Crews Will Try Again to Raise Sunken Trawler

Salvage crews spent most of Tuesday trying to hoist up a bruised and cracked fishing vessel that sank in its slip in the Ventura Harbor marina over the weekend.

But the effort, which included the volunteer help of a band of Vietnam War veterans to work the pulleys and chains, was unsuccessful. The Vietnamese owners of the 46-foot trawler pledged to try again today.

“Even if they are able to raise the boat, they won’t be able to sail away because the engine’s been underwater for several days,” said acting harbor master Scott Miller. “The eventual plan is to tow it down to San Pedro.”

Buoi Thi Tran of San Bernardino, who owns the concrete-hulled Tai Loi fishing boat registered in San Pedro, told harbor administrators that the estimated damage to the vessel was between $20,000 and $30,000.

Harbor officials said Monday that a crew member apparently left an on-board valve open as the ship docked early Saturday. It sank in its slip within hours.

More than 100 gallons of engine fuel flowed into the harbor, but cleanup crews recovered most of the oil, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Tom Haug said.

“It’s as clean as we can get it for now,” he said Tuesday, overlooking the ill-fated salvage effort. “But we’re requiring them to keep the booms around the area while they salvage it.”