March 75 article from the Pascagoula newspaper.
men thrown in water as Ingalls wall shifts
Sections of a launching pontoon shifted as a ship was being launched at Ingalls West Bank Tuesday morning.
About a dozen workers were on the pontoon and several of them jumped or fell and the Pascagoula river. At least one of the workers was unaccounted for and the Coast Guard was searching the area at noon today.
The 637-by 124 foot launching pontoon is used to move vessels from the shipyard to deep water.
Each side of the platform is composed of eight sections. An Ingalls spokesman said that three of the sections of each side shifted as it moved or deep water. There were no serious injuries among the men who were rescued from the water; although, a few had minor bruises.
There were no immediate estimates of damage to the platform. A company spokesman said first reports indicated the ship was not damaged.
Three boats from the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Pascagoula and the Coast Guard helicopter out of New Orleans are participating in the search for the missing employe [sic] at press time.
Chief Bobby Pace, U.S. Coast Guard, said two times from Colle Towing Company, the John Colle Jr. and the Leo had been dispatched to the scene at 6:30 AM.