Police boat partially sinks in marina. Why is still a mystery

Authorities aren’t sure why, but the Bradenton Police Department Marine Unit boat partially sank Tuesday while docked at Twin Dolphin Marina.

Police were notified by marina staff around 2:55 p.m. that the boat was sinking.

When Bradenton Police Sgt. Leo Donnelly looked out of the window from the police department, just across the street, the boat was still floating with the nose up “a little bit.”

“But just in the few minutes it took us to walk down here, it had already started sinking, and within like five minutes it looked like this,” Donnelly said, nodding toward the partially submerged boat. “So we’re not sure what happened at all. It’s a perfectly calm day.”

By 5:30 p.m., the police department’s dive team was at the marina, placing float bags to raise the boat. Officials pumped out water trapped inside the boat and put the vessel on a trailer, Donnelly said.

Authorities did not know the extent of damage to the boat and how long it would take to fix or replace it. Donnelly said the department will have to evaluate the cost of repairs against the potential cost of a new boat.

The department’s boat is used about every two weeks, and the last time it was used was for the Fourth of July, Donnelly said.

While it’s uncommon for the department to deal with this scenario, Donnelly said it does happen with boats and marinas in general.

But even with the police boat temporarily out of service, Donnelly noted local waterways will still be protected daily by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, which has several boats in its fleet.

This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Police boat partially sinks in marina. Why is still a mystery."