Paradise Queen II Shipwreck Continues To Break-Up At Kure Atoll, Two Years After It Crashes On The Reef

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Nearly two years after the long-line fishing vessel, Paradise Queen II (above), shipwrecked on Kure Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the remaining hull, wheel house and other boat sections continue to break apart and deteriorate in the nearshore waters of Green Island.

The 87-foot vessel was fishing for lobster around Kure Atoll when it went aground on October 16, 1998 on the seaward side of the fringing reef crest, southeast of Green Island. At the time of the grounding the vessel was reported to be carrying 11,000 gallons of diesel fuel and a combined volume of 500 gallons of hydraulic fluids and oil. The vessel was also carrying about 3,000 pounds of frozen lobster tails, 4,000 pounds of bait, 1,040 plastic lobster traps and 11 miles of lobster pot mainline.

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Today, photographers from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Expedition education team dove in waters surrounding the wreck to document the vessel as it continues to degrade in the pristine waters off the the island's southeastern shore. This shoreline is a favored spot for endangered Hawaiian Monk seals to haul themselves out of the water to bask in the sun and rest. In fact, the bodies of two monk seals (above and below) were spotted among piles of nets surrounding the decaying wheel house on the beach. A half dozen other seals were seen in the area immediately adjacent to the wreck site.

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The largest piece of the broken hull continues to sit atop a coral bank approximately 75 yards offshore. Further down the shoreline, approximately a quarter mile away, the vessel's wheel house still sits on the sand, surrounded by jumbles of fishing and cargo nets.

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In addition, nearly 600 lobster traps (above) still remain piled on shore alongside hundreds if not thousands of lead fishing weights (below). In addition, insulation material and miscellaneous cargo, like life jackets, are still scattered across the beach, marked with the name of the vessel.

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The education team also saw remains of the polypropylene main line that broke up on the reef and shredded into wisps of shattered fiber. Also remaining is a large tangled ball of line near the bow of the wreck that was unsuccessfully removed by the time the salvage operation terminated.

According to Ethan Shiinoki, DLNR wildife staffer, "the debris continues to move around the island." Shiinoki spent 10 weeks on Kure this past summer. When he returned on this trip and did a shoreline assessment of the island, he noticed a few large pieces of debris, presumably parts of the vessel, located 150 yards further west than they had been two months ago.

According to a field report filed November 5, 1998, by DLNR wildlife officials, it was found that although a considerable volume of wreck debris washed onto the reef and into nearshore waters, luckily, "the apparent impact of the Paradise Queen II shipwreck to Kure Atoll appeared to be light." The debris consisted of large amounts of plastic lobster traps, polypropylene line, lobster bait, bait containers, clothing, deck planking, wood trim, bottles of food items, polyurethane insulation and various other loose and broken objects.

Although the impact of the wreck was reported to be relatively minor, there was evidence of injury to marine resources, including physical damage to the reef and possible mortality of spiny lobsters and spiny puffer fish. Noticeable signs of reef damage were recorded by aquatic biologists who assessed the site immediately after the wreck occurred. They reported broken coral and uprooted coralline algae structures. They guessed that the source of these damages were the result of the weighted lobster traps which rolled around in the surf before being recovered.

"Although the wreck doesn't appear to be causing continued harm to marine life, it remains a physical scar and reminder of the effects human impacts can have on wildlife sanctuaries such as Kure," said Shiinoki. "It is critical for the success of these remote refuges to remain isolated from human presence. Aside from the immediate harm shipwrecks can do to the coral reefs and marine life, they can also cause long-term damage if they reintroduce rats or harmful alien plants to the island which can wreak havoc on the atoll's entire ecosystem."

According to another report filed by DLNR wildlife officials, the reason the boat wasn't pulled off the reef was because the ship's owner did not allow government responders to remove the ship immediately after it ran aground. Once the ship broke apart, removal became impossible. It was also reported that the ship's owner did not have enough insurance to cover the cost of salvage and removal.

Shipwrecks are a concern for all the atolls in the northwestern chain. Kure has a long history of shipwrecks, the first of many took place in 1837.

On Wednesday, October 4, coral biologists from the Rapture are planning to conduct a follow up survey dive of the wreck to look for any continuing damage to marine life. If the dive occurs, a follow up news report will follow.

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