Cape Cod, MA, United States (AHN) – A pirate-themed ship disabled off the coast of Massachusetts sunk to the bottom of the ocean late Wednesday, a day after its crew was safely evacuated.
Raw Faith, which was built by its captain to give free tours to people on wheelchairs, rested at about 6,000 feet under water, bringing with it hopes of rustic wheelchair-accessible sailing adventures, at least for the meantime.
The 118-foot vessel continued to take on water after suffering structural damage on Monday. It now lies about 166 miles southeast of Cape Cod.
The Coast Guard said the depth of its final resting place puts the ship safely out of the way of other vessels, and makes salvage operations unfeasible.
Only four five-gallon gas cans and two gallons of diesel oil were on board. No pollution has been detected but the Coast Guard was scheduled to fly over the area to check for signs of leakage.
Ship captain George McKay and a deck hand were evacuated about 100 miles from Nantucket on Tuesday. The two had sent an emergency signal the previous day, when the Raw Faith was disabled amid 30-knot winds, 15-foot seas and temperatures in the low 50s.
Rescuers initially planned on bringing the crew additional safety gear but rough seas prevented them from doing so. They decided against towing the 300-ton vessel to the harbor after boarding the ship and finding it damaged.
McKay and his deck hand did not suffer any major injuries despite having jumped into the water in survival suits. They were hoisted aboard a Coast Guard chopper in a basket. Both were checked for injuries at Cape Cod and released.
Raw Faith was designed to look like a 16th century English galleon. It was built by McKay, whose oldest child spent most of her life in a wheelchair.
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