Abandoned, junk boats being removed from Ashley

CHARLESTON - Boats came up in pieces, breaking apart as the track hoe lifted. Sludge and pluff mud poured from the sterns.

Charleston Marine Services on Tuesday began the dirty work in a cumbersome process of removing derelict, abandoned boats from the Ashley River. Working along a marsh bank near the James Island Connector, they pulled up five boats before the barge load and falling tide stopped them. A dozen are scheduled to be removed under the current contract.

The slumping, sometimes half-sunken boats are considered an eyesore in Charleston Harbor. They are a navigational hazard and can cause pollution problems, officials say.

None of the boats appeared salvageable. Most of the valued items and electronics were stripped or stolen long ago. During a tour of the river wrecks earlier this year, Sgt. Chad Womack, Charleston police marine patrol supervisor, pointed out boats that appeared to be intentionally abandoned, in some cases with their registration numbers filed down.

But many boats along that stretch of river, abandoned or otherwise, appear to be seeking legal storage protection by mooring in recognized Coast Guard anchorages. Some of them haven't been moved in years, and have become no-rent waterfront hangouts. One man has been living in three boats stuck together. He's still there, so far.

The boats being removed now are vessels whose owners couldn't be identified or located, Womack said. "The people who are out there, who we can find out who they are, they're the next stage."

The city will use taxes, legal penalties and potentially, court orders, to force owners to remove the boats, or pay for the removal.

The work is under contract with the city of Charleston and the S.C. Health and Environmental Control Department, part of a $60,000 state and city grant effort designed to clean up the coastal boat mess.

The state part of the grant is about $45,000, with the city putting in about $15,000. The removed boats likely are destined for trash heaps since they often break up during the crane lift-out.

The recovery follows similar beautification projects already undertaken in Georgetown, Mount Pleasant and Folly Beach.

Womack said earlier that the project has been months in the making, largely because removing abandoned boats is not as simple as it sounds.

Legal notices are advertised that include a description of the targeted boat, along with its Global Positioning System coordinates. The goal is to see if the owner will step forward or protest.

Cleaning up the river easily could become a full-time effort, Womack said, given the number of boats that are abandoned, damaged or cut loose in and around Charleston waterways, becoming stuck on land after the tide recedes.

He estimated there might be as many as a dozen more in the waterways around the city now.

Schuyler Kropf contributed to this report. Reach Bo Petersen at 937-5744 or bpetersen@postandcourier.com.