LULING — This week in WBRZ history, the worst ferry disaster in United States history happened in Luling. 

On Oct. 20, 1976, around 6 a.m., the George Prince Ferry connecting Luling and Destrehan departed the Destrehan side when it was struck by a tanker ship.

Twenty cars, eight trucks, six motorcycles and dozens of people were on board when the ferry fell to the bottom of the river about 100 yards from the Luling side.

"It was upside down, partly above the water," WBRZ Anchor Jim Kent reported at the time.

Eighteen people survived the wreck, and a total of 73 passengers and five crew members died in the disaster

The Coast Guard sent a team of divers and a dozen investigators to assist the local authorities in the rescue, recovery and investigation. It took an 800-ton crane to lift the ferry to the surface.

The investigation eventually revealed that the pilot of the ferry had a blood alcohol level of .09, just shy of the legal limit of .10 at the time.

Watch more WBRZ history here: