The Worst Ferry Disaster in History | Luling George Prince Ferry The 120-foot George Prince and the 665-foot Frosta collided as the ferry made its early morning journey from Destrehan to Luling mainly carrying industry workers as it had done hundreds of times before. As they were preparing to offload vehicles, an engineer burst through the door, saying a passenger saw a ship run over the ferry. I had gone down pretty deep I guess. The Coast Guard, immediately notified of the collision from the frantic radio calls, dispatched helicopters to the scene. About 20 people were crowded in a waiting room to avoid the pre-dawn chill. The pedestrian free ferry on the Mississippi River. The Frosta ran over the smaller boat and flipped it over sending vehicles and ninety-five passengers into the cold, muddy waters of the river. All Austin Area Seton Medical Centers. The MV George Prince ferry disaster was a nautical disaster that occurred in the Mississippi River in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the morning of October 20, 1976. I could hear horns blowing, but I couldnt see anything from where the cars were parked. According to the St. Charles Parish website, the George Prince was crossing the. Local suppliers, vendors, companies, and individuals donated the equipment, labor, and materials to build it. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}295617N 902137W / 29.93813N 90.36015W / 29.93813; -90.36015, Aerial photos of the ferry landings today, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Ferries of Louisiana: Mv George Prince Ferry Disaster", "30 years ago: 78 die in worst ferry disaster in U.S. history", "Fertilizer explosion kills 581 in Texas", "National Transportation Safety Board Safety Recommendations M79_32_37", "Flashback in history: Sinking of ferry George Prince", "Marine Casualty Report SS Frosta M/V George Prince: U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation Report and Commandant's Actions (Report No. USCG 16732/73429)", "40 years ago: Luling ferry disaster claimed 78 lives", Cypress Lake News, Vol. Steven Williamson, Kenner, Louisiana [12] The film was released on the 30th anniversary of the disaster and sparked a movement to bring a memorial for the victims and survivors to St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. Ferry disaster remembered 44 years later - L'Observateur LULING, La. The disaster was all but officially forgotten until 2006, when historian and filmmaker Royd Anderson wrote and directed the documentary The Luling Ferry Disaster for his Master's thesis project in Communication at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The LulingDestrehan Ferry was a ferry across the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana, connecting Luling and Destrehan. The film recounts > The only monument to the victims sits 15 miles away near the St. John the > Baptist Parish Courthouse in Edgard. In 1969, the US Coast Guard ceased inspection and certification of the vessel at the request of the state of Louisiana. In 1976, The Luling ferry disaster claimed the lives of 78 victimsa tragedy that spurred efforts to replace Mississippi River ferries with bridges. The SS Frosta noticed the ferry The LulingDestrehan Ferry, George Prince, was struck by the Norwegian tanker SS Frosta.The ferry was crossing from Destrehan, Louisiana on the East Bank to Luling, Louisiana on the West Bank. The others were a pedestrian ferry between Norco and Taft, and a vehicle ferry between Edgard and Reserve. Total. A memorial to the accident victims was later placed in Edgard in front of the St. John Parish courthouse. Joseph Michelli, Hammond, Louisiana Riviera Maya Apartments For Rent, Astrobiology Journals, Flushed Away Toad And Le Frog, Enthusiastic Teacher Quotes, , Astrobiology Journals, Flushed Away Toad And Le Frog, Enthusiastic Teacher Quotes, On October 20, 1976, the automobile ferry, MV George Prince, was struck by a ship traveling upstream as the ferry attempted to cross from Destrehan, Louisiana, to Luling, Louisiana. The disaster was a cataclysmic . Barry Neyrey, Metairie, Louisiana A plywood box was found in the pilot house, containing various logbooks and other documents, along with a half-pint bottle of Seagrams V. O. whiskey, with about an inch of whiskey remaining. Ferry Accident - 1976 - St. Charles Parish, Louisiana Virtual History The others were the pedestrian TaftNorco Ferry and the vehicle EdgardReserve Ferry. The ferry's pilot, Egidio "Gene" Auletta, was primarily responsible for the accident, according to the Coast Guard Because of the nature of maritime travel, there is often a substantial loss of life. How to help Fort Hood victims. To go home, he used the Huey P. Long Bridge. Henry Hills Jr., Hammond, Louisiana how long does deca durabolin take to work. It was reported in newspapers at the time that several St. Charles Parish officials said the monument site was changed to Edgard in St. John the Baptist Parish because the old St. Charles Police Jury didnt want to give Becnel an advantage in his race against District Attorney Harry Morel that year. The reminder is important to Anderson because he feels like younger residents of the parish dont know enough about the tragic event. They were on the vessel at 7:34. The asphalt ramps to the tops of the levees still exist, but have fallen into disrepair. The Luling-Destrehan Ferry was one of three routes then operated by the Louisiana Department of Highways, District 2. Your email address will not be published. He blew the ship's horn twice, indicating his desire to pass in front of the ferry. Revisit the agony of the Luling ferry disaster, the horror of Pan Am Flight 759 slamming into a Kenner neighborhood and the Mother's Day bus crash on 610 that claimed twenty-two lives. Includes interviews with a survivor, family of victims, attorneys involved in the legal action, and Archbishop Hannan of New Orleans Back to main previous post. The next morning, lifting operations began, and continued late into the night. James Anderson, lynched, Taylor Ferry, Ala. Oct. 10 1896 Lewis Fox lynched Luling LA Dec. 29 1892 Adam Gripson lynched Luling LA Dec. 29 1892 Joseph Momas lynched Luling LA Jan. 26 1903 Henry Hill lynched Mangham LA Sept. 8 1909 George Clayton lynched Mangham LA 5 Yokum, IST 2nd Class Kevin Wayne .. HR 1 LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS (cont.) The The MV George Prince ferry disaster was a nautical disaster that occurred in the Mississippi River in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the morning of October 20, 1976. By the 1950s, ferry service had improved with a more modern Luling/Destrehan ferry. The ferry was towed to the Louisiana Department of Highways yard in Plaquemine, LA, for further investigation. Having spotted the Ollie K. Wilds crossing, the pilot was aware of the ferry operation. "The Luling Ferry Disaster," will be > shown Thursday at 7 p.m. at the St. Charles Parish West Bank Regional > Library, 105 Lakewood Drive, Luling, and Friday at 10 a.m. at the East . luling ferry disaster victims - yoursakhi.com The collision occurred at mile post 120.8 above Head of Passes, less than three-quarters of a mile from the construction site of the Luling Bridge which would replace the ferry seven years later. Darrel Rodriguez, Ponchatoula, Louisiana But they refused, claiming it would be too painful of a reminder, Anderson said. Adamma stands with Royd Anderson, creator of the Luling Ferry Disaster Documentary. Ninety-six passengers and crew were aboard the ferry when it was struck, and seventy-eight perished. The MV George Prince ferry disaster was a nautical disaster that occurred in the Mississippi River in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the morning of October 20, 1976 (). The 1976 MV George Prince ferry disaster in Luling became the topic of his masters thesis project, when the 30th anniversary of the tragedy was quickly approaching. On October 20, 1976, the automobile ferry, MV George Prince, was struck by a ship traveling upstream as the ferry attempted to cross from Destrehan, Louisiana, to Luling, Louisiana. None of the crew of the SS Frosta were injured or killed in the accident. Mary Lightsey, Destrehan, Louisiana Hollis Hodges, Cocoa, Florida The SS Frosta noticed the ferry Luling, TX 78648. Food was brought in for the workers at the temporary headquarters set up on the batture. Documentary Is Catalyst For Long-awaited Memorial. [8], From the Coast Guard investigation report:[10]. One helicopter stopped at Lakefront Airport to pick up a diving team. During peak hours, the ferries did not operate on a fixed schedule. Once loaded, the George Prince departed and made a short run upriver before turning to cross the river. Hurest Anderson, LaPlace, Louisiana The George Prince was 120 feet (37m) in length and 34 feet (10m) in breadth, with a gross weight of 259 tons, and powered by a 670-horsepower (500kW) diesel engine. Now at age 89, Songy just wishes he wouldnt have to think about the loss anymore, even on the 40th anniversary of the Luling Ferry Disaster. Sept. 8, 2021, 4:53 PM PDT. If he made a radical turn to starboard, he would have been in jeopardy of collision with the ship moored at the grain elevator. Joseph Harris, Tallulah, Louisiana Jerry Randle, engineer, New Sarpy, Louisiana Anthony Breaux, LaPlace, Louisiana Luling Ferry Disaster - YouTube A total of 18 passengers survived the collision. This was the MV Ollie K. Wilds, which worked the route along with the George Prince. (Photos courtesy of the St. Charles Herald, Patrick Yoes, and Chip Zeringue). This article about transportation in Louisiana is a stub. The ferry was one of three routes then operated New orleans boating accident lawyers morris bart llc barges 1 10 new jersey scuba diving luling ferry disaster the times from shreveport louisiana on october 19 2006 page I pull my Mahindra 2615 in my garage bay under my house quite often & each time I have to fold down the ROPS. The George Prince proceeded across the river, never changing course nor acknowledging radio traffic. This is an original press photo. Kenneth Songy was driving to work when he heard news of the SS Frosta colliding with the George Prince ferry in Luling, but wasn't concerned because he thought his son had Documentary Is Catalyst For Long-awaited Memorial. Seventy-eight people perished in the crash, and most of the family members of the victims still reside in St. Charles Parish. The George Prince Ferry accident lost 77 people that day and. As the 120-foot ferry turned toward the Luling dock, Auletta seemed oblivious to frantic horn blasts and radio calls from the 665-foot-long tanker that towered over the ferry's port side. Luling-Destrehan ferry disaster: 40 years ago today - NOLA.com The collision occurred at mile post 120.8 above Head of Passes, less than It was placed there in 1979 after St. "The Luling Ferry A move is afoot to build a new memorial to the victims of the Luling ferry disaster that killed 77 people 30 years ago today. Filmmaker Royd Anderson is on a crusade to get a memorial in St. Charles Parish where the worst ferry accident in U.S. history took place.