JUNEAU — A 71-year-old tugboat that started as a U.S. Army vehicle in World War II and later offered "bunk and breakfast" accommodations in Seattle met its demise Saturday afternoon.
"I walked into the kitchen, looked out my window and saw the boat on its side with the water up to basically the side of the boat already," Christine Kleinheinz told the Juneau Empire.
Kleinheinz lives on the Gastineau Channel near where the 96-foot Challenger sank. She called the Coast Guard immediately but says the tugboat was completely submerged after 4 minutes.
Now, only the tip of the Challenger's mast shows at high tide, though more of the boat is visible at low tide. A small-boat crew from Coast Guard Station Juneau marked the wreck with a buoy and blinking light.
"Here in the next few days, our response department will most likely be looking into salvage efforts," said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Daves.
He said the sunken boat shouldn't be much of a hazard but the Coast Guard installed the warnings as a precaution.
The Challenger was a tug and passenger boat for the Army until it was decommissioned and sold in 1946.
In 1985, the Challenger was converted into a "bunk and breakfast" in Seattle's Lake Union by then-owner Jerry Brown. The Seattle Times and several travel publications featured the tugboat, and advertising described it as having "yacht-like comfort."
The tugboat's current owner is artist R.D. Robinson, who purchased it in 2014. He didn't respond to a phone message from the Juneau Empire seeking comment, but there is no indication that he was onboard the Challenger.
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation spokeswoman Candice Bressler said it wasn't immediately clear how much fuel or lube oil was onboard when the tugboat sank.
There was minimal sheening seen near the Juneau-Douglas Bridge, said Bressler, and the Coast Guard and DEC will monitor it over the weekend.