From collection National Fisherman Collection
LB2012.15.11669
Two ships stopped dead at right angles to each other. "From an aerial starboard view, the bow of the U.S. 520 ft., 14,458-ton containership TRANSHAWAII disappears through the portside into the engine room of the 574 ft., 12,000 ton REPUBLICA de COLOMBIA. After colliding 12 miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C. shortly before 5:00 PM, Thursday Sept. 14, 1972, the two vessels remained locked, drifting northeasterly and then with a wind change southeasterly, until they were freed by a commercial tug late Friday evening. Four men were injured and another declared missing was never found. An estimated 24,000 gallons of diesel oil spilled from the Columbian freighter from Cartagena. This oil, however, either dissipated or sank before it could cause oil pollution at shore." [no NF ref]
