The landing craft "Monterrey" had intended to spend a lot of the summer in Mertarvik, but instead will spend the season in Seward.

On Sunday, it began that journey to the southern Kenai Peninsula after spending over a week tied up at the lash dock just outside of the Coast Guard Base in Kodiak,s Women’s Bay.

The 174-foot landing craft is now under the supervision of the Naval Sea Systems Command, it untied and left the dock for Seward at 3 pm. It was under tow.

Only two of her original crew are left , the rest of the crew were at the end of their yearly deployment and have since flew back to their homes. The two active Guard and Reserve soldiers that remain will fly to Seward to meet up with the vessel when it arrives there.They will remain with the “Monterrey” until it is repaired and is able to get underway. Its destination then has not been determined, but it will be to a drydock for its yearly maintenance.

The “Monterrey” struck Humpback Rock on June 8th and was grounded on Puffin Island until enough repairs could be made to the hull to bring it to the dock in Women’s Bay. The rock-strike caused the rupture of two of its fuel tanks resulting in a fuel oil spill of approximately 15,000 gallons.

Another vessel, the “Malvern Hill,” out of Tacoma will arrive on or about July 10th to retrieve the 350 tons of equipment. That equipment is no longer bound for the Bering Sea village of Mertarvik, instead it is sailing back to its place of origin in the lower 48.

This means that the construction work scheduled with the equipment has been cancelled in the new community for this year. But, it doesn’t mean an end to the Mertarvik work. Work will continue in the new community, on other jobs that are slated to begin or completed that do not rely on the equipment that was slated to be delivered this month. The equipment-related work will be picked up again next year, which is the final year of the five year partnership between the Marines and the village of Newtok.

Stanley Tom, the Tribal Administrator has said that some of the first families will be able to move to their new location in August. But, it will be necessary to move back to the old community at fall freeze up until services and facilities are completed.

The new community of Mertarvik is located on Nelson Island, it is being built on bedrock on higher ground.It is to the south of the present day Newtok.