Former Henrietta III freed from beneath rail bridge on Hudson River

TROY, NY (AP/WWAY) — You may remember a replica steamboat that used to sit on the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington named the Henrietta III. It’s now called the Captain J.P. III and it was stuck under a bridge on the Hudson River early Friday.

The unoccupied cruise ship that broke loose from its moorings amid rising water and ice jams has been freed from beneath a rail bridge in Albany, New York.

The four-deck Captain J.P. III cruise ship and six other vessels drifted downriver from Troy toward Albany early Friday, temporarily closing five vehicle bridges during morning rush hour.

After 16 years in the Cape Fear River, the Henrietta III left for Troy, New York in April 2016.

The 300-foot cruise vessel was stuck for hours beneath a railroad bridge connecting Albany and Rensselaer, prompting Amtrak to reduce speeds over the span. Two Coast Guard ice-breaking cutters and two commercial tug boats worked to pull it free.

The Coast Guard says the ship was freed around 3:30 p.m. and towed back north to Troy. The Coast Guard says all other vessels that drifted downriver were also secured by Friday afternoon.