The Coral Sea is still kicking!

On Aug 15th 1974 the town of Santa Barbra came to a virtual shut down for the moving of the largest boat built in the city! The Coral Sea the dream of Capt. Glen Miller was being moved in the early morning mist to the harbor for her launching! I was on one of her early voyages and a friend of Glen's, who had owned the Emerald for many years! I have many great memories aboard her, a dive boat built by a diver for divers and to chase dreams!

Well Glen Died in 1981 when he flew his helicopter into the cable and Lee's Ferry and I just read his Son Zach died in May of this year! So sad, both went way before their time!

So I wanted to know where his beloved Coral Sea was these days? Well I found her and she is doing well. She is owned by Humboldt State University and is now their Research Vessel and has had R V added to her name! She is now 13.5ft longer and looks well taken care of! If you ever had the opportunity to dive on this boat or know Glen, you know how much history and love was in this boat!

Maybe one day I will have the opportunity to go aboard her in the future or tell my stories of this great boat and her Captain!

http://twotankedproductions.com/imag...ral_Sea_75.jpg
She is doing good work and Glen and Zach would be happy and proud to know she is still sailing the waters of California!

http://www.humboldt.edu/~marinelb/do...handbook07.pdf

That looks like it would make quite the dive boat.

Thanks for the story!

So many cool stories on and about this boat! Glen got a Navy accommodation for helping a Submarine that surfaced a few hundred yard from her out near Santa Barbra Island. The Coral Sea and her divers were on a lobster hunt and the Sub had a problem with Hull platting and Glen with his on board work shop was able to fabricate a repair! So he saved a US Submarine!

Or the time Glen and Zach headed to the waters off Columbia to treasure hunt like Glen's friend Mel Fisher for a Spanish ship that was reported in the area with 450 million in treasure! Well while searching for the wreck the Colombians seized the Coral Sea and crew and they were searched and detained until the state department could free them! The Colombians through a lot of their dive gear into the Harbor never to be seen again! One of the Colombian Sailors drowned in the harbor and Zach was asked to search for the guy, but never found him! He said his Spanish was very bad so he described trying to tell the officials and the Sailor's wife with hand gestures how to use a grappling hook to drag for the body. Well he demonstrated with a finger in his mouth like catching a fish and upset everyone! He decided that the treasure hunting business might not be such a goo deal. "If they put us through this for a few pieces of Pottery how would they react to 450 million in gold and silver?" and that was that.

The boat was sold to a Florida operator and seized in a drug rad and resold. To find out she is back in California waters was and is very satisfying to me and I am sure just another chapter in her tails of the sea!

Me and my dive buddy "Tinny" on the dive deck of the Coral Sea at Talcott Shoals off Santa Rosa Island.

http://twotankedproductions.com/imag...-5_lobster.jpg

All three where mine: 14lb, 11lb and 9.5lb Bugs!

Gone are those days of lobster that size!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Publisher

Gone are those days of lobster that size!

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Got to get me one of those! Looks nice for sashimi!:violin:

Hello, I just found this post today as a moment of nostalgia had me searching for Coral Seas memories. I'm Heidi Miller, Zach's widow.

Would love to hear stories and you are most welcome to email me directly.

So happy to have found this - missing Zach much right now.

Heidi Miller

Glen swatting flies while catching some rays on the top of his old dive boat the "Emerald" in 1973!
http://twotankedproductions.com/imag...on_Emerald.jpg

Glen was known in Santa Barbara for owning a Seal and a Dog named Max! That dog would watch for seals the whole trip once the seal was taken away from Glen by F&G!
http://twotankedproductions.com/imag...erald_1973.jpg

Looking back I wish I would have taken many more photos!
http://twotankedproductions.com/imag..._dock_1973.jpg

http://twotankedproductions.com/imag...erald_1974.jpg

Glen's first Dive boat at Santa Cruz Island! 1974.
http://twotankedproductions.com/imag..._Cruz_1973.jpg

In the Galley of the Coral Sea!
http://twotankedproductions.com/imag...l_Sea_1976.jpg

On the Bow of the Coral Sea!
http://twotankedproductions.com/imag...l_Sea_1976.jpg

The Wheel House!
http://twotankedproductions.com/imag...l_house_76.jpg

http://twotankedproductions.com/imag...l_Sea_1976.jpg

Actually the dog was Mack, but Max is close. Mack was the subject of a short film by Disney. Unfortunately I can't find a reference online to site for you.

And it was a sea lion. The sea lion was bone-of-contention between Glenn and another fellow who swore Glenn stole it from him. The critter lived in a bathtub out behind his house in Miramar - those were the days you could do something like that without PETA protesting in your front yard. Of course he could have scooted out to sea anytime he wanted.

Thanks for posting all these photos Papa. It's nearing the 4 year anniversary of Zach's passing and I'm just missing him.

Heidi Miller

Certainly understandable! I miss many things from the old days including all the people who made it so special! Well after all the years I guess my memory wasn't too bad! I have more that I have to scan some day! I wish you well and all the best, I don't think it ever gets easier, just a little of the edge gets shaved off..... So glad you checked the thread again! If you have any old photos please feel free to get them up or if you need help let me know. Thanks again Heidi, I am sure you have some great stories, these guys were legends in our minds in though's days! Time waits for no man.............