John Wayne s former yacht, the Norwester, is slowly sinking near San Juan Islands
The vessel sustained damage to its hull in mid-April. The owner is now working to salvage the vessel. Author: KING 5 Staff Updated: 8:49 PM MDT May 10, 2021
SAN JUAN COUNTY, Wash. A historic yacht, which saw service in World War II and was later owned by John Wayne, has sunk in Washington s San Juan Islands.
On April 17, the 76-foot
Norwester sustained heavy damage to hull when it struck submerged rocks near Prevost Harbor on Stuart Island, Coast Guard officials said. The eight people on board were rescued. It would later be determined that there was in a fact a one-foot-by-four-foot hole in the hull, said Petty Officer Michael Clark of the U.S. Coast Guard. Water pumps aboard the vessel were unable to keep up with the flooding.
WATCH LIVE: John Wayne s former yacht the Norwester is slowly sinking near San Juan Islands KING 5 Staff
The Norwester, formerly owned by film legend John Wayne, is semi-submerged off the north end of Henry Island in San Juan County, according to the Coast Guard.
On April 17, the 76-foot vessel sustained heavy damage hull. The eight people on board were rescued.
The Coast Guard has issued a Captain of the Port Order to the vessel s owner, requiring the owner to take necessary action to salvage the vessel.
As of May 9, the vessel was being held in position with multiple anchors. A sheen containment boom was also deployed to help mitigate any environmental impact.
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A Yeppoon Rescue One crew member was flown to Rockhampton after becoming severely dehydrated due to seasickness during a 15-hour operation north of Rosslyn Bay Harbour on April 12.
An 11-metre yacht with two people on board had engine failure and was anchored 0.5 nautical miles south of Strong Tide Passage at Shoalwater.
The yacht was heading north but requested assistance to return to Rosslyn Bay for repairs.
ROK200421CoastGuard: Yeppoon Rescue One crew member transfer to RACQ Capricorn Rescue.
The crew was not confident they could sail into the strong southeast winds.
Yeppoon Rescue One, with skipper Kingsley Bartle and crew, departed Rosslyn Bay Harbour at 7.30am with very rough sea conditions making it a difficult operation.
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Yeppoon Coast Guard went to the rescue of a power boat that had dragged its anchor and was pushed onto rocks overnight at Second Beach, Great Keppel Island.
The volunteer crew received the call from the Mackay-based owner on Thursday, February 4.
The extent of the damage was not known and the Yeppoon Rescue One with skipper Kingsley Bartle and crew arrived on scene at high tide ready to float the boat. The boat on the beach being wrapped in plastic.
As the vessel was beached and due to extensive damage, it was not fit to float.
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ALTHOUGH strong winds kept most boaties at home, Central Queensland Coast Guards were hard at work last week.
Below is a diary of their significant tasks.
Monday
On Monday, an empty aluminium boat floating off Keppel Sands was the trigger for a search for a possible missing occupant.
At 3.58pm Keppel Sands Coast Guard was contacted by Yeppoon Coast Guard, advising that a member of the public had reported a vessel drifting fast in the strong winds.
The vessel appeared to have come from Cooroman Creek and was drifting across the front of Keppel Sands. There was no sign of an occupant.