VINALHAVEN - An initial inspection of the Captain Richard G. Spear confirms that the hull was not significantly damaged during Wednesday's grounding incident off Vinalhaven. The starboard rudder is bent, and the port rudder is missing. This missing rudder may be retrievable by divers given the location of the grounding. Both propellers are damaged. Pictures of the damage are available upon request.

The Maine State Ferry Service (MSFS) does not have an estimated cost of repair or timeline for the Spear to return to service. The Spear was already scheduled to be taken out of service next week for a routine U.S. Coast Guard inspection. It will remain at the Rockland Marine Corporation shipyard for repairs.

The Captain E. Frank Thompson and the Captain Charles Philbrook will operate scheduled ferry runs between Rockland and Vinalhaven until the Spear can return to service.

The MSFS employee who was captaining the Spear during yesterday's incident is a long-time MSFS team member who has experience making the run between Rockland and Vinalhaven.

As is standard with any grounding incident, the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating. The MSFS is cooperating with the investigation.

Original news release from August 16th:

VINALHAVEN - The Captain Richard G. Spear the Maine State Ferry Service vessel that runs between Rockland and Vinalhaven ran aground off the coast of Vinalhaven this morning. The Spear was pulling away from Vinalhaven shortly after 10:30 a.m. when it hit ledge. There were 65 passengers and five crew members aboard at the time of the grounding. No one was injured. The vessel returned to Vinalhaven to unload passengers. The Spear was taken to a private marina in Rockland, where it will be inspected. There does not appear to be any significant damage to the hull of the vessel. As is the case with any grounding incident, the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating. The Maine State Ferry Service is cooperating fully with that investigation. The Thursday ferry runs between Rockland and Vinalhaven that are normally performed by the Spear will be done by the Everett Libby.