Commercial tugs and the Baltimore Fire Department reported they were responding to a laid-up U.S. cargo ship that broke free from its moorings during high winds in Baltimore on Monday afternoon. The calls for emergency assistance were issued around 3:00 p.m. Baltimore time as the 951-foot (290-meter) RoRo cargo ship Cornelius H. Charlton (ex. USNS Charlton) was ripped free of its moorings in South Baltimore harbor and began drifting.
The National Weather Service was warning of gale-force winds that could reach nearly 50 knots in the area. A cold front is moving across the Middle Atlantic and Northeast, bringing the strong winds, which they had warned could cause damage.
Pictures showed the vessel’s ramp on the port side had been ripped loose and was hanging in the harbor.
Vessel held in place with a McAllister tug (Baltimore City Fireboat Station)…