SS ARGO MERCHANT DISASTER

NANTUCKET, Mass., (July 2000)--The two halves of the SS Argo Merchant swirl in a sea of foam before being sucked under. The tanker broke into two pieces Dec. 21, 1976, after running aground six days earlier on its way to Salem, Mass., with a load of 7.3 million gallons of heavy industrial fuel oil. The 644-foot, 18, 743-ton Liberian-flagged tanker ran aground Dec. 15 in international waters 28 miles southeast of Nantucket Island, causing a major spill. Helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., lifted the 38 crewmembers to safety Dec. 15 and 16. Photo courtesy of Coast Guard Historian.