The Coast Guard’s Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis (CG-INV) recently posted the Final Action Memo (FAM) and Marine Board of Investigation Report to the Marine Casualty Reports (uscg.mil) website regarding the sinking and loss of life of the amphibious small passenger vessel Stretch Duck 7. The Stretch Duck 7 was a vintage, World War II era, land-and-sea capable craft adapted to small passenger vessel operations. The marine casualty occurred on Table Rock Lake as a storm impacted the Branson, MO, area during a sight-seeing tour on July 19, 2018. The sinking led to the tragic loss of life of 16 passengers and 1 crewmember. The Coast Guard participated in a joint investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in accordance with the joint Coast Guard and NTSB Memorandum of Understanding. As a result of the investigation, the Coast Guard issued four Safety Recommendations related to fleet-wide operational and design/engineered issues. A Commandant’s Final Action Memorandum detailing the Coast Guard’s response and actions on the four recommendations was issued on January 11, 2024. Additionally, the Coast Guard conducted a comprehensive safety inspection review of all amphibious vessels, issued a Marine Safety Information Bulletin, and contracted the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an independent review of amphibious vessel safety. The incident facts were also referred to the US Attorney for the Department of Justice for criminal charge consideration.
The FAM and Marine Board of Investigation Report can be found at: Marine Casualty Reports (uscg.mil).