attessa iv yacht crash

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'Super yacht' Attessa IV involved in fatal collision at sea

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This story has been amended since first posting.

A luxury superyacht rebuilt several years ago in North Vancouver for the billionaire owner of Washington Marine Group has been involved in a fatal collision at sea near to San Diego.

The collision happened off the west coast on the evening of Oct. 26, about 14 kilometres from San Diego near the United States-Mexico border.

The U.S. Coast Guard received a call from the Attessa IV about 7:45 p.m. advising the 332-foot yacht had collided with a 65-foot sports fishing charter boat, Prowler, and that “Prowler sustained some pretty significant damage to its rear starboard quarter,” said Joel Guzman, public affairs spokesman for the San Diego Coast Guard station.

The Coast Guard launched a Jayhawk helicopter, 45-foot medium response boat and the Coast Guard cutter Sea Otter to the crash site and arrived on scene about 8:45 p.m. where 17 people from the sports fishing charter boat were taken on to the coast guard vessel. Three people were injured, including one man who had critical head injuries, said Guzman.

He was airlifted by helicopter to shore and taken to hospital.

The San Diego medical examiner’s office confirmed 66-year-old Richard Neff of San Clemente later died of those injuries.

Guzman said an investigation is now underway to determine why the ships collided, which includes speaking to everyone on board both vessels at the time of the crash. The investigation could take several months, said Guzman.

There is no word on who was among the 28 people on board the yacht at the time of the collision.

Records of ships’ movements show the Attessa IV in North Vancouver July 8. It later travelled down the west coast arriving in San Diego Oct. 15.

The yacht left San Diego following the crash and is now in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Attessa IV, which is registered in the Cayman Islands, is one of the largest privately owned yachts in the world. It was bought in 2007 by Dennis Washington, a U.S. billionaire whose network of companies includes Washington Marine Group and Seaspan Shipyards in North Vancouver, where Kyle Washington, Dennis Washington’s son, is executive chairman.

The mega yacht was extensively rebuilt in a three-year project by Washington Yachting Group in North Vancouver, in the same shed where the three ill-fated Pacificat fast ferries were put together by shipyard workers in the 1990s.

The luxury yacht, which has been featured in a number of yachting and lifestyle magazine articles, features its own on-board helicopter and landing pad, spa, gym and pool, and opulent guest quarters including sculptures by Henry Moore and a hanging glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly.

Editor's note: This story has been amended to reflect that the Attessa IV was in North Vancouver July 8, but did not leave North Vancouver on that date.

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Megayacht Attessa IV Involved in Fatal Collision with Fishing Vessel Off Southern California

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File photo: Patrick Lawson / MarineTraffic.com

The 332-foot megayacht Attessa IV was involved in a collision with a 65-foot sport fishing vessel off the coast of Southern California near the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday night, resulting in multiple injuries and one fatality.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it medevaced one injured person via helicopter and rescued additional seventeen passengers from the sportfisher Prowler following the collision near the maritime boundary line.

The crew of the Attessa IV contacted Coast Guard Sector San Diego’s Joint Harbor Operations Center watchstanders at approximately 7:50 p.m. reporting a collision with the Prowler approximately nine miles offshore of Imperial Beach.

The collision reportedly resulted in extensive damage to the starboard quarter of the Prowler.

Crews arrived on scene at approximately 8:45 p.m. A Jayhawk crew hoisted a critically injured passenger and returned to Sector San Diego where awaiting EMS took the man to UC San Diego Medical Center – Hillcrest in critical condition.

Fox10 News reported Sunday that the man had died.

The crew of a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium transferred another 17 passengers from the Prowler, including two reporting injuries, and took them to Sector San Diego.

The Prowler’s remaining ten passengers were transferred to the Attessa IV and taken to San Diego, while the captain remained aboard the Prowler.

The USCGC Sea Otter remained on-scene with the Prowler while awaiting commercial salvage.

The Prowler was reportedly returning from a fishing trip when the collision occurred.

The exact cause of the collision is under investigation.

The Attessa IV is owned by self-made billionaire Dennis Washington. Washington owns Washington Companies, which is parent to Seaspan ULC (former Seaspan Marine Corporation). Reports said the yacht sustained some minor damage to its bow in the collision. The vessel was at anchor in San Diego Bay as of Monday. 

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1 dead, 17 rescued, 2 hurt in mega yacht, fishing boat crash off San Diego's coast

SAN DIEGO, California — One person died and two others were injured, and Coast Guard crews rescued 17 others after a mega yacht collided with a fishing vessel off the coast of Imperial Beach on Friday night. 

The 332-foot yacht, Attessa IV, crashed into the 65-foot sportfisher vessel, Prowler, just before 8 p.m. about nine miles off the shore of Imperial Beach, according to the Coast Guard.

The collision caused extensive damage to the right side of the Prowler.

One man was airlifted to UCSD Hillcrest and died at the hospital, the Coast Guard confirmed. Two others were injured in the accident.

Coast Guard crews transferred 17 passengers from the damaged fishing boat back to San Diego. The Prowler's 10 remaining passengers were transferred onto the Attessa IV, set to return to San Diego.

The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the accident.

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Man Airlifted to Hospital Following Boat Crash Off Imperial Beach Dies

A yacht collided with a fishing boat with 29 people on board, seriously damaging the boat and injuring several people., by alexander nguyen • published october 27, 2018 • updated on october 30, 2018 at 8:16 pm.

A man died after a fishing boat collided with a yacht off the coast of Imperial Beach, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday.

Richard Neff was on a fishing trip with friends when the incident happened around 7:50 p.m. Friday.

“Everyone was just in shock at what happened,” deck hand Andrew Warren said.

A 332-foot yacht, Attessa IV, crashed into the 65-foot Prowler with 29 people on it, the agency said.

It occurred about 9 miles from the coast, near Mexico's maritime border.

“It’s like getting bit by a shark – it’s going to happen once in a great while, and all it is is people aren't paying attention,” fisherman Alan Dyer told NBC 7.

The crash caused extensive damage to the starboard quarter of the sports fishing boat, disabling it and critically injuring Neff and several others, the Coast Guard said.

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It took the Coast Guard about an hour to arrive on the scene and airlifted Neff to UC San Diego Medical Center-Hillcrest where he died Saturday morning, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Joel Guzman said.

Seventeen people, including two with injuries, were taken to San Diego by the Coast Guard's 45-foot Response Boat-Medium.

The remaining 10 passengers were returned to San Diego aboard the Attessa IV.

The captain of the Prowler remained on board to wait for a commercial salvage boat to tow it to shore, according to Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard's Sea Otter, which was diverted to assist with the rescue effort, remained on scene with the Prowler.

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Megayacht Attessa IV Involved in Fatal Collision with Fishing Vessel Off Southern California

The 332-foot megayacht Attessa IV was associated with a crash with a 65-foot sporting activity angling vessel off the coastline of Southern California near the UNITED STATE-Mexico approach Friday evening, leading to several injuries and also one casualty.

The UNITED STATE Coast Guard stated it medevaced one wounded individual through helicopter and also saved extra seventeen guests from the sportfisher Prowler adhering to the crash near the maritime limit line.

The staff of the Attessa IV spoken to Coast Guard Sector San Diego’s Joint Harbor Operations Center watchstanders at about 7:50 p.m. reporting a crash with the Prowler about 9 miles offshore of Imperial Beach.

The crash supposedly caused substantial damages to the starboard quarter of the Prowler.

Crews shown up on scene at about 8:45 p.m. A Jayhawk staff lifted a seriously wounded traveler and also went back to Sector San Diego where waiting for EMS took the male to UC San Diego Medical Center– Hillcrest terminally ill.

Fox10 News reported Sunday that the male had actually passed away.

The staff of a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium moved one more 17 guests from the Prowler, consisting of 2 reporting injuries, and also took them to Sector San Diego.

The Prowler’s staying 10 guests were moved to the Attessa IV and also required to San Diego, while the captain stayed aboard the Prowler.

The USCGC Sea Otter stayed on-scene with the Prowler while waiting for business salvage.

The Prowler was supposedly returning from a fishing expedition when the crash took place.

The specific source of the crash is under examination.

The Attessa IV is had by self-made billionaireDennis Washington Washington has Washington Companies, which is moms and dad to Seaspan ULC (previous Seaspan Marine Corporation). Reports stated the private yacht suffered some small damages to its bow in the crash. The vessel went to support in San Diego Bay sinceMonday

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Prowler-Attessa collision still being investigated

Coast Guard can’t confirm when official report would be released.

SAN DIEGO—An open-ocean collision involving a 65-foot sportfisher and 332-foot luxury yacht occurred on Oct. 26, 2018, about 9 miles off the coast of Imperial Beach and somewhere near the U.S.-Mexico border. We are almost one year removed from the incident and the U.S. Coast Guard has informed The Log its investigation is still ongoing.

Several injuries were reported and the Coast Guard was deployed to rescue several passengers. At least one person died, according to news reports and unnamed sources that were on the scene.

The Log reached out to a source at the Coast Guard’s San Diego sector in March to determine whether an investigation of the open-ocean collision had been completed.

Lt. Commander Stephanie Hodgdon replied to The Log on April 1 and stated the investigation was still ongoing.

“The Attessa IV/Prowler investigation is still open and ongoing. Therefore, we cannot disclose the details of the case at this time. The details of the case cannot be release until the investigation is closed by our headquarters in Washington, D.C.,” Hodgdon said in her e-mail response. “At this time, I do not have an anticipated date of completion and closure due to the nature and complexity of the incident.”

She added progress of the investigation could be tracked online at cgmix.uscg.mil, with the reference number 6572770.

The Log visited the above-referenced website and typed in the reference number in the relevant Coast Guard search engine. The search engine stated it did not recognize the reference number and could not return any results of an investigation. Word searches for “Prowler” and “Attessa IV” were also unsuccessful, so The Log reached out to the Coast Guard’s San Diego sector on Aug. 27 to inform them of the search results and to ask for an update.

“Good Morning Mr. Rohit, I am no longer assigned to Sector San Diego and do not have any visibility on the status of the Attessa investigation. Please contact Mr. Greg Cable for further inquiries regarding this case,” Hodgdon stated in her reply on Aug. 28.

Cable responded an hour later, via e-mail.

“The report has not been finalized to date. Please e-mail me in the future and I will let you know when the report is able to be released,” Cable stated.

Prowler , a 65-foot sportfisher, was returning from a fishing expedition in Mexican waters when it collided with the 332-foot luxury yacht Attessa IV during the early morning hours of Oct. 26. The collision occurred 9 miles west of Imperial Beach and in an area where boats commonly navigate through en route to Mexico. Prowler was headed toward Mission Beach and Attessa IV was likely headed south into Mexico.

Many questioned how a collision of this nature could happen, what with radar, AIS and other on-board technologies. Then there are round-the-clock lookouts, not to mention it’s hard to overlook a large boat in open water, be it a 65- or 332-footer.

The Log will continue to check in with the Coast Guard and report on the results of its investigation as soon as it’s completed.

Some readers of The Log have, through e-mails, phone calls and letters to the editor, consistently questioned why the Coast Guard has taken so long to complete its investigation. One suspected reason: the Coast Guard has a severe backlog of paperwork and doesn’t have the staff available to catch up.

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5 thoughts on “ Prowler-Attessa collision still being investigated ”

Any conclusion yet?

Any updates on this investigation? Thank you.

Still can’t find anything…

Anything at all…..? It’s not the coast guard investigation we’re after, it’s the NTSB report, maybe you guys have enough sway to get ahold of someone at the NTSB to get some answers…

Got a response from the NTSB, they did not investigate this accident. Maybe flag state of the yacht…

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By SuperyachtNews 30 Jul 2013

Helicopter flips over in ‘stormy weather’ on Attessa IV

Images have appeared on facebook and yacht forums of a helicopter shown on its side on the deck of 101m superyacht 'attessa iv'. commentators say the incident happened in high winds in the med, offering lessons to crew on safety and tie down procedures of helicopters to yachts.….

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Yacht Attessa IV Involved in Fatal Collision with Fishing Vessel

According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, Richard Neff, age 66 of San Clemente, California was pronounced dead approximately four hours after the crash. Mr. Neff was injured just before 6 p.m. when the 322-foot “superyacht” ATTESSA IV collided with the PROWLER, a 65-foot San Diego based charter sport-fishing vessel owned by Andrew Viola, Markus Medak, and Drew Card.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 29 people were aboard the PROWLER at the time of the collision, which resulted in multiple injuries and extensive damage to the starboard side of the fishing vessel. A Coast Guard Sector San Diego MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and a Coast Guard Station San Diego 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew were dispatched. The Coast Guard Cutter Sea Otter was also diverted to assist. The Jayhawk crew hoisted the critically injured Neff and transferred him to awaiting EMS. He was then transported to UC San Diego Medical Center-Hillcrest. Despite all efforts, he was pronounced dead at 10:24 p.m.

The Response Boat-Medium transferred 17 of the PROWLER passengers (2 reporting injuries) to Sector San Diego. The remaining ten passengers were transferred to the ATTESSA IV and were transported to San Diego. The captain of the PROWLER remained aboard the vessel, awaiting a commercial salvage crew. According to maritime traffic tracking, the ATTESSA IV is currently docked in San Diego.

The 332-foot superyacht is owned by 84-year-old billionaire Dennis Washington of Montana. Forbes lists Mr. Washington as the 88th richest person in America with a net worth of $5.8 billion. The ATTESSA IV is valued at over $250 million.

It is not clear why the collision happened, but the Coast Guard is asking why there seemed to be no warning before the collision. Both vessels were equipped with radar systems that would have detected and warned the captains and crew of another vessel nearby. The incident is under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard.

With all the warning systems available to vessels, this is an accident that could have been avoided and never should have happened. Stacey and Jacobsen will continue to follow this investigation and keep you informed.

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'Super yacht' Attessa IV involved in fatal collision at sea

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This story has been amended since first posting.

A luxury superyacht rebuilt several years ago in North Vancouver for the billionaire owner of Washington Marine Group has been involved in a fatal collision at sea near to San Diego.

The collision happened off the west coast on the evening of Oct. 26, about 14 kilometres from San Diego near the United States-Mexico border.

The U.S. Coast Guard received a call from the Attessa IV about 7:45 p.m. advising the 332-foot yacht had collided with a 65-foot sports fishing charter boat, Prowler, and that “Prowler sustained some pretty significant damage to its rear starboard quarter,” said Joel Guzman, public affairs spokesman for the San Diego Coast Guard station.

The Coast Guard launched a Jayhawk helicopter, 45-foot medium response boat and the Coast Guard cutter Sea Otter to the crash site and arrived on scene about 8:45 p.m. where 17 people from the sports fishing charter boat were taken on to the coast guard vessel. Three people were injured, including one man who had critical head injuries, said Guzman.

He was airlifted by helicopter to shore and taken to hospital.

The San Diego medical examiner’s office confirmed 66-year-old Richard Neff of San Clemente later died of those injuries.

Guzman said an investigation is now underway to determine why the ships collided, which includes speaking to everyone on board both vessels at the time of the crash. The investigation could take several months, said Guzman.

There is no word on who was among the 28 people on board the yacht at the time of the collision.

Records of ships’ movements show the Attessa IV in North Vancouver July 8. It later travelled down the west coast arriving in San Diego Oct. 15.

The yacht left San Diego following the crash and is now in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Attessa IV, which is registered in the Cayman Islands, is one of the largest privately owned yachts in the world. It was bought in 2007 by Dennis Washington, a U.S. billionaire whose network of companies includes Washington Marine Group and Seaspan Shipyards in North Vancouver, where Kyle Washington, Dennis Washington’s son, is executive chairman.

The mega yacht was extensively rebuilt in a three-year project by Washington Yachting Group in North Vancouver, in the same shed where the three ill-fated Pacificat fast ferries were put together by shipyard workers in the 1990s.

The luxury yacht, which has been featured in a number of yachting and lifestyle magazine articles, features its own on-board helicopter and landing pad, spa, gym and pool, and opulent guest quarters including sculptures by Henry Moore and a hanging glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly.

Editor's note: This story has been amended to reflect that the Attessa IV was in North Vancouver July 8, but did not leave North Vancouver on that date.

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1 dead, 17 rescued, 2 hurt in mega yacht, fishing boat crash off San Diego's coast

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — One person died and two others were injured, and Coast Guard crews rescued 17 others after a mega yacht collided with a fishing vessel off the coast of Imperial Beach Friday night. 

The 332-foot yacht, Attessa IV, crashed into the 65-foot sportfisher vessel, Prowler, just before 8 p.m. about nine miles off the shore of Imperial Beach, according to the Coast Guard.

The collision caused extensive damage to the right side of the Prowler.

One man was airlifted to UCSD Hillcrest and died at the hospital, the Coast Guard confirmed. Two others were injured in the accident.

RELATED:  Fishing boat catches fire off coast of San Diego; 15 rescued

Coast Guard crews transferred 17 passengers from the damaged fishing boat back to San Diego. The Prowler's 10 remaining passengers were transferred onto the Attessa IV, set to return to San Diego.

The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the accident.

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San Diego County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee

Yacht, IMO 9179830

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The current position of ATTESSA IV is at North America West Coast reported 1 min ago by AIS. The vessel arrived at the port of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Feb 29, 02:09 UTC. The vessel ATTESSA IV (IMO 9179830, MMSI 319630000) is a Yacht built in 1999 (25 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Cayman Islands .

Position & Voyage Data

Map position & weather, recent port calls, vessel particulars.

ATTESSA IV current position and history of port calls are received by AIS. Technical specifications, tonnages and management details are derived from VesselFinder database. The data is for informational purposes only and VesselFinder is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of ATTESSA IV data.

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From the archives: Inside Attessa IV's 2010 rebuild

In this 2012 deep dive, Marilyn Mower takes a look at the enormous rebuild of the 101.2-metre Attessa IV , which is now on the market asking  €149,500,000... 

People who don’t know Dennis Washington wonder why he rebuilds yachts instead of building new custom ones. For Washington, who made his mark in heavy industry, a good hull is his version of a clean sheet of paper; on it he builds his dream along the principles of what he perceives as the best of Dutch boat building. Redoing yachts is his passion, pleasure and relaxation.

His projects combine the talents of Seattle-based designer Glade Johnson , Washington’s wife Phyllis, and his captain Ted McCumber, who joined the band as captain of the first Attessa .

Yacht broker Merle Wood set this particular rebuild of  Attessa IV in motion in the spring of 2007, by telling him that Chang Yung-fa, chairman of the Taiwanese Evergreen Group was ready to sell his 91-metre yacht Evergreen . Chang had the yacht designed by Diana and built at a commercial yard in Japan. It was a conservative yacht for a different type of cruising and culture, but Wood saw it had something in common with all the previous Attessas – good bones and a challenge. A month later Evergreen steamed into Vancouver via Hawaii.

Vancouver Shipyards has a corner devoted to Washington Yachting Group. It was here that a 30 x 90 metre floating shipyard was constructed on a barge, while engineering drawings were being made for Evergreen ’s revival. Diana was retained to survey the hull and condition of the systems against the original documentation, while Gregory K. Marshall was hired as the naval architect for the new decks and superstructure.

Washington’s concept for  Attessa IV  was ambitious: new bow, new stern, new foredeck tender garage , new spa, new superstructure shape, all new helipad, and totally new interior layout, including crew areas. The yacht originally had a large karaoke bar, 15 owner and guest cabins and room for 21 crew in rather packed conditions.

The main deck and above were gutted to the shell, the mains and generators overhauled, virtually every bolt and wire was replaced, engines re-bedded, fuel tanks moved, flume tanks removed and the space stripped, soundproofed and painted. That and reconfiguring the crew areas, extending and widening the bow section, adding the folding mast, a forward tender garage with gull-wing doors, bulwarks that slide down and aft simultaneously to allow the large tenders — an 11.5-metre Novurania Chase and a 10-metre Riva — to be launched over the side, and the huge aluminium stern door that disappears completely from view down and under the aft deck sole.

Washington, as noted, liked the yacht’s size and overall structure, but thought it looked entirely too commercial, like a cruise ship. The puzzle he worked on was how to keep such a large vessel intimate, both inside and out. To control the vastness of the space, he envisioned  Attessa IV  having a waist at the area of the central ventilation and exhaust trunks amidships, and flares to widen the side decks fore and aft.

Indeed, the space is a vast canvas with 2,322.5 square metres of interior, including 1,672.25 square metres in owner and guest areas. From day one,  Attessa IV  was going to have a grand entrance area and stunning central circulation. The stairs, spiralling through five decks, are split into pairs of semi-circles divided by a fore and aft passageway, making a landing and foyer at each deck.

The show-stopper on  Attessa IV , however, is on the deck above main, called the guest deck, where this lobby becomes an athwartships passage, as well as offering access to the walk-around side decks and side terraces. If the view itself, through the floor-to-ceiling windows and doors port and starboard, isn’t arresting enough, this lobby features three Botero sculptures.

Attessa IV' s side terraces incorporate what Washington calls ‘flare-outs’, a series of graceful curves on each deck to eliminate the slab-sidedness of the original profile and remedy the straight deck sightlines.

There are four large, elegantly decorated guest suites on the guest deck and with the dining room/library forward and a saloon aft, followed by an alfresco dining space and sun pads, it is a deck with enough varied spaces and activities for an entire day. The forward dining saloon is worthy of particular note, as it is one of the cosiest spots aboard.

The master suite aboard  Attessa IV  is one deck above. Here the stair column on port is the backdrop for Washington’s desk, which is adjacent to large windows. There are entrances port and starboard to the master stateroom, which is an homage to the glamour of Hollywood in the 1930s.

The fireplace is an ultra romantic 19th-century English piece with statuary marble. A large bath and dressing area separates the stateroom from its sitting room, which features sapele joinery, leather chairs and another fireplace, this one a 19th-century French, Louis XV-style in verde marble. The colour scheme of the sitting room is primarily green as a bridge to their private aft deck lounge was done in navy blue and green tones.

Originally, the deck above was going to be a sundeck, then the Washingtons’ son bought a Chihuly chandelier at a charity fundraiser. It is a famous piece, more than 2.2 metres tall, and was part of a Chihuly exhibition in Venice in 1996. Searching for a way to incorporate the piece in  Attessa IV , Washington and Johnson hit upon the idea of enclosing the sundeck with a composite superstructure and bumping up the centre with a dome five metres above floor level. The space and the piece seem made for each other and in fact this multi-function room, called the Chihuly Lounge, is one of Washington’s favourite spaces in the yacht.

Another favourite is the spa on the lower deck of  Attessa IV , where numerous treatment rooms and a sauna lead to a gym and out onto the swim platform. Just forward of the spa are two more guest suites with king-size beds, and a pair of twin cabins Phyllis decorated for her grandchildren. And then there is the main deck cinema with its 3D capability and lighthearted adjacent lounge and bar.

Attessa IV is now for sale with Merle Wood.  

Originally published in the January 2012 edition of BOAT International. Subscribe now and never miss an issue. 

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