PHOTOS: Golden Ray shipwreck off Georgia coast

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PHOTOS: Golden Ray shipwreck off Georgia coast

The Golden Ray is an overturned cargo ship being dismantled off the Georgia coast.

The capsized Golden Ray, which has been beached on its side since Sept. 8, 2019, can be seen from Jekyll Island. GEORGE MATHIS/AJC

FILE - In this April 26, 2021 file photo, interior decks of the capsized cargo ship Golden Ray are exposed after the engine room section was cut away and separated from the rest of the shipwreck by a towering crane, offshore of St. Simons Island, Ga. Accounts contained in crew member interviews are among more than 1,700 pages of documents made public Thursday, July 29, by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Golden Ray, carrying more than 1,400 vehicles, overturned after leaving the Port of Brunswick along the Georgia coast on Sept. 8, 2019. Tennant and about two dozen crew members on board were rescued and survived. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum, File)

FILE - In this April 26, 2021 file photo, a towering crane pulls the engine room section away from the remains of the capsized cargo ship Golden Ray offshore of St. Simons Island, Ga. Accounts contained in crew member interviews are among more than 1,700 pages of documents made public Thursday, July 29, by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Golden Ray, carrying more than 1,400 vehicles, overturned after leaving the Port of Brunswick along the Georgia coast on Sept. 8, 2019. Tennant and about two dozen crew members on board were rescued and survived. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum, File)

FILE - In this Monday, April 26, 2021, file photo, a towering crane pulls the engine room section away from the remains of the capsized cargo ship Golden Ray, offshore of St. Simons Island, Ga. A large amount of oil has escaped a barrier after it was released while crews were dismantling the overturned cargo ship along the Georgia coast, the Coast Guard said Thursday, July 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum, File)

Clean up crews face new challenges after Golden Ray caught fire

Section Eight, the stern, separates from the Golden Ray wreck under load after responders completed cutting operations overnight. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

Firefighters hose down a fire in the remains of the overturned cargo ship Golden Ray, Friday, May 14, 2021, Brunswick, Ga. The Golden Ray had roughly 4,200 vehicles in its cargo decks when it capsized off St. Simons Island on Sept. 8, 2019. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Himes says there have been no injuries and all demolition crew members were safely evacuated. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

After separating Section One from the remaining wreck, the VB-10000 moved slowly and smoothly inside the EPB to a predetermined position for the Barge JULIE B transit underneath to receive the section. The wreck is surrounded by an environmental protection barrier with netting to the seafloor designed to catch large debris for removal. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

Sudie Teszler took this photo on Nov. 29 from Saint Simon’s Island at Pier Village. It's the Privateer Tall Ship Lynx passing the sinking Golden Ray.

The capsized Golden Ray, which has been beached on its side since Sept. 8, 2019, can be seen from Jekyll Island. GEORGE MATHIS/AJC

The capsized Golden Ray, which has been beached on its side since Sept. 8, 2019, can be seen from Jekyll Island. GEORGE MATHIS/AJC

The capsized Golden Ray, which has been beached on its side since Sept. 8, 2019, can be seen from Jekyll Island. GEORGE MATHIS/AJC

The twin-hull heavy lift vessel VB-10,000 uses its dynamic positioning system to maneuver into its mooring at the Port of Fernandina, Fla., July 3, 2020, for final modifications and function checks prior to heading to St. Simons Sound in early to mid-July. The two 255-foot tall gantries will use lengths of chain to cut the capsized vessel Golden Ray into eight pieces and lift them onto barges for eventual transportation to Louisiana for recycling. Photo by U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer John D. Miller

The fourth of 28 sections of environmental protection barrier netting was installed by St. Simons Sound Incident Response workers around the motor vessel Golden Ray in St. Simon’s Sound, Georgia, May 29, 2020. Made from soft, high-strength polyester straps sewn on a five-foot by five-foot grid, each custom-assembled panel ranges from 35 to 65 feet in height depending upon the depth to the seafloor, where it is weighted with heavy chain. The nets extend upward from the seabed and rise to above the water’s surface to catch potential debris from the ship’s removal while allowing marine life to swim safely through. Photo by Jaime Sanchez-Perez

The Golden Ray has been beached on its side off St. Simons Island since Sept. 8, 2019, when the ship capsized shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick. The vessel measures 656 feet long, and 4,200 automobiles remain inside its cargo decks. These photos were taken July 17, 2020, at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island's north end.

The Golden Ray has been beached on its side off St. Simons Island since Sept. 8, 2019, when the ship capsized shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick. The vessel measures 656 feet long, and 4,200 automobiles remain inside its cargo decks. These photos were taken July 17, 2020, at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island's north end.

The Golden Ray has been beached on its side off St. Simons Island since Sept. 8, 2019, when the ship capsized shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick. The vessel measures 656 feet long, and 4,200 automobiles remain inside its cargo decks. These photos were taken July 17, 2020, at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island's north end.

The Golden Ray has been beached on its side off St. Simons Island since Sept. 8, 2019, when the ship capsized shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick. The vessel measures 656 feet long, and 4,200 automobiles remain inside its cargo decks. These photos were taken July 17, 2020, at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island's north end.

The Golden Ray has been beached on its side off St. Simons Island since Sept. 8, 2019, when the ship capsized shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick. The vessel measures 656 feet long, and 4,200 automobiles remain inside its cargo decks. These photos were taken July 17, 2020, at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island's north end.

The Golden Ray has been beached on its side off St. Simons Island since Sept. 8, 2019, when the ship capsized shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick. The vessel measures 656 feet long, and 4,200 automobiles remain inside its cargo decks. These photos were taken July 17, 2020, at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island's north end.

The Golden Ray has been beached on its side off St. Simons Island since Sept. 8, 2019, when the ship capsized shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick. The vessel measures 656 feet long, and 4,200 automobiles remain inside its cargo decks. These photos were taken July 17, 2020, at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island's north end.

The Golden Ray has been beached on its side off St. Simons Island since Sept. 8, 2019, when the ship capsized shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick. The vessel measures 656 feet long, and 4,200 automobiles remain inside its cargo decks. These photos were taken July 17, 2020, at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island's north end.

The Golden Ray has been beached on its side off St. Simons Island since Sept. 8, 2019, when the ship capsized shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick. The vessel measures 656 feet long, and 4,200 automobiles remain inside its cargo decks. These photos were taken July 17, 2020, at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island's north end.

It's expected to take several weeks to remove the Golden Ray from the St. Simons sound, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Georgia Ports Authority spokesman Robert Morris said an incident like this is the first of its kind for a vessel at either the Brunswick or Savannah ports.

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2019, file photo, a Moran tugboat nears the stern of the capsizing vessel Golden Ray near St. Simons Sound off the coast of Georgia. The salvage team salvage team is seeking a federal permit to surround the shipwreck with a giant mesh barrier to contain any debris when they cut the ship apart. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File)

Containment boom placed at the capsized M/V Golden Ray. Unified Command has deployed more than 5,300 feet of protective boom to limit the impact of discharged fuel on sensitive areas.

It's expected to take several weeks to remove the Golden Ray from the St. Simons sound, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Georgia Ports Authority spokesman Robert Morris said an incident like this is the first of its kind for a vessel at either the Brunswick or Savannah ports.

The Golden Ray is a three year old car carrier that capsized on the Georgia coast soon after leaving the Port of Brunswick. The vessel was bound for Baltimore carrying 4,000 vehicles. Removal plans call for cutting the ship in eight pieces and lifting them onto barges that will carry each piece to a recycling facility. The removal was delayed by COVID-19 and hurricane season but is expected to resume the first week of October. Courtesy of Georgia Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Coast Guard

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Credit: George Mathis/AJC

The capsized Golden Ray, which has been beached on its side since Sept. 8, 2019, can be seen from Jekyll Island. GEORGE MATHIS/AJC

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