Wrecked Coast Guard Boat Will Be Cut Up For Salvage

A 44-foot motor lifeboat on which three of four Coast Guard crew members died in a storm last week will be cut into pieces for salvage, the agency said Monday.

Crowley Marine has been awarded a Navy contract for the work at James Island, about half a mile outside the mouth of the Quillayute River at La Push, according to a statement issued by the Coast Guard.

Starting Thursday, the wrecked vessel will be cut into chunks, which in turn will be hauled by helicopter to Fort Lewis south of Tacoma, the statement said.

The lifeboat overturned repeatedly in stormy weather during a rescue attempt early Wednesday morning after a mayday call was received from a stricken sailboat.

Both occupants of the sailboat were taken to safety aboard a helicopter, but three of the four men aboard the lifeboat died.

Those who died were Seaman Clinton P. Miniken, 22, of Snohomish; Petty Officer 2nd Class David A. Bosley, 36, of Coronado, Calif.; and Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew E. Schlimme, 24, of Whitewater, Mo.

The Coast Guard is investigating the deaths, the agency’s first in the more than three decades that the motor lifeboats have been in service.

A memorial service for the victims is set for Wednesday to be held simultaneously in La Push and Seattle.