Boat Capsizes Near Alcatraz, Leaving Three Missing

Rescue teams were searching for three missing individuals after a vessel involved in a memorial service sank in the cold, swift waters of San Francisco Bay, near Alcatraz Island, authorities reported Wednesday. One person was pulled from the water but later died, and 16 people were rescued after the vessel capsized on Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses described the conditions as ‘choppy seas,’ according to San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen.

‘The vessel appeared to take on water and overturned in the bay,’ Crispen stated at a Tuesday press conference. When rescuers arrived, the boat’s engine was still running and fuel was leaking, he added.

Tuesday’s videos showed rescue boats surrounding the mostly submerged vessel, with debris floating nearby. A dog onboard also died.

Lieutenant Mariano Elias, the fire department’s spokesperson, described it as a 50-foot recreational vessel with a cabin and upper deck named Volare, registered in Stockton, California. Search teams were using thermal imaging, tidal predictions, and models to guide their efforts, the department noted. By Tuesday night, authorities were searching open waters west of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Initial reports indicated what seemed like smoke coming from the vessel, but the first responders determined it to be steam. According to VesselFinder, a vessel tracking website, the boat departed near the St. Francis Yacht Club, passed under the Golden Gate Bridge twice, and visited Angel Island, a state park in the bay, before its apparent return voyage. A person answering the phone at the yacht club on Tuesday said they had no information.

Alcatraz Island was once a federal prison known for being nearly inescapable due to freezing waters and strong currents. The island is about one mile from San Francisco and is now a popular tourist attraction. Elias stated the vessel was approximately 600 yards from Alcatraz when the emergency call was received shortly after 3:30 p.m.

Reported by Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Ed White in Detroit; Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California; Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon; Hallie Golden in Seattle, and Noah Berger in San Francisco.
This story was translated from English by an AP editor with assistance from a generative AI tool.