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Event

Oil Queen capsizing and righting (1973)

Also 1973 Oil Queen disaster averted · Oil Queen barge righting

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypeEvent
WithinSand Bay · Saint James Harbor
ErasModern era

Summary

In June 1973, the fully loaded tanker barge Oil Queen capsized while being towed between Charlevoix and Saint James. Jewell Gillespie brought it into Sand Bay and then Saint James, where the fuel was transferred to storage tanks and the barge was righted with cranes, a winch truck, American Girl, and Eager Beaver under the direction of Chief Quartermaster A. J. Gallagher.

Evidence and limits

The July report calls the incident averted with only a few gallons of spillage. It does not provide an exact date, weather log, inspection findings, cargo quantity beyond the separate 28,000-gallon vessel description, or a formal accident report.

See also

Sources

  1. Beaver Beacon, July 1973, “Disaster Averted.”
    Reports that the fully loaded Oil Queen capsized during a tow by Jewell Gillespie in American Girl, that it was brought into Sand Bay and then St. James for inspection and righting, that fuel was transferred to storage tanks, and that A. J. Gallagher directed the righting with American Girl, Eager Beaver, two cranes, and a winch truck; the issue says the incident occurred the previous month and does not give an exact day or fuel quantity.