Vessel's captain was asleep in February accident, Coast Guard says

The captain of a nearly 66-foot-long steel Army Corps of Engineers vessel was asleep when it rammed a 74-foot-long fiberglass yacht at Ocean Marine Yacht Center in Portsmouth in February, a Coast Guard investigator said Tuesday.

The Coast Guard has pulled Norman Harris’ captain’s license, pending a review of “medical issues” surrounding the incident by the Coast Guard’s licensing unit, said Lt. Robert Scott, a Coast Guard investigating officer in Norfolk.

If Harris is medically cleared to keep his license, he will be placed on probation for 12 months, Scott said. If any other incidents occur in that time, his license will be suspended for six months, he said.

Harris retired from the Army Corps on April 30, said corps spokeswoman Brittany Brown.

The corps vessel Mobjack was not damaged, but the yacht Marquessa sustained significant damage in the accident.