Sinking of MV Conception

On September 2, 2019, the 75-foot (23 m) diving boat Conception caught fire and sank off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, California.

Sinking of MV Conception

Date	September 2, 2019
Time	Approximately 3:00 a.m. PDT UTC−07:00
Location	Platts Harbor, Santa Cruz Island, California, United States
Coordinates	34°02′51″N 119°44′06″W
Cause	Fire
Outcome	(See Aftermath section)
Deaths	34
Non-fatal injuries	5
MV Conception Map of the Channel Islands, California with sinking site marked in red. Show map of USA California Channel Islands MV Conception MV Conception (California) Show map of California

The boat was anchored in Platts Harbor, a small undeveloped bay on the north shore of the island, with over 30 passengers asleep below decks when fire broke out shortly after 3 am. The loss of the ship caused a rescue operation by the United States Coast Guard.^[1][2]

Coast Guard divers counted 25 bodies in the sunken hull, while nine other people remain missing.^[3]