Branson duck boat, which sank in 80 feet of water, raised from bottom of lake

BRANSON, Mo. — Salvage operators resurfaced the duck boat Monday that sunk last week during a severe thunderstorm, killing 17 people.

Divers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol joined a floating barge in the water at 9:24 a.m CT to start the bringing the duck boat to the surface from its resting place 80 feet below. By 10:10 a.m., a crane brought it up and workers on the barge operated pumps to clear water from it, allowing the boat to float.

It is next expected to be towed to shore. Initially, officials had said the operation was expected to take about five hours, but fewer than 90 minutes had elapsed from the time the divers submerged.

The boat will be taken to a “secure facility” where the highway Patrol will transfer custody of the Duck to the NTSB, Capt. Scott Stoermer with the Coast Guard.

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The Coast Guard was overseeing the operation but did not performing the actual salvage work.

Ride the Ducks Branson submitted a salvage plan that included contracting with Fitzco Marine Group of Shell Knob, Missouri, according to the Coast Guard official. The company also is located on Table Rock Lake, about 20 miles west of Branson.

Two small drones hovered near the barge and the Missouri State Highway Patrol dive boat while a news helicopter flew far overhead. Closer to the surface on the beautiful Ozarks morning, a small flock of ducks swam cautiously nearby.

Among the 17 people who died last week when the amphibious vessel swamped and sank during a thunderstorm that brought hurricane-like winds to the lake near Branson were nine members of the Coleman family of 11 from Indianapolis.

Ride the Ducks Branson, which operates the land and water tours, offered Monday to pay funeral and medical costs for victims and survivors.

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"We are offering to pay for all related medical bills and funeral expenses, return all personal items from the rescue scene, and assist with any related travel or accommodations that will help the families in their time of need," company officials said on their Facebook page.

All of the duck boat survivors who had been hospitalized in CoxHealth's Branson hospital have been discharged, CoxHealth said Sunday evening on Twitter.

The crash is one of the deadliest U.S. boating tragedies in recent history and has drawn national attention to this southwest Missouri tourist town of 10,000. The fatal sinking has also renewed focus on decades-old concerns about the safety of duck boats.

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The wreckage temporarily will go into NTSB custody for inspection as part of an investigation that may take a year to complete.

The federal agency has conducted interviews and already has taken possession of a video recorder from on-board the duck boat, a World War II-era craft refurbished for modern tourism. It is unclear whether the device is operable or whether its data can be obtained.

The Ride the Ducks Branson company, a subsidiary of Ripley Entertainment, has suspended operation pending the investigation. Ripley purchased the Branson duck boat operation in late 2017.

Follow Will Schmitt on Twitter: @ws_missouri

Cox Media Group