These days, the only threat posed by a 120-foot-long Navy torpedo vessel is to the marsh outside of Charleston, S.C., where it has been grounded for four years.
Now the owner, who bought the Navy boat in an auction, has been arrested in the latest move by state and federal authorities to remove the unusual abandoned vessel from state waters.
The arrest of Samuel Kodaimati, announced by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Tuesday, was the first under the state's newly enacted abandoned boat law that went into effect this year. The law gets tough on a never-ending problem on the state's coast: Abandoned and derelict vessels that threaten the salt marsh ecosystem that provides vital habitat for fish, shellfish and shorebirds and acts as a natural filter to maintain water quality.
The new law, passed by the 2025 Legislature, imposes significant penalties for violations, including fines up to $10,000 and potential imprisonment for up to 60 days, and liability for removal costs and better defines what an abandoned vessel is.
The state says Kodaimati is the owner of the decommissioned Navy boat, which has been stuck in the marsh mud near a private dock in Bohicket Creek near Johns Island outside of Charleston since 2021.
The head of SCDNR said the arrest punctuates the state's commitment to "holding accountable those who jeopardize our natural resources."
Kodaimati faces two charges that carry potential fines, court costs, and fees totaling $43,400, SCDNR said.
The Coast Guard has been aware of the vessel since 2021, when it issued a Captain of the Port Order for improper documentation, rendering it inoperable under federal maritime law. In late 2024, the Coast Guard deemed the vessel an environmental hazard and removed 3,500 gallons of hazardous oil and oily water from onboard, Lt. Michael Allen, chief of incident management for the Coast Guard's Charleston sector, told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet Wednesday.
But the boat is still sitting in the marsh in Bohicket Creek.
The discovery of an abandoned military vessel is actually not that unusual considering private parties can purchase them through the General Services Administration, Allen said. However, the 120-foot vessel in Bohicket Creek "is the first one we've had in this area recently."
"It is a slightly unusual case just with the type of vessel it is," Allen said. "GSA auctions are out there and sometimes they don't go necessarily as planned."
The Navy ship was sold by the General Services Administration March 12, 2021 for $81,600, said Mary Simms, GSA's regional public affairs officer, according to previous reporting in The State.
Abandoned and derelict vessels are an increasing problem in South Carolina's waterways, posing serious environmental and navigational hazards, SCDNR says. Many are poorly lit and partially submerged or even sinking, creating dangers for other boaters. Others may contain fuel and oil and lead-based paint that leak into the water.
The town of Port Royal and the city of Beaufort have wrestled with abandoned or derelict boats for years including recently.
In 2023, Port Royal spent $60,000 to remove several vessels, many of them old shrimp boats, tied to its old shrimp dock. The town was eager to rid Battery Creek of the old boats because it was planning to remove the old dock to build a new one.
In September 2024, tropical storm Helene tore several boats from their moorings at the Beaufort Marina and they remained beached until April, angering Bay Street residents with backyards abutting the Beaufort River. O'Quinn Marine Construction in Beaufort was called to remove the vessels. The city agreed to contribute $20,000 in public money to help remove some of the larger sailboats.
The incident also prompted the city to create a $50,000 contingency fund for boat removal and disaster mitigation in its 2026 budget.
Also in April, O'Quinn Marine pulled a boat from Factory Creek near the Whitehall Boat Landing, one of the most utilized water access points in Beaufort County.
The investigation into the abandoned 120-foot former U.S. Navy torpedo vessel remains ongoing, SCDNR says.
"This arrest underscores our commitment to protecting South Carolina's natural resources and holding accountable those who jeopardize them," SCDNR Director Tom Mullikin said in a news release. "Abandoning vessels in sensitive waterways not only violates the law but also puts our ecosystems, wildlife, and communities at risk."
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