Unalaska, AK – After 10 weeks of work, the F/V Mar-Gun was successfully removed from Staraya Beach on St. George Island Tuesday night. The 112-foot fishing vessel went aground there on March 5th. The Coast Guard and Magone Marine spent the first few weeks of the recovery process removing 19,000 gallons of diesel and 660 gallons of lube oil from the vessel. Then they moved the trawl nets, trawl doors and other heavy items off the ship to make it easier to move. Coast Guard Petty Officer Sara Francis said they used three anchors weighing between 8,000 and 10,000 pounds each and a winch system to move the vessel.

"They worked over a series of high tides to re-orient the vessel and pull it and at one point we were held up by a rock that got in the way and had to blast the rock out of the way," she said.

Wednesday morning, around 1 am, they successfully moved the vessel on a favorable tide. The Mar-Gun was then moored off of St. George Island. Preliminary inspections show that it is in good enough condition to be pulled by the M/V Redeemer back to Unalaska for repairs.

The process took 10 weeks because of harsh winter conditions including freezing spray, sea ice, and cold temperatures. They also had to wait until the tides were high enough to float the vessel. Francis said they removed the boat just days before fur seals historically begin returning to the nearby rookery. Vessel wreckage can be dangerous for the animals.

"It can cause entrapment issues and it can actually shift and crush the seals in the rookery area so we're very pleased that we got the vessel moved before their return."

The beaches and the nearby historic sites were not damaged or oiled from the grounding. All five crew members were safely removed by the Coast Guard soon after the incident.

The Coast Guard and state agencies will continue work on St. George to monitor the health of the mussel beds that are used for subsistence harvesting and to fix potholes and other problems with the beach's access road caused by heavy usage.