Rescue boats and crane coming to aid of sunken barge at Steeplechase Pier in Coney Island. April 14, 2013. Photo © Bruce Handy
On Sunday morning, a flotilla of rescue boats and barges were in the water east of Coney Island’s Steeplechase Pier where a construction barge and a Vergona crawler crane sank yesterday. Today’s efforts were focused on trying to remove the barge from the pier. The sunken equipment had been brought to the site a few days ago, where Triton Construction is doing repairs. The 1000-foot Steeplechase Pier was damaged by Superstorm Sandy. On Friday, the pier was swarming with workers, all wearing harnesses. By Friday night the construction barge began to list.
The above photo of the rescue craft was shot this morning by Coney Island photographer Bruce Handy, who said the big crane is twice the size of the sunken one. The dramatic photographs below of the sinking barge were taken on Saturday morning by Jim McDonnell, whose news-breaking photos ATZ posted yesterday in “Sinking Barge at Coney Island’s Steeplechase Pier.”
Sinking Barge and Crane at Steeplechase Pier, Coney Island. April 13, 2013. Photo © Jim McDonnell
According to NY1, the Coast Guard says the fire department had contractors unload fuel from the barge and there were no leaks. The barge’s owner is reponsible for coming up with a plan for salvaging it. We hope this is resolved quickly and doesn’t delay the reconstruction of the pier, which was scheduled to be completed by July 4th.
UPDATE April 24, 2013
The post-Sandy reconstruction of Steeplechase Pier is back up to speed after a construction barge sank on April 13: “Photo Album: Coney Island April 2013 Construction Update”, ATZ, April 24, 2013
Sinking Barge at Steeplechase Pier, Coney Island. April 13, 2013. Photo © Jim McDonnell
Related posts on ATZ…
March 14, 2013: Photo of the Day: Repairing Sandy-Damaged Steeplechase Pier
October 31, 2012: Photo Album: Hurricane Sandy’s Aftermath in Coney Island
August 10, 2012: Steeplechase Plaza Under Construction in Coney Island
August 24, 2010: Video: Coney Island Pier Divers by Kevin C Downs
Amusing the Zillion 
T, Thank you for your thorough report on this. It’s like….. what’s gonna happen next!
I went by there today. The barge is sunk. you can just see white water breaking over the sunken barge, and two poles breaking through the surface of the water.
[…] on the 1,000-foot pier began in March, but suffered a setback when one of the barges and a crane involved in the repairs sank into the water in April […]