pumps has the ability to pump 550 gallons of water per minute! Each piece of salvage equipment is either housed in their mobile vessel recovery unit or on skids in their warehouse for rapid deployment to any job location near or far. Finally, crew training and safety are top priorities for the TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale salvage team. Director of Operations Kevin Collins stated “Our goal is to perform each salvage as efficiently as possible while keeping our crew and others safe. We also pay close attention to protecting surfaces and leaving the vessel in MUCH better shape than we found it. Our crew knows that the goal is to preserve vessel value for the owner and insurance provider!”
As the average yacht size continues to grow, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale is poised to assist with the salvage needs for all vessels, regardless of size. Solving Complex Marine Problems Since 1989 is more than a catchy phrase that the company leadership devised 10 years ago… it is what they do every day.
