LONG BEACH, Calif. (KNX) — A storm system that battered Southern California earlier this week has claimed another victim — this time, a popular riverboat attraction once a fixture of Orange County’s Newport Harbor.
The 77-year-old Newport Princess sank into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach on Tuesday in the midst of high waters caused by stormy weather. On Wednesday, the upper deck was still visible from shore with the rest of the boat resting in the shallows.
The boat — a 62-foot-long Mississippi-style paddle boat — previously offered dining accommodations, but was not technically designed for seafaring.
No one was aboard the boat when it began to take on water, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and Marine Safety Division of the Long Beach Fire Department.
“Even though the vessel has the capacity to hold 750 gallons of fuel, reports state that there were less than 100 gallons aboard,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Aidan Cooney told The Orange County Register. “So the environmental impact isn’t too severe.”
Arrangements have been made to salvage the remains of the boat and demolish them, Cooney said.
