July 23, 2006 – The Cougar Ace car carrier lists, 4,703 Mazdas later crushed
The Cougar Ace
On this day in 2006 the MV Cougar Ace, a Singapore-flagged car carrier vessel, was just south of the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific Ocean while traveling from Japan to Vancouver, British Columbia with a cargo of 4,812 vehicles. During an exchange of ballast water, the ship developed a 60 degree list to port. There are reports of a large wave striking the ship during the ballast transfer, but it is unknown what effect this had on the stability of the ship, if any. Nearly on its side, the 23 crew members had to be rescued by the US Coast Guard and the Alaska Air National Guard the following day.
Of the 4,812 vehicles on board, 4,703 of them were Mazdas. The total value of the vehicles was listed at $117 million. Salvage efforts led to the vessel being righted and...
