U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District employees discuss the 40th anniversary of the Barge 45 incident during a video produced in Buffalo, New York, on August 5, 2026. The video reflects on the Buffalo District’s role in the historic emergency response while highlighting how advances in technology, planning and emergency management have strengthened the Corps’ ability to respond to similar incidents today. (U.S. Army video by Kaylee Wendt)
At A Glance
Barge 45 Salvage Retrospective: USACE Buffalo District reflects on the 40th anniversary of the August 7, 1986, Niagara River salvage operation that saved critical bridge infrastructure.
Peace Bridge Collision: The 174-foot Barge 45 became lodged against the international Peace Bridge (connecting Buffalo, NY, and Fort Erie, Ontario) after its pushing tugboat, the Ruth B., capsized in swift currents.
Complex Bedrock Salvage: USACE, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Navy drilled heavy anchors into river bedrock, utilizing winch/lift barges and custom lifting points to pull the folding vessel clear before the winter ice freeze.
$5.5M Multi-Agency Execution: The complex operation concluded in late December 1986, requiring on-site structural inspections inside the flooded hull and specialized naval salvage contracts.
Emergency Management Evolution: While modern responders now utilize GPS, drones, sonar imagery, and digital modeling, the fundamental principles of life safety, interagency alignment, and rapid communication remain unchanged.
Editor’s Note: The following is an official operational lookback from the USACE Buffalo District, curated by America’s Engineers for commercial contractor and industry visibility. The original report can be found at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District news repository.
Forty years after a 174-foot barge became lodged against the Peace Bridge, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District is looking back at the complex response that brought federal and local partners together and how lessons learned from the incident continue to underscore the importance of coordination and preparedness today.
Historic photographs document the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District’s response to the Barge 45 incident in Buffalo, New York, following the accident on August 7, 1986. The images preserve an important chapter in the district’s history while highlighting the people and engineering expertise that supported the emergency response and continue to inform the Corps’ preparedness today. (U.S. Army photos by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District)
On Aug. 7, 1986, Barge 45 was being pushed down the Niagara River when it became caught in the river’s swift current and struck a pier of the international Peace Bridge connecting Buffalo and Fort Erie, Ontario. The tugboat pushing it, the Ruth B., capsized and sank, leaving the barge lodged against the bridge.
Five days later, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declared the barge a navigational hazard amid concerns that it could break free and threaten infrastructure downstream.
For Buffalo District employees, the incident quickly became a unique engineering challenge.
Gary Shoffstall, then a Buffalo District construction inspector working on a rehabilitation project at nearby Bird Island Pier, had what he describes as a “front row seat” to the incident.
Historic photographs from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District show response and recovery operations following the Barge 45 incident in Buffalo, New York, in 1986 created on August 5, 2026. The archival B-roll provides historical context for the Buffalo District’s role in the emergency response and highlights how lessons learned continue to shape modern emergency management and engineering operations. (U.S. Army video by Kaylee Wendt)
“At this point, it was all over with,” Shoffstall said, recalling the moments before the collision. “He was sideways in the current. The little tug was screaming to redline. All the power it had was not making a difference.”
Removing Barge 45 would require an understanding of the vessel’s condition and internal structure before a salvage plan could be developed.
Armed with a clipboard, tape measure and camera, Shoffstall climbed inside.
“The wave action coming up onto the deck and then receding, it’s creaking, it’s groaning,” Shoffstall said. “The interior is partially flooded. It was one of those few moments in my life where I said, ‘What in God’s name are you doing in here?’”
While nerve-wracking, the inspection provided engineers with information needed to begin determining how the barge could be removed. The equipment available locally, however, was not capable of handling a salvage operation of that magnitude.
The response expanded through coordination with other federal agencies, including the U.S. Navy, which had access to specialized salvage capabilities through an existing contract.
By Dec. 1, a little over three months later, the removal operation was underway. Divers drilled into the Niagara River’s bedrock to install heavy anchors, while a winch barge and lift barge were maneuvered into position. Crews welded heavy-duty lifting points onto Barge 45 before attempting to pull it away from the bridge.
The operation faced another challenge as the barge began to fold against the bridge pier during the lift, but crews ultimately freed it and moved it near shore. With winter approaching and time running out before ice and the seasonal closure of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, Buffalo District personnel later helped cut the vessel apart for disposal.
The operation was completed in late December at an estimated cost of $5.5 million.
Historic photographs document the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District’s response to the Barge 45 incident in Buffalo, New York, following the accident on August 7, 1986. The images preserve an important chapter in the district’s history while highlighting the people and engineering expertise that supported the emergency response and continue to inform the Corps’ preparedness today. (U.S. Army photos by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District)
Four decades later, technology would give emergency responders capabilities unavailable to those who responded in 1986, including GPS, drones, improved aerial coverage, sonar imagery and modern computer systems, but the fundamental approach to an incident like Barge 45 remains familiar.
Life safety would be the Corps of Engineers’ first priority, followed by determining what authorities and capabilities could be brought to the response through coordination with local, state and federal partners.
“Every situation is going to be a little bit different,” said Buffalo District Emergency Manager Phil Stitzinger. “You’re going to have different people involved. You’re going to have different governments with different takes on what’s happening.”
For the Buffalo District, Barge 45 remains more than a unique piece of local history. It demonstrates how technical expertise, partnerships and communication can come together to solve an unexpected and complex problem.
“That’s why it’s always important to maintain those key relationships with our partner agencies,” Stitzinger said, “and just to keep that communication flowing.”
This article was originally published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the title, “Barge 45: Lessons from a complex Niagara River response 40 years later.” Reposted with permission.
