California - Shipwreck Log

On April 18, the 47 foot long fishing vessel Midori caught fire off Trinidad, California. Unable to contain the blaze, the crew of the Midori contacted another fishing vessel which relayed the message to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard dispatched a 47 foot long lifeboat along with a helicopter to the scene. With the flames reaching the Midori’s pilothouse, the five crew on board donned survival suits and abandoned ship into the vessel’s life raft. The nearby fishing vessel Pacific Bully arrived on scene before the Coast Guard and rescued all five crew. The tug Michelle Sloan arrived later and was able to extinguish the blaze. The Michelle Sloan took the Midori under tow back to port where a salvage team removed the remaining diesel fuel off the fishing vessel. No reports of injuries or pollution released.

Kaylee J

October 8, 2017 Paul Hancock

On October 7, the fishing vessel Kaylee J ran aground off El Capitán State Beach near Goleta, California. The vessel had alerted authorities that the vessel had run aground just 20 yards offshore and requested assistance. The Coast Guard dispatched a response team from Santa Barbara.

The team reported the vessel aground, but no reports of injuries or oil pollution released. Reports state a response team will remove the fuel and any other hazardous materials off the fishing vessel. No word if the Kaylee J will be salvaged or not. The incident is under investigation.

Norton Sound

September 30, 2017 Paul Hancock

On September 29, the 41 meter long research / fishing vessel Norton Sound caught fire while berthed in San Diego, California. Reports state authorities were alerted who dispatched local fire fighters to the scene. Assisted by the Coast Guard, fire fighters tried to extinguish the blaze. However, the fire was too intense below decks to be contained. They decided to let the fire to burn itself out. Heavy smoke was reported to still billow out of the Norton Sound the following day. Authorities state it may take up to 50 hours for the fire to die out.

https://youtu.be/Xn82S2BljGw

No reports of injuries. The cause of the fire was not disclosed. Reports state there was no one on board the vessel at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.