CCSO release: Date / Time: Monday March 4th 2024; Location: Empire Boat Dock; Law enforcement agencies board EL Conquistador and collaborate on efforts to have it removed from Coos Bay. On Monday, March 4, 2024, Sheriff Fabrizio, Sgt. Smith, Deputies Baker, and Kent assisted the U.S.C.G. Station Coos Bay, U.S.C.G. Pacific Strike Team, Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL), and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Law Enforcement Officers boarded the El Conquistador, a transient unregistered derelict vessel moored near the Empire boat ramp. The El Conquistador is a 140-foot vessel built in the 1930s that is now privately owned and in poor repair. The operation was for the Pacific Strike Team, DSL, and DEQ to inspect the vessel for environmental concerns. The vessel is unable to move under its own power, and DSL, DEQ, and the USGC are investigating the derelict vessel.
