When
the call came into the shipyard at Mystic Seaport on February 26, 2015 the
feeling was initially that it was a crank call. Why would the Coast Guard in
San Diego be calling Mystic Seaport for help regarding a boat washed ashore
after a storm in California? Once the story was told it began to make a bit
more sense.
A
sea-going motor yacht, the MONA MONA, grounded in the surf at a navy base in Coronado.
Fearing that the fuel tanks, which can carry up to 1,200 gallons, might be
breached, the Coast Guard sent in a team from their Incident Management
Division in the San Diego Sector. Marine Science Technician Petty Officer 3rd
class Eben Smith made a call to Nordhavn Yachts who build similar vessels, trying
to determine the location of the fuel tanks in the yacht. Unable to accommodate
MST3 Smith and his team with the proper technical information, they did the
next best thing. They directed him to Mystic Seaport!
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| The MONA MONA stranded on a beach in Coronado, California. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard. |
The
MONA MONA, built in 1972, was designed by Captain Robert Beebe, the progenitor
of the long-distance trawler cruising movement. MONA MONA was one of Beebe’s
early designs, meant for cruising in the Mediterranean, but with large enough
fuel tanks to make an Atlantic crossing.
However, the boat, built in Costa Mesa, began and ended its
life on the West Coast.
Mystic
Seaport maintains the archive of Captain Beebe’s plans, so when Eben Smith
called looking for the plans, our Library was able to quickly locate them,
photograph the critical portion (see image) and send it via text message to him
on site at the wreck. That was at 3:04 p.m. Eastern Time. AT 8:01 p.m., we
received a text from an enthusiastic Smith stating, “Just want to let you know
the schematics you provided helped remove over 400 gallons of fuel, without a
drop in the ocean! Thank you very much to everyone I spoke to over at Mystic
Seaport. You truly saved the day!” And while it is likely that such a capable
young man would have eventually figured out the problem without our help, it is
gratifying to know that Mystic Seaport was able to make his day a bit easier
and contribute in a meaningful way.
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| Detail of plan showing starboard fuel tank of MONA MONA. Coll. 125, Daniel S. Gregory Ships Plans Library, Mystic Seaport |
The
fate of the MONA MONA, however, does not have a happy ending. A recent news report
mentioned that the boat’s owner and the U.S Navy had not yet determined what to
do with the double-decked 50-foot yacht and it was filling up with sand as it
sat on the beach. Late word from MST3 Smith, however, is that the yacht was demolished before it could deteriorate more in the surf. At least no petroleum from it will stain that stretch of
coast line thanks to the work of the Coast Guard.
