The Investigation to Identify the SS Jacob Luckenbach – Using Technology to Locate a Hidden Source of Oil that Caused Years of Impacts and the Future Implications of Sunken Shipwrecks

ABSTRACT From 1992 until 2002, oiled birds, predominantly common murres, were found along the central California coastline during the winter months, but no significant oil slicks were observed. These repeat “mystery” oil spills puzzled investigators for 10 years while several similar cases of bird impacts occurred from November through February to varying degrees each year. In 2001, the same pattern began yet again. The response to oiled wildlife was the most significant to date. Extending over 220 miles of coastline, more than 2000 birds were recovered and transported for care to California's Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) facility. Motivated by this serious threat to wildlife, federal and state investigators utilized the historical data collected in previous cases combined with current technology to solve the mystery. An extensive Oil Spill Source Identification Task Force was formed consisting of 20 federal and state agents working together to get to the source of the problem. Through these current...