36m superyacht sinks off coast of Fort Lauderdale

Thirteen people were rescued after a 36m superyacht sank off the coast of Fort Lauderdale earlier this week.

Serena III was travelling to Freeport in the Bahamas, and was 13 miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale when water began to flood into the vessel. A distress call was sent at around 6pm, after which the United States coast guard and a number of private maritime assistance companies came to rescue all 13 people on board.

After less than two hours, Serena III rolled over and became submerged in waters over 350m deep. An investigation has since been launched to find out why the yacht began to take on water. No medical injuries have been reported, and all passengers were taken to the United States Coast Guard Station in Miami Beach.

One of the marine assistance companies, Sea Tow, soon arrived on the scene to try and recover the yacht. A report said, “Our crews gave it a valiant effort to arrive on the scene with multiple vessels and pumps but she was too far gone. We were able to recover a Jet Ski, inflatable tender and life raft.”

Sea Tow captain Tim Morgan, commented, “It just gradually took on more and more water and then it went down by the stern and rolled. Then it went under the waves.

“The amount of water it was taking on and how quickly the boat sank, really, I don’t think there was much anybody would have been able to do.”

View a video of the incident here.