This is the pleasure boat "Swinger" that blew up about a mile south of the station and was witnessed by several of us sitting on the front porch on a nice afternoon. These Coasties immediately ran down to the 40-footer (CG-40485) and got underway and extinguished the fire. The burned boaters were transported by private boat to an ambulance. The Coasties towed the hulk back to the station so it wouldn't be a hazard to navigation.

Note CG-36378, the 36-foot Motor Life Boat on the beach. It was used until the new 44-foot Motor Life Boat (CG-44371) was delivered in early 1967 from the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, MD. I was stationed at Group Baltimore at the time and met the crew from Lake Worth Inlet who came up to drive the boat back to Lake Worth Inlet. I was attempting to transfer there on a mutual change of station at the time.

Also in the background is the fill on Peanut Island from dredging the inlet and Port of Palm Beach in late 1966/early 1967. It did not take long for the Australian Pines to rise up and cover the island again.