One Tugboat's Race to the Rescue
Dave Shirlaw
January 16, 2009
One Tugboat's Race to the Rescue
By Ken Belson
The New York Times
Capt. Conrad H. Roy Jr. and his three-man crew on the tugboat the CO
were near Governors Island on Thursday when they heard on their radio
that a plane had just gone down in the Hudson River. Another tug was
nearby, but it was hauling oil and was unable to help. So Captain
Roy, who was returning to New Haven after dropping off a barge of
construction supplies in Peekskill, N.Y., headed back up the Hudson
to the crash site.
His quick decision proved critical, because his tugboat played a big
role in stabilizing and then hauling the US Airways jet, an Airbus
A320, to shore.
"When we heard about it, we just headed back" at about 12 knots,
Captain Roy said Friday morning by cellphone. "I didn't know if we
could be a help, because there other boats there. I've never been
involved in anything quite like this, never a plane this large. We
have rescued small planes after the fact, small planes off the
Vineyard."
On their way to the site, Captain Roy and his crew, who work for
Tucker-Roy Marine Towing and Salvage, could see the scene on their
television. They also monitored channel 16 on the radio.
"I could see the scene, lots of crashing light, lots of vessels," he
said. "You couldn't see too much, because the plane was on the other
side of a fireboat. I saw a lot of debris, a lot of seat cushions, a
lot of life jackets, a lot of black bags. I couldn't believe how fast
people got there. It's amazing how it happened there — it couldn't
have happened in a better spot, with all the traffic."
At that point, just before 4:30 p.m., all the passengers appeared to
be off the plane, but the fireboat was having trouble keeping it
afloat. That's when the Coast Guard called the CO and asked Captain
Roy to proceed to the crash site.
"We were the first tug on the scene," he said. "Others were
behind us
or tied up on the docks. I wondering if I could be of help. When I
heard there were that many people on the plane, I had diving gear on
board, I thought could help. So I took the gear out."
Captain Roy said he was aware of the gravity of the moment. "A little
bit, my heart raced," he said. "When I went by the fire vessel, I
didn't know if there were others on the plane, but I was ready to go
on the plane. I had my wet suit on."
What the Coast Guard really needed was for Captain Roy's tug to help
keep the plane from sinking in the middle of the river, which would
have shut down navigation until it could have been dredged. Once the
CO was tethered to the fireboat, Captain Roy was asked for shackles,
ropes and other equipment. A rope was already through both cockpit
doors and linked to the fireboat, the John D. McKean.
But because the fireboat was pointed to the plane's tail, which was
sinking, "it was very awkward," Captain Roy said.
"They couldn't push it forward," he said. "It needed some extra
leverage, we were facing the opposite direction, so we could pull it
the other way."
Hauling a jet plane was a lot more challenging than a barge, he
said: "I couldn't put a lot of power on it. There was a lot of a
boats around, so I couldn't maneuver the way I wanted. We weren't
secure too well. The tide was running two to three knots, right at
the maximum ebb. You don't notice it in the river, but when you get
to the docks, it's harder."
The first plan, he said, was to take the plane to the flats south of
the Holland Tunnel ventilator. But that plan was scrapped in favor of
taking it to Battery Park.
"It was an impromptu plan," he said. "It just landed at Battery
Park."
After the CO arrived, Captain Roy was told that a salvage boat with a
crane would be there shortly. So he readied his boat to leave.
Unfortunately, one of his crew members, Roger Gosselin, was still
aboard the fireboat. By the time the CO returned to get him, Mr.
Gosselin had jumped on another boat. Ultimately, the CO found him and
they made their way back to New Haven.
That was when Captain Roy had a few moments to absorb what had just
happened:
"I got a little bit caught up in the moment. I heard it on the news,
and everyone was calling me on the phone, and people we're seeing me
on TV. The confusion was there were so many people to direct and no
one wanted to take the authority to make the decisions. But they were
worried about it sinking, and it would close down the river."
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