ran aground
Hit the bottom
Ran aground is the past tense of run aground—when a boat or ship becomes stuck on the bottom in shallow water: The tanker ran aground on a sandbar.
Figuratively, plans or efforts run aground when they stall or fail due to unforeseen obstacles: The negotiations ran aground over trade disputes.
Left stranded and helpless
stranded · isolated · helpless · immobilized · anchored · halted · stationary · adrift
Shallow water hazard
- sandbarUnderwater ridge of sediment
- reefUnderwater rock or coral formation
- shallowsAreas of little depth
- keelHull's structural base
seafloor · charts · currents · tide · beaching · sonar · lighthouse · buoy
Severe anxiety or suffering
- maydayRadio emergency signal
- sosDistress signal, lowercased
- rescueSave from harm
- coastguardSeafaring emergency responders
evacuation · lifeboats · flares · alarms · triage
marooned
Left stranded and helpless
ashore · stranded · isolated · helpless · immobilized · anchored · halted · stationary · adrift · castaway
shoal
Shallow water hazard
- sandbarUnderwater ridge of sediment
- reefUnderwater rock or coral formation
- shallowsAreas of little depth
keel · seafloor · charts · currents · tide · beaching · sonar · lighthouse · buoy · mariner
distress
Severe anxiety or suffering
coastguard · evacuation · lifeboats · flares · alarms · triage
refloating
Restoring buoyancy to sunken
- tugboatSmall craft that pulls ships
- towingPulling another vehicle along
- pumpingForcing flow mechanically
dredging · repairs · drydock · flotsam · jetsam · scuttled · derelict · surveyor
- setbacksfailing, back to square one, stuck, losing, stumbles