Mysterious ‘Ghost Boat’ uncovered by receding waters of California's Shasta Lake has ties to WWII
The US Forest Service says the Higgins Boat, or ‘Ghost Boat,’ will be restored and put on display at a Nebraska museum.
Mysterious 'Ghost Boat' uncovered by receding waters of California lake
A boat that was uncovered when the water of a California lake dried up last year has ties to World War II and will be put on display at a Nebraska museum when it's restored.
SHASTA LAKE, Calif. – Last fall, a boat was discovered at the bottom of a Central California lake as the waters receded due to unprecedented drought conditions that have plagued much of the western U.S., and new details are being learned about where the mysterious "Ghost Boat" came from.
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A "Ghost Boat" was uncovered at the bottom of California's Shasta Lake when waters began to recede. The WWII-era boat will be restored and put on display at a museum in Nebraska.
(U.S. Forest Service / Shasta-Trinity National Forest / FOX Weather)
The U.S. Forest Service said the Higgins Boat, or "Ghost Boat," appeared last fall, and that's when the mystery of how the boat ended up at the bottom of Shasta Lake began.
Painted numbers were found on the boat's ramp when the vessel was first moved.
It was marked "31-17," which confirmed that it was assigned to the USS Monrovia, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The ship was the headquarters for General George Patton during the invasion of Sicily during World War II. Also on board at the time was Dwight D. Eisenhower, future general and future president of the U.S.
The Higgins Boat sank in shallow water during the invasion of Tarawa in World War II and was later salvaged.
But it remains a mystery as to how the boat made it to the bottom of Shasta Lake.
The U.S. Forest Service says any restoration of the Higgins Boat will be done to preserve the vessel's integrity as much as possible and will preserve it in a weathered "combat fatigue" look.
Once the restoration is complete, the boat will be displayed at a Nebraska museum.