The New Carissa, a Japanese cargo vessel laden with 400,000 gallons of fuel oil, broke apart and ran aground on the Central Orgeon coast in 1999. The bow of the New Carissa was towed out to sea and sunk, but the stern, heavy with bunker oil and machinery, buried itself inextricably in the sand just north of Coos Bay. Attempts to drain the oil failed, and an effort to burn it off (evidenced in the painting by black smoke residue on the white superstructure) was only marginally successful. This piece depicts a Coast Guard operation to survey the wreck for salvageable parts. The Coast Guard is shown lowering an inspector onto the wreck to identify options for preventing the bunker oil from damaging the maritime environment and locate parts of the massive wreck that might be salvageable. US Coast Guard Art Program 2001 Collection, Object Id # 200114, "The New Carissa," Ronald Weil, oil, 24 x 13 icnhes
