A New York State Police helicopter is used to survey the area to help free the Captain J.P. III cruise ship that broke away from its winter moorings in Troy, N.Y., and floated down river and became wedged against the Livingston Avenue train bridge that spans the Hudson River in Albany, N.Y., Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
January 25, 2019 - 1:42 PM
TROY, N.Y. - An unoccupied Hudson River cruise ship that broke loose from its moorings amid rising water and ice jams has been freed from beneath a rail bridge in Albany, New York.
The four-deck Captain J.P. III cruise ship and six other vessels drifted downriver from Troy toward Albany early Friday, temporarily closing five vehicle bridges during morning rush hour.
The 300-foot cruise vessel was stuck for hours beneath a railroad bridge connecting Albany and Rensselaer, prompting Amtrak to reduce speeds over the span. Two Coast Guard ice-breaking cutters and two commercial tug boats worked to pull it free.
The Coast Guard says the ship was freed around 3:30 p.m. and towed back north to Troy. The Coast Guard says all other vessels that drifted downriver were also secured by Friday afternoon.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019