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WEBVTT THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TOFIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO NEXT.THIS IS NOT THE WAY HE REMEMBERSTHE ST. JOSEPH.>> IT IS SAD.IT IS LIKE GOING INTO A HOUSETHAT SQUATTERS HAVE MOVED INTO.KEVIN: HE WORKED ON THE VESSEL10 YEARS AGO BEFORE HE SAID ITWAS SOLD TO SCRAPPERS INSTOCKTON.WHEN HE SAW IT TIED UP IN WESTSACRAMENTO THREE YEARS AGO, HEWARNED LOCAL AND STATE AGENCIESTHEN THAT IT WAS A HAZARD.AND THEN HOMELESS STARTED LIVINGON IT.EARLIER THIS MONTH, ASPOKESPERSON TOLD KCRA THREEINVESTIGATES THAT IT DID NOTHAVE THE FUNDS TO REMOVE IT.>> IT IS VERY COMPLEX.THERE ARE A LOT OF FACTORS TOTAKE INTO ACCOUNT.ESPECIALLY OF A VESSEL THISSIZE.KEVIN: AND SO, IT SAT ABANDONEDUNTIL THIS WEEKEND, WHEN BOATERSSAW IT TRAVELING DOWN THESACRAMENTO RIVER.THERE WAS NO ONE AT THE STEERINGWHEEL.THE RUNAWAY ST. JOSEPH HEADEDSTRAIGHT TO THE MARINA.>> THERE WAS NO CONTROL.THE RUDDER WAS COCKED OFF ALITTLE BIT.KEVIN: TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, ITWAS A WARM WEEKEND AND A LOT OFPEOPLE WERE OUT ON THE WATER.>> IT WAS A WRECKING BALL GOINGDOWN THE RIVER UNCONTROLLED.KEVIN: FORTUNATELY, THE RIVERWAS NOT SLOWING AS FAST AS ITHAS BEEN IN THE SHIP WAS CAUGHTON A TRAY.THREE AGENCIES SHOWED UPINCLUDING THE CITY OF SACRAMENTOAND THE COAST GUARD.BUT IT WAS ECKLER AND ANOTHERPRIVATE VOTER -- BOATER THAT TOWED IT DOWN RIVER.THERE WERE ALL SORTS OF SAFETYHAZARDS ON BOARD.>> THERE COULD HAVE BEEN DRUGCOOKING PARAPHERNALIA.KEVIN: THE MARINA WHERE IT IS

Advertisement Abandoned ship breaks loose, barrels down Sacramento River Homeless people were removed from ship days before Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A 50-year-old steel ship that had been docked in West Sacramento for years had to be stopped by other boaters over the weekend when it started floating down the Sacramento River with no one at the helm.The Saint Joseph was occupied by homeless people who turned it into a floating encampment while local and state authorities wrestled over who had jurisdiction and who would be responsible for its disposal.KCRA 3 Investigates first reported on the growing problem in July. Homeless people were choosing to live on the river and would cut abandoned boats loose in order create camps on nearby docks.Authorities were warned by boaters that the abandoned ship was a hazard. So when the ship broke loose and floated down the river, it was lassoed and towed by private boaters -- not officials. "It's sad. It's like going into a house that squatters have gone into and destroyed it," boater Nate Eckler said.Eckler worked on the shrimp vessel nearly a decade ago. He fixed it up as part of the sea scouts program in West Sacramento before he said it was sold for scrap in Stockton.When he saw it back in West Sacramento at the Cemex dock more than three years ago, he warned local and state agencies about the hazard the Saint Joseph posed. "The longer it sits, the more of a risk it became," Eckler said.Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the state lands commission said it didn't have the funds to remove it."It's very complex," Sheri Pemberton said. "There are a lot of factors that have to be taken into account depending on the vessel, the size, if there are hazardous materials involved that are on the vessel or part of the vessel (or) if it's a hazard to navigation."The boat was left at the dock and then it was occupied by homeless people. West Sacramento police said officers repeatedly responded to calls at the dock. Code enforcement officers were looking at the ship and the condition of the dock and buildings last week.Then Saturday afternoon, Eckler got a call from other boaters that the Saint Joseph was drifting backwards down the Sacramento River. No one was at the helm. The only way to steer the ship would be with a wrench, Eckler said."Anything like this, you have no control," he explained. "The rudder was cocked off a little bit and so it definitely was kind of nosing on out. And, there were two marinas between where we eventually got caught."To make matters worse, it was warm weekend and a lot of people were out on the water. "It was (like) a steel wrecking ball going down river uncontrolled -- and could seriously do a lot of damage," Eckler said.Three agencies responded: the City of Sacramento, the U.S. Coast Guard and Yolo County sheriff's deputies.But, it was Eckler and another private boater who towed the Saint Joseph to a marina downstream.Eckler said the river wasn't flowing as fast as it has and the tide was relatively low. The ship managed to get caught on a tree, giving the boaters more time to get it tied to other vessels before it ran aground, crashed into a marina or hit someone in the water. The Saint Joseph is filled with safety hazards including exposed wiring, raw sewage, chemical bottles, rusty staircases and evidence of fires on board.The State Lands Commission has legal ownership of the vessel now, but it didn't respond to calls about what the commission plans to do with the Saint Joseph.