The Casey barge left Chattanooga late Thursday afternoon. It is headed to a storage yard in Mobile, Ala.
photo by M. A. Locke
A long-time eyesore, the Casey barge across from Ross's Landing Park, finally sailed away from Chattanooga late Thursday afternoon.
Bankruptcy Trustee Jerry Farinash said the long-anticipated move was given final approval about 5:15 p.m.
He said, while jumping off the graffiti-covered barge, "We should be out of here in about 30 minutes."
Mr. Farinash said the barge had been hooked up to a tug boat and ready to go for a day or two.
The journey to a Mobile, Ala., storage yard should take six to seven days, he said.
The structure was brought here by Allen Casey for use as a floating restaurant, but it never opened and quickly deteriorated. Mr. Casey, who saved the Chattanooga Choo Choo, eventually went into bankruptcy.