On April 28, 1979 towboat CAHABA, under the command of Capt. Jimmy Wilkerson, was dropping 2 barges thru the east span of Rooster Bridge on the Tombigee River (mile marker 200), with intent of running the boat around thru the lift span and catching the barges downstream of the bridge (for the why of this, see the following note). Pilot Earl Barnhart and two deckhands were placed on the tow to cast off the safety wires and winch wires.

For some unknown reason, the hands on the barges had taken loose all rigging except the starboard tow-knee wire.

Capt. Wilkerson under-estimated the current and got too close to the bridge where the tow knee wire (still attached to the barge) pulled the starboard tow knee on the boat under the bridge. When the wire finally broke, the vessel popped up and hung the tow knee underneath the bridge.

The river's current has swung the boat around sideways.

CAHABA was trapped against the bridge span starboard side to. Towboats like CAHABA have a substantial amount of draft (8 to 12 feet) and, when this large surface was presented beam to the river current, the boat started rolling to port.

Once the port side deck went awash, the vessel rolled completely onto her side, passed through the span, and partially righted after clearing the bridge.

Throughout the ordeal, Capt. Wilkerson remained at the sticks. At one point, when the boat was completely horizontal, he was straddling the portside pilothouse door frame. During the time the pilothouse was immersed, the port front pilothouse window blew in, filling the space with water.

Water is pouring from the second deck passageway.

The working deck is still underwater, but CAHABA is rising.

The boat with blue trim that you see in the first picture on this page is the CATHY PARKER. She was waiting above the bridge for her turn to pass through (if you look closely, you can see the CAHABA immediately to the left and upstream of the CATHY PARKER). CATHY PARKER radioed to Capt. Gary Grammer on TALLAPOOSA (which was down the reach below Blacks Bluff) that something had happened to the CAHABA. Capt. Grammer tied off the TALLAPOOSA's tow and light-boated to the CAHABA, where he pushed her out into a flooded corn field. The TALLAPOOSA then rescued the 3 crew members, and secured the 2 loose CAHABA barges.

Notice anything unusual? Look at the smoke coming from the exhausts. Amazingly enough, this thing is still running!!! CAHABA's starboard EMD 16V149 engine remained running the entire time.

What righted the vessel?

According to the crew, she had just topped off with fuel at Demopolis, 14 miles upstream. CAHABA has one central fuel tank forward of her engines. Had that fuel tank been 1/2 full, she probably never would have come back up.

The photographer of this amazing sequence of photos was from the Linden, Alabama DEMOCRAT, and was en route to Meridian, MS at the time. He happened to be caught as the CAHABA blew for a draw at the Rooster bridge.