John Wayne's first yacht a floating derelict

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Tonight's local news was a derelict boat abandoned by her owner, an American I think. Canadian Coast Guard are towing it back to US waters. It served for awhile with the USN.

Heh! a salvage opportunity!

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog]

Are you talking about the Wild Goose?

[Coal Creek Griff]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.soundingsonline.com/.amp/news/historic-yacht-sinks-in-the-san-juans

[Major 2]

Sad ending , looks now she will be scrapped 

As an aside...another Stars yacht met its cameo demise on " Miami Vice's"  first season 
Stars once partied on the Christmas Tree  built in 1926 .   
Bette Davis owned and entertained her friends aboard the 83-foot wood and aluminum hulled yacht  in the 1930s.
In 1980, she made the news as a refuge boat in the Mariel boat lift. Later , after her engines were salvaged in 1982 she sat at a Miami marina in disrepair. 
I had put my construction Dept. crew to prep her for a scene on Miami Vice in December, 1984. We had four pumps working around the clock to keep it from sinking to the bottom of the Miami River
The Christmas Tree was made ready and towed to Watson Island to serve and meet its end in the service of Hollywood.
It was blown up as a prop January 1985  for the ''Smuggler's Blues'' episode of NBC-TV's 'Miami Vice.
After the detonation and its last cameo moment on camera it was lifted by two cranes from the water and scrapped.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0647113/mediaviewer/rm291755777/

[Coal Creek Griff]

I remember that episode!  That's a great story. Thanks!

Griff

[Coffinmaker]

It would appear the boat once known as The Wild Goose and owned by John Wayne is a total loss.  Current ownership ran it aground and holed the hull.  By the time it can be re-floated, restoration would be a financial disaster.  Kindling and Scrap Metal. 

[Major 2]

To be clear, the Yacht Norwester is not the Wild Goose.
The Norwester subject to this post was the Duke first yacht....

The "Wild Goose" was a YMS-1 Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper much larger at 136 feet.
YMS-328 was sold privately in 1948 to Vancouver Tug & Barge owner Harold Jones. He named her La Beverie. Upon Jones's death in 1956, millionaire Max Wyman purchased the yacht and renamed her the Wild Goose II. Wyman traveled the world on the yacht including Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Hawaii.
In 1962, she was bought by John Wayne and went through a major renovation. The Duke owned her till his death, it is now owned by Hornblower Cruises.
She is berthed at Newport Beach Calif. and still in operation as a dinner cruise yacht

[Coal Creek Griff]

Here's an updated news report.

https://www.king5.com/mobile/article/tech/science/environment/john-waynes-former-yacht-the-norwester-is-slowly-sinking-near-san-juan-islands/281-363c5afe-37a1-41cf-b949-74fc1418d478

[Jack Wagon]

Another abandoned John Wayne boat now lives in the weeds along the river behind the Sacramento airport. The Spirit of Sacramento, once owned by Wayne and used in his 1955 film Blood Alley was removed from the river bank as a navigation hazard.  Jw