A 30-foot Bayliner boat was found sunk in Auke Harbor early Monday morning.
The boat is owned by Juneau resident Rob Whitten, said City and Borough of Juneau Harbormaster Dave Borg.
It likely started sinking Sunday night, said Auke Bay Harbor supervisor Doug Unruh.
“He was out on it last night, and he parked it at 8:30 and said everything was fine. Then around 7:15 this morning, we were notified that it was under water,” Unruh said.
Unruh said the harbor got a hold of the Whitten Monday morning to tell him the news and Whitten took responsibility for getting it raised it again.
“They’ve got it floating again. He’s going to get it on a trailer and he’s going to take it and try to figure out why it sank. He doesn’t really know why,” Unruh said.
Whitten did not return a phone call seeking comment by press time Monday evening.
Divers with S.E. Underwater Services helped raise the boat.
Harbor staff contained leaking fuel from the boat with an oil boom and absorbent pads around 8:30 a.m. Besides that, Unruh said Whitten was responsible for the cleanup. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation was monitoring the situation, Unruh said.
“This is the first time we’ve had a boat sink out here in probably three years. Not an everyday occurrence by any stretch,” he said. No other boats were damaged by the sinking.
Unruh said Whitten has been keeping his boat in the transit facility for years.
Whitten will not incur any fines or penalties other than the cost of the putting out the oil boom.
• Contact reporter Lisa Phu at 523-2246 or lisa.phu@juneauempire.com.
Dan Sprague, right, helps Dorion Hobbs, of S.E. Underwater Services, prepare for a dive to raise a 28-foot boat, above, that sunk at Don D. Statter Harbor in Auke Bay on Monday.
