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.
