William B Sinks after Fire Takes her

This morning around 2:33am a sound like a gunshot was heard from the William B. and firefighters were dispatched to the boat, a storied 76-foot wooden tugboat that was built in 1942. The boat was moored between Bay Island and Newport Harbor Yacht Club, and is a favorite among locals and tourists alike.  After 5 hours of battling, the fire was extinguished at 7:45am.  Sadly, the William B. was unable to continue the fight and succumbed to the wounds, sinking where she stayed for so many years.

No injuries are reported, and the cause of the fire is still unknown, said Lt. Jeff Hallock of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The boat was owned by Gary Hill, of Hill’s Fuel Dock (by Balboa Pavilion).  So next time you’re filling up your boat, swing by their station and spend some money there.  A real historic loss for our harbor.

William B by Unknown
William B by Unknown
William B by Mary Longpre
William B by Mary Longpre
William B
William B by Unknown
William B by Mary Longpre 2
William B by Mary Longpre
William B sunk
William B by unknown
William B by Mary Longpre 3
William B by Mary Longpre
William B by Mary Longpre 4
William B by Mary Longpre
William B by Brent Jacobsen5
William B by Brent Jacobsen
William B by Brent Jacobsen4
William B by Brent Jacobsen
William B by Brent Jacobsen3
William B by Brent Jacobsen
William B by Brent Jacobsen2
William B by Brent Jacobsen
William B by Brent Jacobsen1
William B by Brent Jacobsen
William B by Brent Jacobsen
William B by Brent Jacobsen

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About Mike Glenn

Mike is the founder and publisher of Save Newport and Chair of Government Relations for the Elks Lodge. He writes, shoots photos, and edits, but much of the time, he's just "the IT guy". He can be reached at: Google+, Facebook, or via email, at michael.glenn@devion.com