A barge that sunk in 1937 and was recently discovered by divers could be the source of water discoloration and fumes observed on Lake Erie near Kelleys Island, Ohio.
The tank barge Argo foundered on Lake Erie during a storm on Oct. 20, 1937 with two crew members aboard. While the men were rescued from the water by the tug Syosset, which had been towing the Argo, the location of the barge was lost. Lost with her was a cargo of crude oil and benzol — estimated to be about 100,000 gals. of each.
Although the Argo was lost, she was not forgotten. Her hazardous cargo put her on a most-wanted Great Lakes shipwreck list compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which in 2013 created a detailed risk assessment in the event that oil began to leak from the vessel.
That scenario may now have come to pass. The wreck believed to be the Argo was discovered by accident on Aug. 28. Tom Kowalczk of the Cleveland Underwater Explorers (CLUE), a group that researches and explores Great Lakes shipwrecks, had been conducting side-scan sonar in an attempt to locate a wreck from the 1840s that was believed to lie in the vicinity of Kelleys Island. Instead, a sonar image of the barge was returned.
A series of closer scans all but confirmed suspicions that this was indeed the Argo, and CLUE contacted the Ninth Coast Guard District. At first, no leak was suspected, but CLUE divers in the area then reported fumes and evidence of petroleum product in the water near the site. The Coast Guard dispatched crews to the area last week, who reported smelling “an odor of solvent” on Friday. On Saturday, Oct. 24, a Coast Guard helicopter flying over the area reported a 400-yard discoloration on the water near the site, and fumes were smelled again by a crew on the water, but by Sunday the discolored patch had vanished.
"What has been reported from responders is consistent with a lighter-end petroleum-based solvent that would quickly dissipate when it reaches the air," said Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Migliorini, commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Toledo. "Although we're still working to identify the product, the primary concern is for an inhalation hazard for the responders on-scene."
The Coast Guard has established a safety zone eight nautical miles east of Kelley's Island Shoal extending 1,000 feet around position 41-38'21"N, 082-29'35”W, and has continued to investigate in the area throughout the week, taking samples of air, water, and marine growth for further testing. They have contracted with T&T Salvage, whose divers have so far been able to complete 30 percent of the assessment of the wreck.
The question of who will pay for the cleanup efforts is still unanswered, and it appears that the money will have to come from the Superfund used to clean up sites contaminated by hazardous waste, the Coast Guard told the Detroit Free Press.
The National Museum of the Great Lakes is planning coverage of “the entire mysterious history of the Argo” in the January issue of its quarterly journal, Inland Seas.
T&T Salvage Inc. crews dive on sunken barge during Argo Response in Lake Erie, Oct. 27, 2015. Divers were conducting a survey of the barge in an attempt to locate and secure the source of a pollution spill noticed on Oct. 24. USCG video courtesy of T&T Salvage Inc.
