salvage operation then began and the vessel was successfully escorted to Ketchikan's Alaska Ship and Dry Dock for repairs under tow after temporary patches were put onto the expansive gashes that compromised five separate compartments of the hull — enough to have sunk the ship had it been lifted off its perch on the reef. Only minor injuries were suffered and only during the evacuation of the boat. The LeConte has now been repaired and is back in service. It is widely agreed a more dire emergency could have resulted had the weather not been so accommodating during the entire salvage process, especially in light of the fact that the LeConte'' was already listing ten degrees and the tides in Peril Strait were already making the situation highly precarious. After assessing the circumstances of the grounding, it was concluded operator error caused the incident (not the notorious tidal currents that Peril Strait is known for) and those in command of the vessel were fired from the ferry system. References External links Official Alaska Marine Highway System website USCG LeConte grounding report and recommendations Newspaper article covering the LeConte's grounding American Bureau of Shipping Record Alaska Marine Highway System vessels 1973 ships Ships built by Peterson Builders