Bettie M, Great seiner that was lost way to early. Built in 1972 by Martinac the Bettie M, ran aground in 1976 near the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. Not very many pictures of this Great Seiner . Please share your pictures we could use any you have . [email protected]
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Thank you for posting this picture. I lived in Astoria, OR when The Bettie M went aground in Ilwaco, WA. I saw it just hours after it happened.
It was owned by Bumblebee Seafoods, and was just 18 miles from the cannery in Astoria, OR.
It was carrying over 900 tons of albacore tuna.
The sad part is that the seiner could have been pulled off the beach by The Salvage Chief, a vessel that specializes in marine recovery. The Bettie M was not damaged. However, Bumblebee haggled over the cost of the recovery. After 3 days, a price was agreed to, but it was too late.
The hull of the boat was buried in the sand, and the pull would have broken the seiner in half.
They tried to retrieve the catch, but that also failed.
Someone did get aboard and stole the steering wheel, quite the souvenir!
The Bettie M was named after a Bumblebee executive, and she was a beautiful vessel!