When a 3 to 4-foot wave from the Delaware River hit a Philadelphia tourist duck boat in 2015, the engine stalled, stranding 12 people on board. “Rapidly worsening” water conditions, and a failure of the boat’s captain to “anticipate the change in the weather conditions” led the U.S. Coast Guard to investigate.
Yet, it’s not clear if the U.S. Coast Guard ever provided warnings or safety alerts to other duck boat operators about water getting into the unique “open hood” design for the engine compartment, especially during high waves, as noted in the Coast Guard report.
The Delaware River’s wave conditions are strikingly similar to the more than 4-foot waves on Table Rock Lake, in Branson, Missouri, when a duck boat sank Thursday, killing 17 people.
