It was late August out at the tip of the jetty protecting the channel in Newport Beach, and the click and whirr of casting reels cut the stillness. While fisherman muttered about freshly caught barracuda and bonito, there was little talk of the three ships tethered about 1,500 feet off the rocks.
It was on that very spot, just one week earlier, that Crescendo – a polished, 60-foot Ocean Alexander motor yacht – struck the jetty and sunk. The boat was en route to its slip, traveling through still waters just after 9 p.m., when her captain mistakenly ran his vessel onto the rocks supporting the jetty. The cause of the accident, according to authorities, was all-too-common: Inattention. Low visibility in the moonless night and high tides also didn't help.
Both Harbor Patrol and Coast Guard ships rushed to the scene, pulling the Crescendo's captain and five passengers from the boat as it took on water. But with pumps failing, the yacht, worth as much as $1.75 million, was towed to deeper water where it sank to 150 feet.
Sadly, the story Crescendo is not unique. Hundreds of recreational boats sink in U.S. coastal waters each year, often accompanied by dramatic tales of abandon ship and rescue. But while most news accounts focus on the skipper and crew, little is written about what happens to the vessels themselves after the immediate danger passes.
While some vessels are bound to the deep after they sink, many others are brought up by salvage crews–often because they have to be.
Modern boats carry hundreds of gallons of fuel and oil, large banks of batteries, plastics, fiberglass, resins and many other materials that are toxic to fish and harmful to humans. A sunken boat can also present a navigation risk if pieces break apart and drift.
Glen JusticeSalvage crews recover Crescendo, a 60-foot Ocean Alexander.
State and federal environmental laws often dictate that boats be cleaned out or raised–usually at the owner's expense–unless a salvage operation would be too dangerous or the depths are prohibitive.
THE SALVAGE DECISION
Among the many variables that determine whether a vessel must be recovered include the boat's proximity to shore or navigable routes; the impact to the environment through leaks and toxic debris; and the depth at which the boat sunk.
Those factors are balanced against state and federal regulations, which are typically governed by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Fish and Game and other government bodies.
When states have strict environmental standards, as California does, federal officials will often defer to state rules. When federal regulations are tougher, those may determine what takes place. Sometimes it's a combination of the two.
According to Coast Guard officials, if it is possible to clean fuel or oil leaking form a sunken vessel – without posing danger to those doing recovery work – then it is responsibility of the vessel's owner to make it happen.
In the case of Crescendo, the boat lay deep in the ocean, but not deep enough to eliminate serious environmental impacts. The vessel had to be raised.
And so, in late August, three ships from Ocean Blue Environmental, a Long Beach salvage company, were dispatched to Crescendo's last known coordinates to clean the pollution caused by the boat, which included some 700 gallons of diesel fuel.
UP, UP AND AWAY
Recovery crews generally have limited options when it comes to salvage. In the case of the Crescendo, Ocean Blue sent divers to survey the wreckage, even though, at its depth, divers could only stay under water for 30 minutes.
After several days of survey, floatbags were attached to the bow and stern of the vessel, and then partially filled with air to allow for the boat's slow ascent. Even half-full, the bags, which are under pressure, expand as they rise.
Glen JusticeFloatbags bring Crescendo up from the depths, near the rocks that sunk her. The jetty protects the channel in Newport Harbour.
The vessel, which had listed on its descent to the ocean floor, was first raised just a few feet so that divers could fully inspect damage to the hull. The crews determined the yacht could be raised without fracturing into pieces.
Had the inspection been a bust, it would have been up to the divers to cut the fuel tanks and batteries from the sunken ship–a risky proposition–to fulfill the requirements of the state and federal regulators.
Even thereafter, Coast Guard officials said that cutting the ship into pieces and raising it might still have been necessary to avoid the danger of the boat being washed into the channel, where it could hurt other ships.
At times, recovery efforts can border the extreme, particularly when it comes to recovering environmentally-sensitive pollutants.
After the glass-bottomed boat Phoenix sank in June of 2006 off the coast of Malibu, Califirnia, Ocean Blue employed robotic submersibles to reach a depth of more than 800 feet and recover fuel and oil tanks.
Crescendo was a considerably easier job, though it still took more than a month of labor-intensive, painstakingly careful work.
MOST BOATS MAKE IT
Once Crescendo resurfaced, pontoons were affixed to the hull and she was towed to a dry dock to be stripped of interior components. Even though it was unlikely, the engines were inspected to see if they could be rebuilt. Neither Crescendo's owner nor her insurance company would comment on the vessel's final disposition.
If the yacht had made it back to port before sinking, it would have been in the statistical majority, according to Jerry Cardarelli, a tow and salvage specialist for the BoatUS.
Thanks to modern warning systems, larger pumps, advances in communications and an increasing community of towing and salvage services, many boats can survive damage that would resulted in a loss two decades ago.
Ironically, about four out of five boats that sink do so while tied to a dock, whether the sinking is caused by negligence leading to catastrophic disrepair or a storm. Vessels that are run aground or sink at sea during severe weather are in the minority.
"Most of the time, sinking ships are found after an owner can't pay to keep it up or afford slip fees and lets it go to the bottom," said Coast Guard Lt. Andrew Munoz.
REPAIRING THE DAMAGE Photos by Glen Justice
In the case of a marina sinking, there is a greater likelihood that a salvage operation may be able to save parts of a vessel that might otherwise be lost, Cardarelli said.
Engines, only moderately "pickled" by saltwater, can often be flushed and cleaned. Electrical systems, while highly vulnerable, can sometimes be repaired. And there is a myriad of equipment–running gear, running rigging, ground tackle and other hardware–that is impervious to water. A boat submerged in fresh water is an even better candidate for salvage.
Whatever the circumstances, repairs are often a fraction of the cost of replacement–but even those savings come at a price. It is not unusual for a salvage operator to negotiate a percentage of the recovered boat's worth as a fee, Cardarelli said.
For that reason, having insurance for the worst case scenario, even additional riders added to normal insurance policies, is something for owners to think about. BoatUS recommends that all of its members carry a $500,000 liability policy for fuel and environmental clean-up, said spokesman Scott Croft.
Another consideration: Even with liability coverage, some boat owners can find themselves financially upside down if salvage expenses exceed the value of their boat, Croft said. That could leave an owner with a bill that exceeds the vessel's original value–and no guarantee that the boat can be brought up whole or restored.
And that might just be enough, experts say, to make any boater pay more attention at the helm.
Ryan Hammill is a staff writer for The Orange County Register.