On 1 August 1993 , during flooding of the Mississippi River , '' Inaugural '' broke loose from her moorings at the Gateway Arch . The ship suffered a breach in her hull , took on water , and rolled on her port side . She sank on the Missouri side of the river , half a mile south of the Poplar Street Bridge . She has since remained in that position , partially submerged . In January 2013 , the river dropped so low that one may walk up to the ship . Scrapping work was set to begin in January , but river levels rose again . She is still in the same location with a few pieces of metal missing from the start of scrapping
flooding
Great Flood of 1993
USS Inaugural (AM-242)