Sunken boat at
Keehi Lagoon running
out of time, state says

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By Burl Burlingame
Star-Bulletin

The state is moving swiftly to seize and destroy a possibly historic boat that sank mysteriously in Keehi Lagoon nearly three months ago.

At a hearing yesterday at the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, "Bali Hai" owner David Ford was given until tomorrow to prepare a formal legal challenge contesting the state's impoundment of his vessel last week.

The craft is a Miami Shipbuilding-constructed Aviation Rescue boat, or AVR. Ford was planning to donate the craft to a museum when it sank the morning of March 1.

Spurred by the discovery of repaired bullet holes in the vessel, he was researching the craft's World War II history in preparation for presenting it to an organization such as the USS Bowfin museum.

"A couple of months more, and I would have tied up next to the Bowfin, jumped out and handed them the keys," Ford said.

That plan was scuttled when the boat was sunk while Ford was recuperating from surgery. He currently owes the state more than $600 in fees, including fines for having a boat under water without a permit. The state impounded the boat for the fees and because the craft is considered a "navigational hazard."

"Bali Hai" is currently at least 12 feet below water level. Harbormaster Wesley Choy testified that sailboats with drafts of 10 to 12 feet regularly use Keehi Lagoon and could snag the sunken vessel.

Ford suspected foul play in the sinking of his boat, but harbor authorities refused to investigate. Choy also pressured Ford to use salvor SubSurface Co., which Ford fired when the boat was badly damaged in the effort.

"They were awfully eager for me to use this guy, but he messed up the boat worse than it already was, almost as if he were sabotaging it," said Ford. "I subsequently discovered he has no business license to operate here."

The state continued to rent oil-containment booms from SubSurface, anyway.

"This case is about the Bali Hai and the state must balance the public interest," said Wayne A. Matsuura of the state attorney general's office. "It's just too dangerous and must be removed. It is not on the register of historic sites, and we all have things to do and schedules to keep."

After the hearing, Matsuura said it was "pretty routine" for the attorney general's office to prepare legal representation against citizens in such disputes.