Sinking of tugboat near Algoma dead in water pending permit approval By Kevin Boneske For The News-Chronicle A former Chicago Fire Department tug boat moored in Algoma at the Pier 42 Marina won't become an underwater dive site in Lake Michigan anytime soon. That's because the state Department of Natural Resources' permit process to allow the project to proceed hasn't been completed. DNR water management specialist Mike Hanaway, who has been reviewing the proposal, said he is awaiting more information from Neptune's Nimrods Dive Club, which is behind the sinking project. Hanaway said he has asked for specifics on how contamination on the boat will be cleaned up. While the city of Algoma is a coapplicant for the project, he said there is a problem with proposed diving site 1 1/2 miles off shore because it is not in city limits. Hanaway, who reviews projects involving Kewaunee County's waterways, said additional steps would follow in the permit process after he receives the information from the club. For instance, a public notice would be required followed by a 30-day comment period. Hanaway said people who raise a "substantial objection" to the project could request a hearing. Based on feedback he has received about the project, Hanaway said a hearing likely would be requested. He said the deliberate sinking of a ship for recreational diving has never been approved by the DNR before. While the dive club had a goal to get approval to sink the tug in May of this year, Hanaway said six months from now is "not out of line" for the time it would take to approve the project. The dive club arranged to have the retired tug known as the "Joseph Medill" towed into Algoma last December. However, considering the time needed to approve sinking the vessel as a recreational dive site, Hanaway said the ship's journey from Chicago to Northeast Wisconsin jumped the gun.