Another Section of the Doomed Korean Freighter, Golden Ray Has Been Removed from Brunswick, Georgia

Section 7 of The Golden RayImage by Capt. Chris McIntosh of Island Catch Charters

Image Credit to Capt. Chris McIntosh of Island Catch Charters

Another section, officially Section 7, of the capsized Golden Ray has finally been separated from the rest of the wreck on Monday, April 26, according to the St. Simons Sound Incident Response team. Removing this latest section of the Golden Ray, which has been capsized in St Simons Sound, off of the coast of Brunswick, Georgia, since September of 2019, was delayed many times. Multiple breaks of the massive cutting chain and weather delays have hampered the effort for many weeks.

In addition, Section 7 contained the engine room, making it the heaviest of the sections, and the reinforced walls around the powerplant made this cut the most difficult. If that weren't enough, months of silt and mud have accumulated in and around the engine room, making the already heavy section almost 40 percent heavier. Water cannons were used for flushing out this "pluff mud" as it was hoisted onto the Barge 455-7 via the Versabar 10,000 hoist crane. The latest section was then made safe to sail to Mayors Point Terminal in Brunswick for deep-sea preparation before heading to a recycling plant in Louisiana.

Golden RayImage by Author

There are three more cuts that need to be made, making this only the halfway point in an ordeal that has plagued the residents of Brunswick, Georgia, St Simons and Jekyll islands, and the surrounding areas for a year and a half. 67 of the 4,200 cars and nine decks have been removed from the environmental protection barrier, which was erected around the ship over a year ago. More than 1,000 cars have been removed from the wreck itself. Modern American Recycling in Alabama is collecting the cars or their remains and parts after being removed from the Golden Ray salvage site.

St Simons and Jekyll Island depend mostly on tourism to keep financially stable. In 2020, the tourist trade was not only hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic but also by the ugly sight of a capsized Korean freighter sitting in the harbor. The view from the old pier on St Simons typically includes a gorgeous sunset behind the Sydney Lanier Bridge on the horizon. Now that view is destroyed by the underside of a sunken ship and the surrounding salvage operation.

Golden RayImage by Author

In September of 2019, the Golden Ray left the Port of Brunswick, Georgia, loaded with 4,200 Hyundais, Chevys, and Kia vehicles. It had just left port and made it into the channel between St Simons and Jekyll island when catastrophe struck. Under nearly perfect weather conditions, the ship released its navigation tugboat and endeavored a 20-degree turn to starboard.

The ship proceeded into a standard lean in the turn, but instead of correcting itself, the normal lean turned into a complete capsize crashing into the sound. All of the crew members were recovered without difficulty, although for a few trapped inside, it took 35 hours and a small hole cut into the hull to rescue them.

Golden RayImage by Author

The 4,200 vehicles aboard didn't fare as well. They were declared a total loss almost from the beginning as salvage crews tried to figure out how to right the ship so it could be towed away. But they soon realized the only way to get it out was in pieces. They first cut away the massive propeller and rudder, hauling them to an artificial reef southeast of St Simons and discarded. They then began the arduous task of cutting the ship up into eight sections for loading onto waiting barges.

Crews continue to look for oil sheens and debris around the wreck site and inside and outside the environmental protection barrier.

If you encounter debris from the Golden Ray wreck, do not handle it. Call the Debris Reporting Hotline at (912) 944-5620. Responders evaluate each report, survey the area and salvage any shipwreck debris in addition to their regular daily surveys of the water and the shoreline. If you encounter residual oil on the shoreline or in the water, please call the National Response Center hotline at (800) 424-8802.

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Golden RayImage by Author