18 January 2024, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: ILLUSTRATION - A policeman holds handcuffs in his hand. Photo: Marcus Brandt/dpa (Photo by Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
San Diego, California – In a scene that startled onlookers but fortunately left no one injured, a sportfishing boat collided with the USS MidwayMuseum in San Diego Bay just before noon on Friday. The crash caused an estimated $100,000 in damage to the historic aircraft carrier, according to museum officials.
The USS Midway, a decommissioned Navy aircraft carrier turned floating museum, is a fixture of the San Diego waterfront and typically a site for school field trips, tourists, and history enthusiasts—not active crime investigations. That changed Friday at 11:49 a.m., when Harbor Police received a call reporting a collision involving a civilian vessel and the starboard side of the Midway.
Authorities quickly dispatched investigators to the scene, where they made contact with the boat’s operator. No one aboard the sportfishing vessel or on the Midway was hurt, and the hull of the carrier was not breached. The museum remained open to the public, with operations continuing uninterrupted despite the dramatic turn of events.
But the investigation didn’t end there. According to the San Diego Harbor Police, the operator of the boat was arrested under suspicion of boating while intoxicated. As of Friday evening, officials had not released further details about the identity of the captain or the exact circumstances leading up to the crash. What’s clear is that a day that began like any other on the bay ended with a costly and startling brush with one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
David Koontz, the Midway’s marketing director, confirmed the damage estimate and emphasized that no breach of the carrier’s hull had occurred. It was a surprising moment, he said, but not one that compromised the museum’s ability to operate.
Still, the crash raises questions about oversight and safety on the busy waters surrounding downtown San Diego. On any given day, San Diego Bay is crowded with sailboats, tour ferries, military vessels, and sportfishing charters. The Midwaysits anchored in the heart of that traffic, a massive gray sentinel in the harbor that, until now, had largely avoided the headlines.
With no serious injuries reported, the incident may ultimately become a footnote in the carrier’s long and storied history. But it’s also a reminder of just how unpredictable life on the water can be—even for a ship that hasn’t moved in decades.
