ELSINBORO TWP.

— A wake allegedly caused by a cargo ship heading south on the Delaware River damaged several riverfront homes earlier this month, according to township officials.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, around 1:30 p.m., the Cap Irene, a Liberian-registered ship, was sailing downriver when township officials said when the large wake it created slammed ashore, striking properties along the shore.

The incident has been under investigation since that time by the U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey State Marine Police, the Pilot’s Association and the office of Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo, according to Elsinboro officials.

Dennis and Dawn Kimble said the home they have owned for 24 years along the shoreline suffered damage from the large wave of water including ripped up deck boards, damaged house siding and damage to their seawall.

Dawn Kimble, who was home at the time the wave struck the house, said she had seen many big wakes, but nothing like this one.

“It was like a mini tsunami ... It just came at the sliding glass door. I didn’t know how many waves hit,” Kimble said.

Dennis Kimble said there was debris in the yard and some of the deck furniture was moved from the wave.

According to Dennis Kimble, there was at least a foot of water from the waves.

“It’s bad enough when you get 40- to 60-mile-per-hour winds, but when you have a high tide, and because of all the previous rain, it was even higher,” Kimble said. “When the water surged up and the wake slammed, it knocked the boards off. It moved furniture back three to four feet. When you live on a river, you have upsides and downsides and unfortunately, this is a downside.”

Kimble said he was in the process of repairing when he decided the damage was too bad and he should get a professional to repair.

Reports were filed and Kimble said he had to pay at least a $500 deductible to repair the seawall and is waiting for estimates and a police report.

“It is an unfortunate situation that caused damage to many personal properties. We are continuing to work to provide assistance resolving this issue,” Mayor Sean Elwell said, adding the exact speed of the ship was unknown.

The faster a large ship travels on the river, the larger a wake it produces.

According to U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs Officer, Lt. Andrew Madjeska, federal regulations for speed depend on the conditions of the river and the type of vessel.

Madjeska said speeds are a case-by-case basis and the vessels must operate at a safe speed depending on all elements including waves, tide and winds.

“We are working together to not only respond to the current situation, but our goal is to prevent this from occurring in the future,” Elwell said. “Ships are continuing to travel at speeds through the Delaware River which cause damage to personal property.”

Homeowner Torrey Reade also received damage to her home.

“The seawall was hit and was a perfectly good seawall until the wave hit,” Reade explained. “It dislodged the cap and opened up a crack. So now it’s going to cost us this large sum of money we cannot get back to repair. It’s a chronic problem along the river.”

According to Reade, the river traffic eroded the river shore and there is no provision for reimbursement.

“Private property owners have to dump a large amount of money because this is not something homeowner’s insurance covers,” Reade said. “In our case, the damage was just estimated at $6,800.”

Elwell said discussion on preventing similar issues is being made with LoBiondo’s office.

“We’ve been working to get the ships to slow down while passing through. They were able to put a memo out through the Pilot’s Association advising the passing ships that they were traveling too fast through the area,” Elwell said. “We will continue working with his office to help alleviate this problem.”

The incident is still under investigation.