Owner admitted 'engine maintenance rage'

A boat owner from Seattle, Washington has been charged with making a false insurance claim after his $28,500 1967 Chris Craft Cavalier, Jubilee, sank in Puget Sound in March 2008.

Brian Lewis, 50, a petty officer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), filed an insurance claim with USAA Insurance reporting the Jubilee sank accidentally “due to unknown causes.”

However, the vessel was refloated and an inspection found a hole was drilled into the bottom of the Jubilee, and that two main engine sea strainers appeared to have been broken with a hammer.

Confronted by investigators, Lewis admitted that he had experienced engine trouble, which caused him to lose his temper. In his rage, he smashed the sea strainers with a hammer and drilled the hole to sink the vessel.

Investigators submitted: “[He] wanted to clarify that his motive for sinking the vessel was anger and frustration, not greed.”