SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Witnesses at the Tahoe Keys Marina said they heard screeching, the sound of tearing metal, and a passenger yell ‘‘Oh, no!’’ late Sunday night.
By Monday morning, a three-story, $3.2 million yacht so big that it has its own helicopter pad was sunk, one end of it touching the South Lake Tahoe marina bottom.
It is not clear what sent the Sierra Rose to the lake bed, where it remained partially submerged Tuesday and waiting for a private contractor to remove it, according to Barbara Houghton, El Dorado County environmental health manager.
Heather Contreras, who was visiting the marina from Turlock, Calif., told the Tahoe Daily Tribune that more than a dozen people were on the vessel at the time of the screeching noise.
The yacht did not immediately sink, and some people stayed on it for more than an hour after the apparent mishap, she said.
On Monday, a big-screen TV, leather couches, and floating slices of bread were visible inside the partially submerged yacht, which was billed as the largest noncommercial boat on Lake Tahoe as recently as 2006.
Marina managers did not return calls on Tuesday, and agents listed on the boat’s tourist rental website declined to comment.
A website detailing the three-room, three-bathroom Sierra Rose for potential renters says it is inspired by the streamlined luxury vessels of the 1930s, but with state-of-the-art amenities. Features include granite counters, remote-controlled fireplaces, mahogany floors, a spa, and custom crystal and china.
The boat rented for $2,000 a night, according to a brochure from 2008-09.
Houghton said the sewage and fuel tanks were sealed and had not leaked into the lake, but she said inspectors from the county would monitor efforts to pull it out of the marina.
While the sunken vessel sat unceremoniously in the water, at least a few homeowners in the area were saying good riddance.
Several complained to the Reno Gazette-Journal that they thought the yacht was too big, and blocked views of the alpine lake.