Authorities should pursue penalty against vessel owner

After months of work aimed at deconstruction and removal of the derelict ship the SS Davy Crockett, the last major piece of metal was hoisted out of the water on Thursday. It was a major milestone for the project that involved what was described as a “massive and carefully engineered” effort.

The project, taken on in January when the damaged, sinking vessel was discovered leaking oil into the Columbia River near Camas, resulted in the removal of 4.4 million pounds of steel, 838,432 pounds of debris, 1.6 million gallons of contaminated water, and 4,450 pounds of asbestos.