NY Ferry Grounded

The U.S. Coast Guard responded yesterday to a report of a ferry vessel aground near Liberty Island.  The Golden Sunshine, a 90-foot tourist transport based in New Jersey, ran aground on rocks on the northern side of Liberty Island while enroute to Manhattan at approximately 11:15 a.m. Coast Guard Sector New York received notification at 11:30. The vessel was towed into deeper water by a U.S. Park Police vessel. A New York Fire Department vessel was also on scene to assist in the tow. The Coast Guard Cutter Line was diverted from a routine patrol to escort the Golden Sunshine to its berth at the Liberty Landing Marina in the Morris Canal, N.J. "They went up from Liberty Park to the Morris Canal under their own power," said Petty Officer 1 Class Brian McClung, a watchstander at Coast Guard Sector New York. "The Line escorted them there just in case something happened. We have Coast Guard investigators onboard that met the vessel at the pier." There are no reports of injury or pollution