Sinking of Tank Barge Nash, Towed by Towing Vessel Calvin

What Happened

The tank barges Nash and Kenny were fully loaded with liquid magnesium chloride and being towed by the uninspected towing vessel Calvin from Guerrero Negro, Mexico, to British Columbia, Canada, when the Nash began to list noticeably to its starboard side about 1145 on June 8, 2014. Listing and trimming by the stern increased over the next 6 hours, and the US Coast Guard directed the Calvin captain to tow the Nash to a nearby anchorage. About 1805, the Nash sank stern first in 240 feet of water, about 3 nautical miles west of Point Conception, California. About a week after the sinking, a salvage team partially refloated the Nash and towed it to its disposal location about 17 nautical miles from shore.

What We Found

​​​The probable cause of the sinking of tank barge Nash was flooding of the aft starboard-side void tank. The mechanism for entry of flooding water to this tank could not be determined because the barge was not salvaged and was not available for examination after it sank.​

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