_{Thumbnail photo: A commercial fishing vessel, the Flo, was found partially submerged in the Crescent City Harbor’s marina early Friday morning. | Photo by Heather Polen}

Harbor District staff are using salvage lift bags and a dive team to raise a partially submerged commercial fishing vessel currently located at E Dock in the port’s marina.

The fishing vessel is owned by Andrew Griffin, a local fisherman, Harbormaster Mike Rademaker told the Board of Commissioners via email on Friday. The cause is still under investigation. In addition to trying to stabilize the vessel, staff have deployed an oil-containment boom around the boat as a precaution, Rademaker said.

A CCHD maintenance worker found the partially submerged vessel earlier Friday, Griffin told Redwood Voice Community News. 

Rademaker said the vessel began taking on water some time after 4 a.m. and bottomed out at about 7:30 a.m. Friday.

According to the harbormaster, staff are working to prevent any potential damage to both the vessel and the marina. He pointed to the possibility that a rising tide and “buoyant forces” lifting the vessel unevenly and potentially becoming pinned underneath the dock.

“The district’s planned response includes the use of salvage lift bags (often referred to as airbags), which divers secure to appropriate points on the vessel and inflate in a controlled manner to provide adjustable buoyant lift,” Rademaker said. “Lift bags allow the vessel to be raised gradually and evenly rather than abruptly, which reduces the chance of rolling, structural stress or additional flooding.”
Staff is also using lines to prevent the vessel from being pushed beneath the dock framing as the tide continues to rise. A dive team may also pump water out of flooded spaces within the vessel as it is stabilized and rises. According to Rademaker, this will reduce the weight and help the boat regain its own buoyancy.

“The district’s priorities are environmental protection, safety and preventing additional damage to harbor infrastructure,” he said. “Updates will be provided as the assessment progresses and as conditions allow.”

The situation comes as the Dungeness crab season starts in Crescent City. In a Facebook post on Thursday, the Harbor District said 84 vessels went out to sea.