GALVESTON — The search for clues to the cause of damage to a tanker in the Gulf of Mexico led to the discovery of a submerged mobile offshore drilling unit missing since Hurricane Ike.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Sunday that it’s too early to say whether the tanker struck the submerged unit before it began taking on water late last week about 65 miles south of Galveston.

Nearly 41 million gallons of crude oil are being transferred from the 900-foot tank ship SKS Satilla to two other ships so that the tanker can be hauled in for repairs. The operation was expected to be completed Tuesday.

The Coast Guard said that a remotely operated underwater vehicle retraced the tank ship’s course to investigate and found the ENSCO 74 near where the ship was before the accident.

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