GLOUCESTER, Massachusetts (5 Feb 2009) — A diver was airlifted to hospital after an accident at Harbor Loop pier in Gloucester. Ted Barnes, owner of Gloucester-based Freedom Diving Corp, was cleaning the hull of the Ocean Pride III gillnetter when the accident happened. At about 3:00pm, the boat's captain, Geordie King, started the engine but did not put it in gear. King said he did not know that Barnes was working under the vessel but admitted that he had hired him to clean the boat several hours earlier. Although the engine was not put in gear, King said the propeller still turns slowly and speculated it caused Barnes' injuries. After the engine started, Glen Durgin, who was working on the deck of the vessel, saw Barnes floating unconscious in the water and used a grapple to pull his head above water until Coast Guard rescue divers arrived at the scene. The Coast Guard took Barnes to Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston just after 4:00pm where he was placed in intensive care. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating the accident. | 
