A family memorial boat that sank near Alcatraz Island has been discovered lying 40 feet underwater in San Francisco Bay. However, its depth raises concerns about the safety of any salvage operations.
On Friday, San Francisco police reported that Marines located the 49-foot cabin cruiser, named Volare, after several days of searching using sonar technology following a tragic incident on Tuesday.
The police are currently deploying remote-controlled underwater vehicles to inspect the wreckage, collaborating with various agencies to assess the feasibility of recovering the ship.
The Volare is sitting about 120 to 130 feet below the surface in a heavily dredged channel, situated approximately 2,000 feet west of Alcatraz.
The cruiser went underwater around 3:35 PM on Tuesday while carrying 20 friends and family of John and Clifford Boisa, who were there to hold a memorial service to scatter ashes for their late daughter and niece.
Authorities suspect that the boat was overwhelmed by the notoriously rough waves typical of the bay.
This sudden impact caused the vessel to tilt to the right, take on water, and ultimately capsize.
Officials are also looking into whether how passengers were distributed across the three decks contributed to the boat’s instability in the waves.
Witnesses noted that some people were tossed into the cold bay, while others were seemingly trapped below deck as the boat sank.
It’s worth mentioning that only about half of the passengers were wearing life jackets at the time.
A civilian boat crew, along with responders from the San Francisco Police Department, Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard, managed to rescue 16 individuals from the water.
John Boisa, the boat’s owner and a U.S. Navy veteran, survived the incident. Tragically, his older brother, 79-year-old Clifford Joseph Boisa from Sutter County, was rescued but later passed away from cardiac arrest and exposure.
The second identified victim, 58-year-old Tondra Miller from Sacramento County, was discovered drifting near Treasure Island after being spotted by another boat.
Sadly, two family members, Jackie Boisa and Carol Boisa, remain unaccounted for and are presumed dead.
The Coast Guard concluded its search operation on Wednesday evening after covering over 950 square nautical miles, shifting the focus to recovery efforts.
Recovering the boat presents significant challenges, as it rests in dark, strong currents 120 to 130 feet deep, well beyond what local dive teams can handle. At such depths, standard scuba diving can be very risky, which means crews will need to utilize professional salvage divers, specialized gas mixtures like trimix, and remote-operated vehicles.
Currently, the investigation into the sinking of the Volare continues.
The San Francisco Police Department expressed condolences, stating, “Our hearts go out to everyone involved in this tragic incident,” while also thanking partner agencies and the public for their prompt assistance during the rescue efforts and ongoing searches for the missing individuals.
