Old tugboat finds a new home on Whidbey beach

Herald staff

WHIDBEY ISLAND — A derelict tugboat that drifted 20 miles from an illegal moorage before running aground off Whidbey Island is going nowhere for the time being, Coast Guard officers have decided.

"We do not plan to attempt to tow the vessel at this time," Lt. Cdr. Steven O’Malley said.

Before the 81-foot Sea Way 10 is towed out of Useless Bay, eight large batteries containing sulfuric acid will be removed, O’Malley added.

Investigators determined earlier that no fuel or oil was aboard the 146-ton vessel, which got loose over the weekend and drifted northward on Sunday. The tug was tied illegally to an Army Corps of Engineers buoy south of Shilshole Bay in midsummer, and authorities have been unable to locate the owner.

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