One dead, three missing after boat sinks near Alcatraz
A deadly boating accident near Alcatraz Island has triggered an extensive multi-agency response in San Francisco Bay, where one person has been confirmed dead and three others remain missing. Senior correspondent Claudia Cowan reported live from the scene, explaining that the 49-foot cabin cruiser was carrying 20 adults who had gathered for a memorial service when rough water caused the vessel to overturn. Authorities are still working to determine exactly what led to the capsizing as recovery efforts continue in the bay’s cold waters.
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its active search Wednesday evening for three people still missing after a boat carrying members of an extended family capsized near Alcatraz Island during a memorial outing in San Francisco Bay.
The 49-foot cabin cruiser went down Tuesday afternoon with 20 people on board. Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, of Sutter County, died after being recovered from the water, while 16 others were rescued. A dog that had been aboard the boat also died.
Officials said the group had gone out on the bay to scatter a loved one’s ashes as part of a family memorial service.
San Francisco Fire Department and U.S. Coast Guard crews search San Francisco Bay for three people missing after a recreational boat capsized near Alcatraz Island on July 15, 2026. One person was killed in the incident. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Suspending an active search is one of the most difficult things we do as Coast Guard commanders,” Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Commander Capt. Jarod Toczko said at a Wednesday news conference. “Our goal is always to bring home families’ loved ones.”
Toczko said search teams spent about 23 hours looking for survivors, deploying 11 surface vessels and four aircraft. Crews covered approximately 950 square nautical miles and logged more than 1,700 miles of search tracks before concluding there was little chance of finding anyone else alive. The families of those still missing were notified before the operation was suspended.
According to officials, the boat was hit by a wave, began listing sharply, lost stability and rolled before it sank. Toczko said investigators found no evidence to support early reports of a fire, adding that what callers believed was smoke was likely steam rising from the vessel as it went under.
Authorities said the vessel had three enclosed levels, and survivor interviews indicated some passengers had been inside the main and lower decks when the boat capsized. Toczko said it remains possible some of the missing passengers became trapped inside as the vessel sank, though he stressed investigators have not reached any conclusions.
First responders stand near a body after a boat accident near Alcatraz Island off San Francisco, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The San Francisco Fire Department said three survivors were transported to local hospitals and later released, while 13 others were treated at a reunification center after being rescued. Fire Chief Dean Crispen confirmed that one person and one canine died in the incident.
A general view of Alcatraz Island near San Francisco, California, on Aug. 16, 2024. (Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
Officials believe the boat rests in waters roughly 130 feet deep near where it went down. San Francisco police said crews first must locate the vessel before using an underwater drone to assess whether it can safely be recovered. Divers generally cannot operate safely at depths beyond 120 feet, officials said.
Toczko credited Good Samaritans, including nearby fishermen and other boaters, with helping save lives before emergency crews arrived.
“Those folks saved lives,” he said.
Officials said the recreational vessel departed from the area near San Francisco’s St. Francis Yacht Club and had visited Angel Island before the emergency occurred while returning across the bay. The cause of the sinking remains under investigation.
