Tugboat breaks loose on way to dive site By Kevin Boneske For The News-Chronicle A retired tugboat from Chicago that was brought to northeast Wisconsin for the purpose of being prepared for sinking next spring as a dive site in Lake Michigan became an above-water fixture on a reef north of Algoma on Friday when the vessel broke away from its tow line while being pulled from Sturgeon Bay by a commercial fishing boat. Gerald "Jag" Haegele, an Algoma businessman who has supported creating an underwater dive site as a way to attract divers to the area, noted the vessel drifted toward shore after it broke loose and came to rest about 2 1/2 miles north of Algoma. He said the bow, which is pointed away from the shore, is in about 6 1/2 feet of water, while water is about 4 1/2 feet deep by the stern. The "Joseph Medill," which is about 100 feet long and a former Chicago Fire Department tug, is approximately double the length of the commercial fishing boat operated by Andy LaFond, an Algoma-based fisherman who provided his boat to pull the tug from Sturgeon Bay into the Algoma harbor, where it has been slated to stay for the winter. Haegele said he was informed by divers, whom inspected the tug after its hull lodged on lake's bottom, that the vessel wasn't damaged and isn't taking on water. However, he noted an attempt by a commercial fishing boat out of Two Rivers to free the tug on Sunday was unsuccessful. Haegele also indicated Monday that he expected a subsequent effort to be made to free the tug. The Neptune's Nimrods Dive Club has applied for a permit from state Department of Natural Resources for permission to sink the tug in the lake south of Algoma. Club president Tod Maurina noted the proposed dive site is about 2 1/2 miles south of the Algoma harbor, 1 1/2 miles off shore, in about 75 to 80 feet of water. While the tug had been moored in Chicago, Maurina said the club was confident enough that it would be granted the permit to have the vessel towed to Sturgeon Bay, prior to move to Algoma. He noted the boat's planned mooring area in Algoma is by the historic Dettman fishing shanty near the Pier 42 Marina, where the tug has been slated to be prepared for sinking. Maurina said the club has sought the necessary approval from the DNR in order to sink the tug during the second week of May.