Boatnerd Discussion Forum

The pictures revealed the Phillip Clarke turning around to back up the Calumet River, The Clarke was just inside the harbor breakwall and her props were probably less than 10 feet from the bottom

I doubt the vessel was stuck in sand. It is quite common to see these muddy wakes in the rivers & in areas like Lake St. Clair, where there is very little clearance between the vessel's keel & the river/lake bottom. With such little clearance, the prop stirs up the sand, leaving a muddy wake. If I can find a shot showing this, I will post it.

I saw viewfinder aerial photos of a lake boat leaving a [u][i]curved[/i][/u], sandy or muddy colored wake in open water.
The photos were taken by a helicopter passenger (my daughter) yesterday. She was told by the pilot that the ship was stuck in the sand.

I know they a bringing in "materials" for a new marina north of Calumet Harbor, near the loop.

The Phillip Clarke was in Chicago yesterday at Beemsterboer on the Calumet River.

Perhaps the draft of the Clarke (although empty) was enough to stir up the lake bottom while making turns to enter the river?

When my daughter forwards the pictures, I'll post them.