ON SATURDAY APRIL 22, 2023, AT 6:58PM EST, I WAS CONTACTED BY WITNESS 2 WHO OWNS A HOUSEBOAT AT PATOKA RESERVOIR'S HOOSIER HILLS MARINA LOCATED IN CELESTINE, INDIANA.  SHE WAS CURRENTLY WITNESSING A HOUSEBOAT SINK OFF THE END OF DOCK.

SHE SENT ME A PICTURE OF THE VESSEL'S STERN ALMOST UNDERWATER
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BY 7:05PM, I RECEIVED A SECOND PHOTOGRAPH OF THE HOUSEBOAT COMPLETELY SUNK WITH ONLY THE PORT BOW STICKING UP OUT OF THE WATER AT A FORTY-FIVE-DEGREE LISTING TO THE STARBOARD SIDE APPROXIMATELY TWENTY YARDS OFF THE FAR SHORE ACROSS FROM THE MARINA.

THE SINKING VESSEL'S OPERATOR WAS RESCUED BY THREE OTHER HOUSEBOAT CUSTOMERS AT THE MARINA: WITNESS 3, WITNESS 1, AND WITNESS 5.  WITNESS 5 TRANSPORTED OPERATOR SAFELY TO THE SHORE.

I WAS OFF-DUTY AND IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED FROM MY RESIDENCE TO THE SCENE ARRIVING AROUND 7:30 PM EST.

WHILE IN ROUTE I NOTIFIED HOOSIER HILLS MARINA OWNER WHO LIVES AT THE MARINA TO ASSESS THE SITUATION.  MARINA OWNER CONFIRMED THE VESSEL WAS SUNKEN AND ALL THE OCCUPANTS WERE SAFE AND ACCOUNTED FOR.  HE ALSO LOOKED AT THE SCENE AND DID NOT NOTE ANY ENVIRONMENTAL SPILLS OR LEAKAGE.

I MEET PATOKA RESERVOIR MANAGER, ASSISTANT MANAGERS 1 AND 2 ON SCENE.
WE CONFIRMED OURSELVES THAT THE HOUSEBOAT WAS NOT LEAKING ANY FLUIDS AND THAT ALL OCCUPANTS WERE SAFE AND ACCOUNTED FOR.

I LOCATED THE SUNKEN VESSEL'S OWNER/ OPERATOR, ON WITNESSES 2 & 4'S HOUSEBOAT.  OPERATOR AND HIS GIRLFRIEND WERE OFFERED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE WHICH THEY DENIED.  GIRLFRIEND'S FEET WERE A LITTLE COLD.  THE WITNESSES 2 & 4'S OFFERED HER A BLANKET FOR HER LOWER EXTREMITIES. 

WE INTERVIEWED OPERATOR AND GIRLFRIEND ON WITNESSES 2 & 4'S HOUSEBOAT.

OPERATOR STATED HE PURCHASED THE 1968 34FOOT BY 12FOOT NAUTALINE HOUSEBOAT IN KENTUCKY LAST MONTH.  OPERATOR'S GIRLFRIEND CONFIRMED THEY LAUNCHED THE HOUSEBOAT AROUND APRIL18/19, DRIVING THE HOUSEBOAT TO THEIR RENTAL SLIP AT THE MARINA. (AN 80FT SLIP WITH FINGER PIERS ON BOTH SIDES)

GIRLFRIEND EXPLAINED THE HOUSEBOAT RECENTLY HAD A MARINE SURVEY DONE ON IT JUST PRIOR TO THE PURCHASE AND THE BOAT WAS IN GREAT SHAPE.  OPERATOR NOTED THE HOUSEBOAT'S HULL WAS FIBERGLASS IN CONSTRUCTION WITH AN OUTBOARD ENGINE.  THE FUEL TANK WAS INBOARD AROUND 25 GALLONS.

OPERATOR EXPLAINED THEY TOOK THE HOUSEBOAT OUT AROUND 3PM, DRIVING ACROSS PATOKA LAKE TO THE PATOKA LAKE MARINE, WHERE THEY PICKED UP GIRLFRIEND'S DAUGHTER, OTHER PERSON, AND GIRLFRIEND'S DAUGHTER'S TWO JUVENILE SONS.
THEY WERE COMING BACK ACROSS THE LAKE TO THE HOOSIER HILLS MARINA APPROACHING THE PATOKA REGIONAL WATER/SEWER'S WATER INTAKE TOWER WHEN THE OUTBOARD ENGINE DIED.

THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED AS PARTLY CLOUD WITH A HIGH OF 58 DEGREES WITH WINDY GUESTS AROUND 15 TO 30 MPH.  THE WATER TEMPERATURE WAS AROUND 60/65 DEGREES.  THE OCCUPANTS DESCRIBED THE WAVES AS "WHITE CAPING".

WHEN THE ENGINE DIED, THE HOUSEBOAT WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BLOWN/PUSHED UP AGAINST THE SHORE.  OPERATOR WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND WHILE ATTEMPTING TO GET THE HOUSEBOAT OFF THE SHORELINE, STRUCK SOMETHING WITH THE OUTBOARD ENGINE, CAUSING THE OCCUPANTS TO JOLT FORWARD.

GIRLFRIEND THOUGHT DAUGHTER HAD FALLEN-IN DUE TO THE JOLT; HOWEVER, SHE DID NOT.

THEY WERE ABLE TO REMOVE THE HOUSEBOAT FROM THE SHORE AND CONTINUE TO THE MARINA.

ALL THE ADULT OCCUPANTS STATED SEPARATELY IN INTERVIEWS THAT THE VESSEL HIT SOMETHING IN THE WATER DURING THEIR TRAVEL.

WHEN THEY GOT THE HOUSEBOAT IN THEIR SLIP, TIED UP, AND ENGINE SHUT OFF, THEY COULD HEAR THE SOUND OF WATER RUSHING IN THE BOAT.  AT THIS POINT OPERATOR OPENED THE REAR ENGINE HATCH AND WATER WAS POURING IN AND THE BILGE WAS UNABLE TO KEEP UP.

WHEN I ASKED OPERATOR WHAT HE THOUGHT HAPPENED, HE STATED SAW THE MOTOR WAS BARELY HANGING ON TO THE TRANSOM.

EVERYONE EXITED THE HOUSEBOAT AT THIS POINT ONTO THE DOCK.  OPERATOR THEN UNTIED THE BOAT AND ATTEMPTED TO MOTOR THE HOUSEBOAT OVER TO THE LICK FORK RECREATION AREA'S BOAT RAMP LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE MARINA.

AS OPERATOR ROUNDED DOCK THE BOAT SANK AND OPERATOR WAS RESCUED.

OPERATOR WAS UNABLE TO ACCESS A LIFE JACKET DUE TO THEM BEING STORED INSIDE THE LIVING COMPARTMENT OF THE HOUSEBOAT.

T AND T MARINA SALVAGE OUT OF ROUGH RIVER, KENTUCKY WAS CONTACTED TO EXPEDITIOUSLY REMOVE THE BOAT FROM THE WATER.

T AND T MARINA SALVAGE ARRIVED AROUND 1PM ON SUNDAY APRIL 23, 2023 AND WERE ABLE TO USE AIRBAGS TO RAISE THE HOUSEBOAT FROM THE LAKEBED.  USING TWO DE-WATERING PUMPS TO KEEP THE HOUSEBOAT AFLOAT, IT WAS TOWED TO THE LICK FORK RAMP AND REMOVED FROM THE LAKE ON OPERATOR'S HOUSEBOAT TRAILER.

AT THIS TIME, I COMPLETED A PHYSICAL INSPECTION OF THE 1968 NAUTALINE 34FOOT HOUSEBOAT AND PHOTOGRAPHED THE CONDITION OF IT.  

THE VESSEL HAD A CURRENT 2024 INDIANA WATERCRAFT REGISTRATION STICKERS DISPLAYED ON THE FORWARD HALF OF THE VESSEL BUT WAS STILL DISPLAYING KENTUCKY WATERCRAFT REGISTRATION NUMBERS.

I WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE A HIN NUMBER ON THE VESSEL.  GIRLFRIEND WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE AN INDIANA TITLE WITH THE VIN WHICH IS A KENTUCKY ASSIGNED HIN NUMBER MOST LIKELY DUE TO THE BOAT'S HULL BEING PAINTED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE YEARS.  THE BOAT CURRENTLY HAD A FRESH COAT OF TEAL ON THE TRANSOM.

THE HOUSEBOAT SHOWED OBVIOUS SIGNS OF DEFORMITY TO THE TRANSOM AREA.  A 120 HORSEPOWER V6 EVINRUDE OUTBOARD ENGINE WAS MOUNTED ON A 12" SPACING T H MARINE Z-LOCK @ MANUAL JACK PLATE.

THE TOP OF THE TRANSOM WHERE THE OUTBOARD WAS BOLTED THROUGH WAS COMPLETELY BROKE THROUGH AND CAVED INWARD ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ENGINE.  THE TRANSOM WAS STILL HOLDING BELOW THE MOTOR MOUNTS.

THE FIBERGLASS HULL WAS INSPECTED AND FOUND TO BE COMPLETELY INTACT. 
 
THE REAR BILGE AREA WAS INTACT WITH A REAR BILGE PUMP AND THREE MARINA BATTERIES ON A THREE-BANK CHARGING SYSTEM. 
OPERATOR TOOK POSSESSION OF THE HOUSEBOAT AND TOWED IT BACK TO HIS RESIDENCE.

WHEN I INTERVIEWED THE WITNESSES ON THE DOCK AT THE MARINA, ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS FAMILY, OPERATOR CAME INTO THE MARINA ON THE EASTERN SHORE HUGGING THE BANK WHICH IS LITTERED WITH SUBMERGED TREETOPS JUST UNDER THE WATERLINE.

WHEN WITNESS 1 ATTEMPTED TO ASSIST, OPERATOR IN DOCKING HIS VESSEL IN HIS SLIP, OPERATOR OVERSHOT THE SLIP AND ENDED UP IN THE BANK, HAVING TO REVERSE HARD BEFORE GETTING IN THE SLIP.  THE BANK AREA IS ALSO LITTERED WITH TREE STUMPS AND UNDERWATER HAZARDS JUST UNDER THE WATER.

THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENTLY SINKING WAS DUE TO THE TRANSOM BEING PARTIAL RIP OFF WHERE THE OUTBOARD ENGINE BOLTS, LETTING IN LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER, SINKING THE VESSEL.  DURING THEIR VOYAGE, THE VESSEL'S OUTBOARD MOTOR STUCK SOMETHING IN THE LAKE WHICH ENOUGH FORCE OR ENGINE TORQUE TO CAUSE THE TRANSOM TO BREAK.
Patoka Reservoir
Celestine                     