The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has taken over investigation of the collision between a 33-foot U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) high-speed law enforcement boat and a 26-foot Sea Ray runabout that dampened the cheer of the 38th annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights on Dec. 20, according to Ron Powell, director of communications for the Port of San Diego. A four-person NTSB team arrived in San Diego to coordinate the investigation into the crash which left an 8-year-old boy dead and five others seriously injured. Powell said he expects the investigation to take weeks or months. The crash occurred about 6 p.m. off the west end of Harbor Island near Tom Ham’s Lighthouse restaurant shortly after the start of the parade that featured about 80 festively lit boats. Parade watchers noted a rapidly-moving vessel with flashing blue lights speeding close to the parading boats, near where numerous recreational boats were anchored or trolled to watch the parade. The Coast Guard vessel, a machine gun-equipped Special Purpose Craft, is a hard-bottomed inflatable with three 275 horsepower outboard motors capable of travelling in excess of 60 mph, according to the USCG website. Dubbed a “go-fast” law enforcement boat used to pursue smugglers, the vessel operates with limited forward visibility because of its planing, bow-up hull design. An independent observer knowledgeable about the boat —who requested anonymity — said the vessel was designed only as a high-speed chase boat. Meanwhile, Alan DeWeese of Rancho Penasquitos, operator of the Sea Ray with 13 people on board, has said publicly he was moving at about 3 ½ knots. DeWeese has also said publicly he believed the USCG craft was traveling at about 35 to 45 knots, although other witnesses estimated the boat’s speed between 20 and 30 knots. USCG spokesman Petty Officer 2nd Class Jetta Disco said the Coast Guard vessel was responding to a report of a grounded vessel at the time of the accident. According to witnesses, the USCG vessel was speeding toward the Embarcadero from the direction of Shelter Island when it turned suddenly and collided with the pleasure boat’s stern and flew over its top, damaging its canopy and windshield.   The 87-foot USCG cutter Haddock, which led off the parade, and other nearby vessels provided assistance to the injured boaters and brought them to docks on Shelter and Harbor islands, where emergency crews from the San Diego Fire Department (SDFD) were waiting. DeWeese’s 8-year-old son, Anthony, and five other passengers suffered severe trauma injuries, according to SDFD Battalion Chief Chris Webber, whose crews transported the severely injured to UCSD Medical Center and Rady Children’s Hospital. Two other victims were treated for minor injuries at the scene. Anthony DeWeese later died from his injuries at UCSD. At press time, several other victims remained hospitalized. It’s not yet clear whether the Sea Ray had its required navigation lights illuminated at the time of the accident. Both DeWeese and nearby boaters said he had no time to move out of the way of the speeding Coast Guard boat. DeWeese has publicly said the bow of the Coast Guard boat “was up way high,” possibly obscuring the driver’s view of any obstacles. Both vessels were able to return to the dock on their own power. The Sea Ray was quickly towed to the Shelter Island Boatyard, which opened on an emergency basis to receive the vessel and haul it from the water. “The towing service calls directly to my ways foreman, who calls in anybody he may need to assist him,” said Bill Roberts, general partner of the boatyard. San Diego Harbor Police examined the vessel out of the water Sunday night and had it trucked to a secure warehouse on Monday morning to protect the integrity of the evidence. Early Monday morning, Harbor Island observers spotted boats using floodlights and apparent divers to examine the scene of the accident. The names of the five USCG crew members, none of whom were injured, have not been released. However, the crew members have been relieved of their sea duties and assigned to administrative tasks, said Capt. Thomas Farris, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Diego during a Monday press conference. While Sunday’s boat parade was temporarily halted to facilitate rescue efforts, few in the parade were aware of the collision as the parade finished its route from Shelter Island to Coronado. About 80,000 people were expected to watch from shore. San Diego Harbor Police are currently seeking any witnesses to the accident. Anyone with information is asked to call (619) 686-6272.