Team Removes Cement In Attempt To Free Freighter

KALAELOA, Oahu, Hawaii -- Coast Guard crews spent Wednesday offloading cement to try to re-float a grounded freighter in the waters off Kalaeloa Harbor.

Meanwhile, a few hundred yards ashore a baby whale lost its struggle for life. A dead humpback whale calf washed onto the beach.

The calf's pectoral fin was severed. Officials aren't sure what caused the injury or the death.

"Calves are born in these waters and a number of calves do die every year, but this calf has an injury that is probably related to its death," federal marine official Tamra Faris said.

Offshore a number of boats stabilized the bulk carrier Cape Flattery while thousands of tons of cement was being removed.

A crane vessel struggled to move tons of cement to lighten the ship enough to get her free. Plumes of cement dust can be seen for miles away. Some of the cement flew into the air, some into the ocean.

The ship has been grounded on the reef for a week.

It is unclear if the heavy activity of ships nearby had anything to do with the baby whale's death.

"We don't know if there is any relationship at all," Faris said.

It's possible a shark attacked after the whale died of some disease, officials said. A team took the calf away to examine the remains.