Three weeks after it capsized in its namesake river, the 87’ paddle wheeler Spirit of Sacramento was raised and removed in a joint operation by the Coast Guard and other agencies.
Seattle-based Global Diving & Salvage Inc. worked with the Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Army Corps of Engineers, and others to start the operation Wednesday afternoon near Bethel Island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta. A crane arrived on site around 3 p.m., and work was expected to take 24 hours, according to the Coast Guard.
The former tour boat had been retired from passenger service since the 2009 bankruptcy of Sacramento Yacht Charters LLC, according to local news media. It capsized in the river Sept. 3 and two people on board escaped unharmed. A small amount of diesel was recovered after the accident, and the riverboat had been under surveillance for any pollution danger. The goal of the removal was to get the wreck out of the river without a spill.
After righting and dewatering the vessel, it was to be towed to the Army Corps of Engineers facility in Sausalito for removal of the oil and fuel on board. Containment boom was deployed in the event of oil or fuel leaking, and workers stood by with skimming equipment. Boom was also placed in predetermined locations to protect wildlife and sensitive areas.
The waterway surrounding the Spirit of Sacramento was closed Wednesday morning and would be reopened when the operation was complete, the Coast Guard said.
