ROSS'S LANDING — The yacht Lady Helen nearly sank in the Tennessee River during heavy rains at Erwin Marina at Ross's Landing in Chattanooga. The vessel was taking on large amounts of water and listing severely, prompting emergency salvage efforts.

Erwin Marine crew members discovered that several of the Lady Helen’s bilge pumps had stopped working. The failure was compounded when flooding knocked the yacht’s breaker box loose, disabling the remaining pumps. Two external bilge pumps were brought to the scene and removed approximately 1,000 gallons of water from the flooded lower staterooms.

A TowBoatUS crew initiated a salvage operation to right the vessel and stabilize its position. The salvage group later filed a claim with the Mountain City Club for its efforts. Boating officials said that if the Lady Helen had sunk, federal inspectors would have been involved due to concerns about river pollution and the high cost of recovery.

The incident occurred during an ongoing court dispute between the Mountain City Club’s new board and former board members Chris Allen and Richard Johnson over ownership of the yacht. The new board claims the Lady Helen belongs to Allen, stating he arranged the purchase through his LLC and facilitated its transport to Chattanooga. Allen and Johnson counter that the yacht belongs to the Mountain City Club, asserting the acquisition was approved by the board in place at the time.

Over $700,000 of Mountain City Club funds have been spent on the Lady Helen, though no excursions have taken place despite its intended use for club outings. The yacht broke down twice during its journey to Chattanooga, incurring repair costs. Color brochures promoting trips on the Lady Helen, including voyages to Knoxville for University of Tennessee football games, have since been removed from club counters.